Jennifer Lawrence’s No Hard Feelings Is the Raunchy Comedy Film of the Summer
Jennifer Lawrence returns to the big screen in No Hard Feelings alongside newcomer Andrew Barth Feldman in this summer’s most anticipated comedy.
No Hard Feelings tells the story of Lawrence’s Maddie Barker, a woman on the brink of losing her childhood home after a string of financial problems. Barker finds a solution when she sees a job listing from a couple of affluent helicopter parents. Searching for someone to break their introverted and awkward son Percy (Feldman) out of his comfort zone, the parents hire Maddie to date Percy before he leaves for college.
Lawrence welcomed her first child with her husband, Cooke Maroney, last February and planned to take a break from acting. That was until she read the script for No Hard Feelings: “And I just, I read the script, and it was just too funny. It was the funniest thing I had ever read,” Lawrence expressed in an interview with Good Morning America.
The inspiration for the film came from a real-life Craigslist ad director Gene Stupnitsky had shown Lawrence years before the project started production. “And I just thought it was hilarious, but I in no way thought I was gonna, like, be in the movie or that — there was no movie. It was just the ad, and we laughed about it. And then four years later, he sent me the script,” the Oscar-winning actress revealed to George Stephanopoulos in the interview.
The film has already made headlines for its witty punchlines and questionable comedic scenes, one of which includes Lawrence and Feldman’s characters getting their clothes stolen during a late-night skinny-dipping expedition. However, both actors assured fans that they were in safe hands while shooting the film. “Everyone was so kind, constantly checking in that we were okay,” stated Feldman in an interview with People.
Feldman, 21, rose to fame while starring in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway when he was only 16. The musical-theatre actor postponed attending Harvard University to shoot No Hard Feelings after leaving the Broadway show in 2020.
After the trailer was released earlier this year, some critics expressed concern that the film’s premise was inappropriate and condoned grooming. Feldman responded to the accusations in an interview with The Independent. “I think we all had a sense that this is a controversial premise,” Feldman admitted. “But the film never condones the things that Jennifer’s character does or that my character’s parents do. This is a movie about flawed people, and it’s a cringe comedy. You’re meant to cringe! You’re meant to sit with those uncomfortable feelings.”
Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman shared one of their favorite days on set while filming #NoHardFeelings. You can be one of the first ones to watch 'No Hard Feelings' this Saturday with a special sneak preview! Get your 🎟's NOW! 👇https://t.co/sPRcktSjf5 pic.twitter.com/MsOOfRSoym
— Fandango (@Fandango) June 17, 2023
No Hard Feelings comes to theaters nationwide on June 23.
