By Mr. Will Wong
It should come as no surprise that Gene Stupnitsky (Good Boys) delivers something accomplished in his latest Comedy, NO HARD FEELINGS. He’s managed to temper that fine balance between heartfelt and comedic through his years of experience as both a Writer and Director on beloved series The Office.
The premise of NO HARD FEELINGS seems like a raging horomonal male teen’s dreams. An introverted, soft-spoken 19-year-old, Percy (award-winning stage star Andrew Barth Feldman) just got accepted to Harvard. Fun fact: Feldman in real life also got accepted into the prestigious Ivy League institution. Percy’s parents (Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti) hire a gorgeous woman named Maddie (Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence) to help him achieve his awakening as a young man. To help him break out of his shell, so to say. Maddie’s desperate to save the house she inherited from her late mom, struggling to keep-up with rising costs driven by the summer tourist economy in her native Montauk. She accepts the gig in exchange for a much-needed car, but gets a whole lot more invested than she bargained for after getting to know this awkward teen.
NO HARD FEELINGS is a cut from the same cloth as 2022 Cooper Raiff masterpiece CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH. Older women falls for younger man – as does he for her – teetering dangerously close on the border of unacceptable, with an uplifting overarching theme of self-growth. Where this Film carves its own unique identity is its humour and physical comedy, yet still managing to be meaningful, sweet and yes, bittersweet. Believe me, it’s a recipe that isn’t often mastered with the level of grace that Stupnitsky brings. This very easily could’ve been reduced to none more than an R-rated raunchy Comedy, yet it is so much more than that.
Lawrence is superb as Maddie. And surprisingly, it’s taken her this long to land a role that taps into her girl-we-all-want-to-hang-with sensibility. She’s meant for Comedy and this is a perfect showcase for that as she controls Maddie‘s narrative with a balance of self-protectionism and vulnerability. Dare we say this is her most daring performance to date?
Feldman isn’t to be outshined, and is a perfect companion to Lawrence‘s Maddie. He embodies Percy‘s insecurities and makes us truly feel for him. Though on paper this pairing seems unlikely, our two leads have a way honing-in on the deeper emotional connection they share with one another. And there’s even a musical number that shines a light on Feldman‘s remarkable talent.
The 103-minute runtime goes by far more quickly than we’d want it to and if there were anything to be faulted, it is how quickly it wraps-up. Often we are begging for less runtime, but we wouldn’t have complained if Stupinsky gave us a bit more detail near the end. The Film possesses that rare magic that so many Rom-Coms aspire to achieve. This is such a refreshing detour from a Summer onslaught of endless franchises and blockbusters.
Sony Pictures Canada release NO HARD FEELINGS in theatres June 23, 2023.
For advertising opportunites please contact mrwill@mrwillwong.com