No Hard Feelings’: Jennifer Lawrence Shines in a Hilariously Provocative Comedy with Emotional Depth

“No Hard Feelings” defies easy categorization, rendering a flashy advertising campaign inadequate, and in many ways, that works to its advantage. Blending elements of a French sex comedy with a coming-of-age tale akin to “American Pie,” this audacious film starring Jennifer Lawrence delves into darker and more profound territories that elevate it beyond the superficiality suggested by its “Pretty. Awkward.” promotional posters.

Lawrence portrays Maddie, a woman who exudes beauty but finds herself in desperate circumstances. With the imminent threat of losing her home and her car on the verge of repossession, Maddie, a part-time Uber driver, attributes her dire financial situation to the affluent summer residents who flood her seaside town of Montauk. Their presence exacerbates the challenges faced by struggling individuals like her.

Enter a wealthy couple, played by Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti, who seek a companion for their 19-year-old son, Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman). The job description subtly implies a romantic involvement to bring Percy out of his shell before he begins his studies at Princeton. Maddie, although slightly older than the couple’s original intentions, manages to convince them that women Percy’s age are foolish. Moreover, she emphasizes her dire need for the car they are offering.

Directed and co-written by Gene Stupnitsky, in collaboration with John Phillips, both known for their work on “The Office,” the film effortlessly could have descended into a raunchy R-rated comedy brimming with exaggerated situations—and indeed, it incorporates some of that humor. However, “No Hard Feelings” (a somewhat generic title that fails to grasp the film’s essence) also unearths a poignant side, exploring the peculiar friendship that blossoms between the two main characters, both damaged in their own unique ways.

Percy suffers from a self-imposed emotional confinement, residing primarily in the online realm, while his “helicopter parents” push him to mature while inadvertently impeding his growth. This emotional paralysis mirrors elements of “The Graduate,” though it falls short of the latter’s brilliance, to be clear.

For Maddie, life revolves around casual encounters and a persistent feeling of inferiority due to the class divide she experienced while growing up, constantly peering through the glass at the privileged world beyond.

Feldman’s youthful appearance accentuates Percy’s vulnerability, rendering the transactional nature of Maddie’s assignment more ethically ambiguous. To Lawrence’s credit (who also serves as a producer), she wholeheartedly embraces this aspect, including a scene where she persuades the hesitant and rule-abiding Percy to join her in a nighttime skinny-dipping escapade—an episode that simultaneously delivers broad comedy, clever references (Percy drawing parallels to “Jaws”), and reveals the underlying hostility Maddie carries within her.

This sequence encapsulates the film’s ambitious aspirations, exceeding initial expectations and potentially complicating the task of marketing it in today’s theatrical landscape. However, Lawrence deserves recognition for bringing forth a compelling character within a movie that offers unexpected rewards for those willing to experience it, whether in theaters or, more likely, when it finds a more receptive audience on pay TV and streaming platforms.

“No Hard Feelings” premieres on June 23 in US theaters and is rated R.