Time: 103 Minutes
Age Rating: R16 – Sex scenes, offensive language & nudity
Cast:
Jennifer Lawrence as Maddie Barker
Andrew Barth Feldman as Percy Becker
Laura Benanti as Allison Becker
Matthew Broderick as Laird Becker
Natalie Morales as Sara
Director: Gene Stupnitsky

I heard about No Hard Feelings with it being a comedy led by Jennifer Lawrence. Aside from that and the premise, I really had no idea if I was going to like this, but it turned out to be better than expected.

The script is good enough overall. The premise as read on paper is definitely an odd one, and has the potential to be done really badly. But I thought that it was handled well. The story is simple and familiar, yet effective enough, and I enjoyed it. No Hard Feelings is definitely an R rated comedy and pitches itself as a raunchy sex comedy. However, it definitely isn’t as raunchy as you would think it would be, perhaps it could’ve leaned into that a little more. Still, there are some over the top moments for sure, one scene involving a beach was a highlight. The jokes do generally hit really well, and the movie is consistently funny throughout its runtime. However, it was also more dramatic than I was expecting, surprisingly sweet, thoughtful and sincere by the end, and that added a lot to the film.

The acting is really good from everyone. Jennifer Lawrence is great here in the lead role, very charming and fun with perfect comic timing, while also delivering on the heartfelt genuine moments. The biggest surprise is Andrew Barth Feldman, who is equally good. His character is handled better than expected, given that his role is a closed off, awkward and inexperienced teenager who’s not been with anyone. The movie actually takes his character seriously, and the performance helped with that too. Both actors make for a fun pairing with a great dynamic, and it was nice watching their characters progress.

The direction from Gene Stupnisky isn’t great or anything special, but it works for this movie. There are some really good music choices for some of the scenes.

No Hard Feelings is a very funny, enjoyable and surprisingly sincere comedy, and with great performances from Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman.