No Hard Feelings (2023) Review – JLaw Is Back

I remember watching the first trailer for No Hard Feelings a few months ago and thinking this would either be a funny movie or a pretty miserable experience, but I was intrigued by Jennifer Lawrence acting in a straight-up raunchy comedy. After fairly positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, I caught it in the cinemas and was glad I did.

Let’s establish something – this doesn’t redefine the genre. No Hard Feelings is a raunchy comedy; one could argue it is also a pretty straightforward gender-swapped remake of Can’t Buy Me Love (1987). But unlike that movie, this one has two things Can’t Buy Me Love doesn’t have – Jennifer Lawrence and the social commentary aspect that is relevant.

I have admired Jennifer’s career almost from the very beginning; I was happy when she won her Oscar and never understood why, all of a sudden, people seemed to hate her. No Hard Feelings proves she could make anything work because she has the acting chops and charisma. Her character, Maddie, spent about 40% of this film acting like she was stuck in a 1980s comedy. But it makes sense within the movie, given she’s used to dating men of different ages than Andrew Barth Feldman, as she was hired by his parents to date him and “date him” (as said in the movie). However, when Maddie realises she must change her strategy as her looks only get her so far, the film improves. I can’t say the jokes didn’t work for me before that, but I don’t think I laughed as much. And Jennifer balances everything brilliantly here; she has no issue playing over-the-top sexy, is great in more dramatic moments (after all, she is an Oscar winner), and bears it all, especially in that nude fight scene on the beach; I didn’t expect that, but I am not complaining.

Since I have mentioned Andrew already, let’s talk about him briefly. I wasn’t familiar with him before this movie, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, and he was great in his role. He never went too much into this anti-social character where he’d become unlikable, annoying, or it would be hard to relate to him. Quite the opposite, he was given a backstory that explained everything and made it easier to sympathize with him. Also, his chemistry with Jennifer was top-notch; they played off each other brilliantly. He should get the same recognition as Jennifer, even though his character didn’t have to bear it all as she did.

As hinted above, I was surprised by the movie’s setting and themes. The whole story starts with Maddie owing some back taxes, so she must make money quickly to pay those off; otherwise, she will lose her house. And those back taxes are enormous, given she lives in a beautiful town that is used by rich people, who own many properties and live there for only a few months of the year. And that fact makes it harder for the locals to live there, as her friends (played by Natalie Morales and Scott MacArthur) can’t afford to get their place. I don’t know about you, but I don’t expect my raunchy comedy movies to talk about gentrification, so that was a pleasant surprise, and it also made sense. It made sense not only to kick start the film but also the situation with Jennifer’s friends, and when you think it’s all over, the movie sneaks in one more reminder of how expensive it gets for the locals when rich people move in. But I would have to get into spoilers, so let’s not do that.

Despite these themes, No Hard Feelings never feels preachy. And because of Jennifer Lawrence, it never felt sleazy, either. This movie balanced everything very well, whereas others would have leaned more into the sleaziness or the social commentary No Hard Feelings knows what it wants to say and says it. But it knows it exists mainly to entertain you for around 100 minutes. Yes, it’s not perfect; the story is fairly predictable, but you won’t be bored in the hands of Jennifer and Andrew. And I am glad to see an A-lister like Jennifer not taking herself too seriously and doing a raunchy comedy about her trying to seduce soon-to-be-college student. I wish more Oscar winners would do that.

Overall, No Hard Feelings surprised me on every front. From the nude beach fight scene to its themes and comments on the current housing problem, something about this film felt real and sincere. But the main reason you should see it is undoubtedly Jennifer and Andrew, as they are both funny and their chemistry is superb. There is a very strong possibility that when I revisit this film, I will rate it even higher because I left the cinema with a smile. And those minor complaints about predictability were only tiny voices inside my head. I hope we will see Jennifer in more comedies like this on top of her more serious work.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke