‘No Hard Feelings’ delivers hysterical laughs

In the comedy, ‘No Hard Feelings,’ on the brink of losing her childhood home, a desperate woman agrees to date a wealthy couple’s introverted and awkward 19-year-old son.

However, he proves to be more of a challenge than she expected, and time is running out before she loses it all.

‘No Hard Feelings’ is a very humorous R-rated comedy that really delivers not only the laughs but also a little bit of heart.

To get this out of the way, I never expected to ever see Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence in an R-rated comedy. And, she actually nails it with her comedic moments and the comedic timing she has with some of her co-stars, including Anthony Barth Feldman, who plays the son. Lawrence also does a great job going from being comedic to dramatic when she needs to be, which happens quite a bit during the movie.

There are quite a few scenes where Lawrence will absolutely steal the show with her humorous moments that will really make you laugh. The audience at a showing I attended really got a kick out of some of her scenes and I could tell they had a great time watching this comedy. Some of her scenes with the Percy character are also quite humorous at times and they also have a few parts that can be a little heart-felt.

Even though this movie has been marketed mainly as an R-rated raunchy comedy (which it can be), the latter half of the comedy actually has some really dramatic moments, especially when the movie slowly dives more into Maddie’s (Lawrence) situation and a little bit of her past is revealed. ‘No Hard Feelings’ does a fine job with blending the comedic and dramatic tones. Maddie’s friends also have a few little moments that will easily make you laugh and Matthew Broderick (Bueller … Bueller … Bueller) can make you chuckle during his few scenes as Percy’s father.

Overall, ‘No Hard Feelings’ is an enjoyable comedy that really delivers the laughs and, at times, sort of feels like a coming-of-age story from Percy’s POV. The movie also gives out a comedic vibe of the late 90s and early 2000s (and maybe some of the 80s) where R-rated comedies were at their best.

The cast: Jennifer Lawrence as Maddie Barker; Andrew Barth Feldman as Percy Becker; Natalie Morales as Sara; Scott MacArthur as Jim; Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Gary; Kyle Mooney as Jody; Hason Minhaj as Doug Kahn; Laura Benanti as Allison Becker, and Matthew Broderick as Laird Becker.

‘No Hard Feelings’ is written by John Phillips (Dirty Grandpa) and Gene Stupnitsky (Bad Teacher; Good Boys) and also directed by Stupnitsky. ‘Bad Teacher’ and ‘Good Boys’ are two R-rated comedies written by Stupnitsky that are extremely hilarious and definitely worth a look!

‘No Hard Feelings’ is rated R for sexual content, language, some graphic nudity and brief drug use and has a running time of 105 minutes.

Let me know on my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews Facebook page your thoughts on this hysterical comedy and what is your favorite comedy? Up next on the review front - ‘The Flash,’ ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ and ‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning: Part 1.’