THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
The best apology term to use on someone you offend is 'No Hard Feelings'.
PLOT
The film follows 32 year old Maddie Barker, who lives in Montauk, making ends meet as an Uber driver and a bartender. With her car repossessed as a punishment for not paying taxes she owes, she has until the end of the summer to pay in full before losing her childhood home. In a desperate move, she accepts an unusual Craigslist posting in which a wealthy couple, Laird & Allison Becker, offer a Buick Regal in exchange for someone to literally date their 19 year old son Percy. The reason is for him to boost his confidence in attending Princeton in the fall. She agrees and first meets him at an animal shelter he volunteers at. When she offers him a ride home, he mistakes it to be a kidnapping attempt and pepper sprays her. Despite the misunderstanding, he agrees to go on a date with the next day. They go out at a bar and Maddie convinces Percy to skinny dip at the beach. It doesn't go smooth when a trio of drunk teens try to steal their clothes. Maddie would stop that from happening by fighting them for it while still nude. Percy gets uncomfortable of her actions and demands to be taken home. She tries to leave him behind, causing him to hop onto the hood of the car while still naked. When the police notice this, they pursue them, but Maddie outruns them by crossing a train track before an actual train arrives. The two try to have sex at her home, but Percy still feels uncomfortable when developing a rash from anxiety, thus resulting in Maddie nursing him. After this night, the two continue dating in public and be comfortable enough to share about their past. Percy would confess he never went to prom because a false rumor made up of him in high school, while Maddie admits to have skipped to take care of her mother (due to the absence of her father). This inspires the two to have a prom themed date. The date goes so well to the point where Percy plays piano and sings at a fancy restaurant. This gets the attention of a school acquaintance named Natalie (Amalia Yoo) who invites him to a party. Maddie's jealousy would lead to her arguing with him over long term plans. This would bother Percy to the point of going to the party he was invited to. After briefly waiting, she finds him in bed with Natalie, but swears nothing happened because he got sick mixing alcohol with ibuprofen. As she helps him recover, the young adult professes his love for her. On the way home, he claims to be ready for sex, but Maddie chooses to turn him down, believing it should be done when sober. It is after this hectic night where Percy tells his parents he wants to stay in Montauk to continue his relationship with Maddie. This worries them of course because they want their son to have the best education possible. So they call Maddie and tell her she can have the car as promised as long as she convinces Percy to go to Princeton. However, Percy would overhear this and filled with heart break and anger. Those feelings would lead to him inviting Maddie to dinner, alerting everyone he knows of their scheme and rebelliously damage the car. He does try to have sex with Maggie, but it doesn't go to his liking due to prematurely ejaculating. The personal embarrassment causes him to officially end their relationship. Maddie would still take the car and use it to pull off paying her debts for the remainder of the summer Ubering, making enough money to later fix it and save the house. Despite doing exactly what she planned to do, she doesn't completely feel satisfied. She would only feel heartbroken as well when her friends Jim & Sara announce they want to move due to the housing costs, who point out she's only been staying out of respect for her mother rather than for herself. This inspires Maddie to make a change by selling the house to them and apologizing to those she wronged, starting with an ex boyfriend she ghosted named Gary (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). She does reach out to Percy at a Princeton-mixer, but he ignores her due to still feeling hurt of her original intentions. When he chooses to leave, she hops onto the hood like he did before, causing him to crash into the ocean due to being unable to see. As the car gets towed, he accepts her reconciliation and becomes surprised she's making a change by moving to California. The film would end with Maddie adopting a dog from the shelter named Milo and personally driving Percy to Princeton, promising to call when she drives to California.
THOUGHTS
I've been in the good laugh of the summer in 2023, and while I definitely got that with the likes of Barbie and The Blackening, this one felt special. Comedies feel like a dying bred this decade because no one wants to bother making time for them compared to the consistent action packed blockbusters we get these days. With that being said, I regret not seeing this in theaters because I had a good time with is. I personally believe Director Gene Stupinsky delivers in making a comedy filled with an old school level of raunch. If you can't handle a woman fighting for her clothes naked, getting accidentally punched in the throat or someone's penis getting stuck in a finger trap toy, this won't be your cup of tea because that shit had me laughing like crazy. With a handful of absurdity, I was quickly able to understand the theme that there is no shame in coming out of your shell and doing what makes you happy because being yourself is always enough. It's crazy to see this through such an unexpected pair. Jennifer Lawrence has always been to be naturally funny, which makes the role of Maddie arguably perfect for her. Would I call this award worthy like Silver Linings Playbook? Probably not, but this doesn't mean she wasn't entertaining. She made the role her own for being her own force to be reckoned with. You can surprisingly relate to her due to how impatient she gets over Percy, but you can also relate to her fear of commitment. Because of how her father refused to be a part of her life, she felt like she couldn't be capable of settling down, hence choosing to ghost guys like Gary. It became an easy decision for her to date Percy in exchange for a car because she knew would cut ties once the deal was done. But the more time she spent with him, the more she understood there was reason to his fragile state. Andrew Barth Feldman was enjoyable as well because you get to relate to his shyness. The guy avoided socializing for so long because he was so afraid of it to not work out like before. That changed when he gained the most unordinary guardian angel. I actually teared up when he performed his ballad in public because his nervousness briefly vanished and he was comfortable enough to sing how he felt. I don't blame him for falling for Maddie because she's the one who pushed him to be himself. She ended up caring for him because he returned the favor. But once the truth was out, there was no chance for them to stay a couple. I felt so bad that his deflowering didn't go to his liking because premature ejaculation is out of any man's control. Considering they got the chance to reconcile, I hope their friendship lasts longer than their relationship because you don't need to be physically intimate to be happy. While Lawrence & Feldman's chemistry carry this movie significantly, they weren't the only ones interesting. Another pair that got my attention were Percy's parents. Matthew Broderick & Laura Benanti pulled it off in playing Laird & Allison as arguably clueless parents. I don’t want to to come off hating on these two since all they want is what’s best for their son, but overstay their welcome monitoring his whole life to the point where he’s not even comfortable doing it all alone. Thanks to Maddie, he was willing to tell them to let him learn to fail in order to succeed. It’s hard to stand up to parents, so it’s refreshing to see it come off easy for him thanks to his newfound confidence. Another pair that had my attention was Jim & Sara. Scott MacArthur & Natalie Morales put their screen time to good use by playing the couple as one who understands Maddie’s dilemma, aware that she’s never been happy. They have their own issues, as in trying to find an appropriate home before the birth of their newborn, which makes them act more realistic. They want to live life to the fullest like Maddie has tried, but they know the fun can’t last forever. Even if they tell her what she doesn’t want to hear, at least it’s all from the heart. It’s bittersweet for them to live in Maddie’s home because that way, it’ll feel like she never left. I'm not kidding when I say I dug this movie, but it doesn't excuse the few things that confused me as I sat down to it. Like for example, it was pretty funny when Maddie forgot remove the main hook from her car, but how could she miss that? If she knows Gary's job, she would remember to unhook that first. And there honestly wouldn't be any point in taking the car back since Gary knows where she lives and would've tried again if she succeeded. I know it's in the character for the Beckers to be closeted assholes, but it pissed me off so bad when they didn't help Maddie up the stairs while still wearing her skates. They see she is struggling and that's cold. And to be honest, why didn't Maddie tell them Percy wrecked the car? She would've saved some money because I don't think they wouldn't do it. Ignore this, and you're still in for a good time. In short, No Hard Feelings is a funny movie for letting loose on its premise and finding its heart in an unexpected place. If raunchy comedies are your preference, see this as soon as possible.
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