ReelBob: ‘No Hard Feelings’ ★★½

By Bob Bloom

It may sound odd to criticize a movie for not fully exploiting its premise, but that is the case with “No Hard Feelings.”

The comedy stars Jennifer Lawrence as Maddie, a 32-year-old with financial and emotional issues.

At the outset, Maddie’s car is confiscated and she is threatened with the loss of her house for not keeping up with her property taxes.

Maddie who works as an Uber driver and a bartender really has no plan for her future except to keep her house in Montauk, which was bequeathed to her by her late mother.

Maddie also resents the rich folks who populate the beach area during summer and act superior and condescend to the “townies.”

Above all, she worries about how she will earn a living without a vehicle.

She finds a solution in an ad from a well-to-do overprotective couple who are looking for a young woman to date their introverted, socially awkward 19-year-old son, Percy, and give him confidence and social skills, so he can succeed when he begins his college life at Princeton. Her payment will include a car, title and all.

Maddie interviews with the parents and gets the job. Learning that Percy works at a kennel for rescue dogs, she goes there and begins flirting with him.

For Maddie, at first, the job is a means to an end. Her goal is to seduce Percy as quickly as possible, get the car and begin getting her life in order.

Percy, however, is not an easy nut to crack. Unlike 99 percent of other teenage boys, he simply does not want to jump into bed with the first woman he encounters.

This is the section in which “No Hard Feelings” fails to take full advantage of its R-rating and the movie’s raunchy possibilities. Yes, Maddie convinces Percy to go skinny dipping, but it is played more for comedy — and Percy’s embarrassed and confused reactions — than bawdiness.

And as the movie progresses, it becomes a bit more serious as Maddie and Percy actually develop feelings for each other.

The movie succeeds because of the charisma and luster of Lawrence. She portrays Maddie as brittle, cynical, yet vulnerable and a bit damaged.

Andrew Barth Feldman’s Percy is delightful as the youth who always has been sheltered and protected by his well-meaning helicopter parents — played by Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti.

“No Hard Feelings” is cute, comfortable, tame and safe. Writers John Phillips and Gene Stupnitsky — who also directed — seem to shy away from injecting any edginess into the proceedings.

That decision, to me, seems a mistake. Adding a little more spice to the proceedings would have elevated “No Hard Feelings” from a simple and enjoyable summer outing to a feature with some bite and excitement.I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.

NO HARD FEELINGS
2½ stars out of 4
(R), graphic nudity, language, sexual content, brief drug use

“No Hard Feelings” is cut, comfortable, tame and safe. Writers John Phillips and Gene Stupnitsky — who also directed — seem to shy away from injecting any edginess into the proceedings.