No Hard Feelings movie review (2023) – Roger Ebert

The R-rated studio comedy hardly makes any theatrical appearances as of late, particularly within the age of streaming. The one grownup comedies normally come from Common Photos, which relish in genre-bending (“Cocaine Bear,” “Renfield”), mixing up ideas for youths however with a mature twist (the upcoming “Strays”), or banking on a comic intently related to Judd Apatow (“Bros”). However a solo comedic car for an A-lister to point out off their comedic chops (and never from Common) appears like a pipe dream. However Sony and Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence have made that pipe dream right into a raunchy actuality with the assured ’80s-styled R-rated comedy “No Exhausting Emotions.”

Directed by Gene Stupnitsky (“Good Boys,” co-creator of Freevee’s “Jury Responsibility”), the movie facilities on Maddie Barker (Lawrence), a Montauk-based Uber driver in her early thirties and on the verge of chapter. When her automobile will get repossessed by her scorned tow trucker ex Gary (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), the home that her late mom left her is about to foreclose, and the revenue from her mundane part-time bartending job at a seafood-themed bar is way from sufficient to suffice. Resorting to Craigslist, Maddie solutions an odd job itemizing that provides a Buick Regal as compensation. The place: date a rich couple’s (Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti) 19-year-old son Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) for the summer time, get him out of his shell, and pop his first cherry earlier than heading to Princeton College within the fall; all whereas Percy is unsuspecting of his dad and mom’ involvement. Initially considering the gig could be a bit of cake, Percy’s clueless, awkward anxiety-riddled vibe provides Maddie a run for her cash.

Since departing from Artistic Artists Company in 2018, Jennifer Lawrence’s current return to the large display screen boasts liberation from the depth she poured into her previous few roles. Her days of prestigious Oscar bait and being a franchise star who wore exhaustion in her performances are over. As we speak, with every new mission, her company and freedom are outstanding. In “No Exhausting Emotions,” Lawrence proudly lets her freak flag fly.

By way of the rambunctious, hasty cynical Maddie, Lawrence returns to her comedic roots from 2007’s “The Invoice Engvall Present” and aces every aspect of her efficiency right here. She has the identical skillful comedic skill as Anna Faris, Charlize Theron, Emma Stone, and Regina Corridor, who flip their sensuality on a dime and dive into foolish habits. Lawrence has skilled comedian timing, particularly with Maddie’s cynical clap backs and insults. Even for a talented expertise like Lawrence, she nonetheless impresses with her dedication to outrageous feats of bodily comedy. Nothing she has completed as Mystique in any of the “X-Males” movies will measure as much as Maddie going full pro-wrestler on a bunch of youngsters in her birthday swimsuit.

“No Exhausting Emotions” boasts a breakthrough standout efficiency by Andrew Barth Feldman, who leaps from the Broadway stage to the silver display screen as a pleasant foil to Maddie. His Percy is just like the anthesis of Gary from Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza”; As an alternative of pursuing a lady of his elder, he does every part in his energy to keep up abstinence at a sluggish and regular tempo. He is the right foil for Lawrence’s Maddie, garnering quite a few laughs together with his timid demeanor contrasting her outward assured spirit.