Jennifer Lawrence became world famous for her role as Katniss Everdeen in “The Hunger Games” films and she won an Oscar for “Silver Linings Playbook“.

Her qualities as an actress are indisputable, but it is a bit embarrassing to see her in this film.

“No Hard Feelings” tries to be a romantic comedy with sharp edges and crude humor, but the edges are filed away and the laughter bounces off.

Teen movies about romance based on hidden motives have been made many times before, such as “Slackers”, “Cruel Intentions”, “She’s All That” and “10 Things I Hate About You”.

“No Hard Feelings” therefore belongs to a rather specific genre, but lacks a fresh approach to it. You can see that Jennifer Lawrence throws herself into the challenge of skin and hair, but she is not a distinctive comedian.

Her qualities in drama also do not manage to hide the script’s easy handling of some big questions that deserved a more thorough treatment.

Relationship for Car

The main character Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) lives and works in the resort town of Montauk on Long Island, among other things as an Uber driver for the rich tourists who invade the town every summer. She herself struggles with finances and is deprived of the car she is so dependent on because of unpaid bills.

That’s why she answers a slightly special ad from Allison (Laura Benanti) and Laird (Matthew Broderick). They are looking for someone willing to date their 19-year-old son, Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman), in exchange for an old car.

Maddie sees it as an easy task to provide some sex to the much-needed vehicle, but it will prove difficult to get the shy and awkward Percy out of his shell, especially since the age difference between them is significant.

It also becomes clear that the far more experienced Maddie can perhaps acquire life wisdom from the young boy who puts her own chaotic life in a new perspective. And what happens when he systematically discovers that the whole relationship has been arranged?

Predictable Humor with Unthreaded Storyline

The plot’s starting point, which I have now outlined, is by no means without interesting elements. There are conflicts in the material that have the potential for fun explorations with an underlying seriousness.

The problem is that director and co-screenwriter Gene Stupnitsky does it with predictable humor that doesn’t work very well as intended.

Only one scene shows glimpses of what the film could have been, where Maddie beats up three youths on the beach without a trace.

This willingness to stretch the rope is otherwise not found in a film that runs the race too safely and harmlessly, perhaps in order not to challenge those who might see ethical problems in a story about a 32-year-old who tries to kill a 19-year-old.

It is hard to imagine that the film would even be made today with reversed gender roles.

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Lack of Committal Entertainment

“No Hard Feelings” shows that Jennifer Lawrence dares to throw herself into challenges in new genre fields, for which she deserves praise. However, it becomes clear that she has more control over conveying emotions than humorous portrayals.

This film’s comedic punch could have needed someone with, say, Aubrey Plaza, Amy Schumer, Kate McKinnon, or Rebel Wilson’s qualities.

Lawrence succeeds far better in the parts of the film where Maddie gets her own life choices thrown in the balance, in scenes where Andrew Barth Feldman also does good things in the role of the perhaps naive, but equally thoughtful Percy.

It also evokes nostalgic feelings to see Matthew Broderick in the small supporting role as the father of a character that he himself would have been a good candidate to play in his 1980s heyday (and if I’m not completely mistaken, Percy actually does a ” Ferris Bueller” reference in one scene).

“No Hard Feelings” is not a disaster as non-committal entertainment, but the quality varies greatly, and it is easy to think that the film could have benefited from actors with slightly sharp comedy skills both in front of and behind the camera.