agmtw logo
search
No Hard Feelings (2023)

No Hard Feelings (2023)

A raunchy romantic comedy that’s enjoyable from start to end

7.0

Movie

United States of America
English, Portuguese, Spanish
Comedy, Drama, Romance
2023
GENE STUPNITSKY
Alaina Surgener, Alysia Joy Powell, Amalia Yoo
104 min

TLDR

I love how this movie feels like it was fished straight out of the 2000s.

What it's about

To retain her childhood home, Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) accepts an ad that requires her to befriend a wealthy but awkward high school senior, Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman).

The take

It’s best not to overthink the details of No Hard Feelings, an uproarious comedy that benefits from the lead actors’ physicality. It’s meant to be enjoyed as it happens, at the moment, with Lawrence lighting up every scene with full-bodied commitment and Feldman, a worthy co-lead, delighting at every turn. They’re playing stock characters, and the script doesn’t give much beyond the usual backstories, but Lawrence and Feldman play them with so much heart and gusto, knocking every scene they’re in out of the park. Everything else plays second fiddle to their two-hander show. The cameos are star-studded but forgettable (except for Kyle Mooney, who I wished was onscreen more as Percy’s male nanny), the character development is heartwarming but predictable, and though it bills itself as a sex comedy, the film never really touches past third base. But all that is water under the bridge when you’re watching Maddie and Percy flirt and fumble their way through the film.  

What stands out

Jennifer Lawrence is made for comedy. I can’t believe she hasn’t done a lot of this in the past and I have to believe she’s making more in the future. Her enjoyment in playing a comedic role isn’t just palpable, it’s downright contagious. You don’t often get an a-lister this committed to making a silly bit or ridiculous gag work, so it doesn’t feel like a stretch to call Lawrence a gem among her peers.

Comments

Add a comment

Your name

Your comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

A star-studded and riveting legal drama with a blockbuster feel.

8.1

The Guilty (2018)

A minimalist, razor-sharp thriller that will have you gasping for air.

9.0

The Substance (2024)

Demi Moore swaps bodies in this standout chaotic body dysmorphia horror

8.0

System Crasher (2019)

A tale of trauma and one of the most talked about movies on Netflix in 2020.

9.0

Forgotten Love (2023)

The stunning third take of the classic Polish pre-war melodrama

7.7

His Three Daughters (2024)

Three sisters deal with life and death in this moving family portrait

8.9

Incendies (2011)

Part melodrama, part war thriller, Incendies is gorgeous and heartbreaking from the first scene

9.9

Wind River (2017)

Sicario's screenwriter directs this story of murder in an Indigenous reserve

9.4

A Silent Voice (2016)

A coming-of-age movie that circles around friendship and the atonement of a boy

8.7

Short Term 12 (2013)

Sweet, slow-moving, and possibly life-changing, this American drama shines the light on the chaos and crises of social work in America

9.9

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.