‘I’ve had sex with a guy to get out of playing Settlers of Catan...’
There is a prevailing theory that Gen Z are much more puritanical and prudish than the generations before them. This does seem to be born out by the fact that any film containing even mild sexual content is endlessly debated online for months after release. Witness the discourse around Saltburn – an enjoyable but fairly vanilla movie. And so, with No Hard Feelings, it is refreshing to see a good old-fashioned sex comedy hit big. We are in Porky’s territory. This could be an American Pie sequel. And while Zoomers don’t seem to get it, as a kid raised on raunchy teen comedies (Road Trip, 40-Year-Old Virgin, Old School etc), I found No Hard Feelings to be an enjoyable and inconsequential throwback to a simpler time…
Maddie Baker (Jennifer Lawrence) is on the verge of losing the beachside property she has lived in her whole life. The only logical solution to this considerable problem is to pretend to date a high school kid (Andrew Barth Feldman) so that his rich parents (Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti) will gift her a brand new Buick Regal. It’s a ridiculous premise but this somehow only endeared me to Gene Stupnitsky’s sex-comedy-cum-romcom even more.
What makes J-Law such a bankable and successful actress is that she throws herself into every role. Whether it be Oscar-winning dramas, franchise movies or crowd-pleasing comedies like this one. This is the kind of committed, physical performance that is normally the preserve of male comedic actors. This is far from a one-woman show, however. It’s wonderful to see Broderick back on the big screen again and he relishes his opportunity, stealing every scene in which he appears. Crucially, Feldman’s sweet-natured naivety is the perfect foil for Lawrence’s aggressive sexuality, and while the third act is cloying in its predictability, there are a couple of great comedic set pieces along the way that ensure that the film never runs out of steam.
No Hard Feelings is not quite funny enough to be a comedy classic, but it’s hard to imagine anyone leaving this movie disappointed. Another hit for Jennifer Lawrence and the only film in her oeuvre to date in which she beats up a group of teenagers whilst completely naked.
