If it feels like an eternity since a pure R-rated comedy was released in theaters, well, you're not far off. There have been films with comedic elements, but full-on comedies have been in scarce supply (even on streaming, Borat 2 is the only one that appeared to get any real following online). An entire article could be written about potential reasons for the dearth of comedies in the 2020s, but back to the point of this article, it felt refreshing to see No Hard Feelings in part because comedies have been so few and far between for a few years now.
Thankfully, the film by Gene Stupnitsky (who did 2019's surprisingly funny Good Boys) is a breezy bit of summer fun. Jennifer Lawrence plays Maddie, a young woman in Montauk who can't afford the property taxes on her inherited house thanks to an increasing influx of wealthy people moving to town. In desperation, she responds to a Craigslist ad from a rich couple (Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti) looking for a young woman to date their awkward, introverted son (Andrew Barth Feldman) to get him out of his shell before he leaves for Princeton.
The film hinges on Lawrence, and she gives a brash, lively performance (viewers are unlikely to forget an outrageous scene involving Lawrence on a beach). Feldman also renders his nerdy character in a way that elevates him above a simple stereotype. The humor walks the fine line of acknowledging modern sensibilities about certain subjects while still poking fun at them. Like some of John Hughes' 80s comedies, the movie is also aware of social class issues without ever being preachy about them.
While the humor sometimes is uneven, No Hard Feelings ultimately works because even though some situations in the film are exaggerated for comedic effect, the interactions between the two leads more often than not feel real. Despite its R-rated elements, it's a surprisingly sweet-natured film.
