No Hard Feelings

The decline of the comedy films isn't something I have covered all too much but it mirrors the decline in the mid-budget films, or at least those that would get a chance on the big screen before inevitably finding a home on a streaming service. It's all been covered before but in 2023 director, Gene Stupnitsky, made a bid to try and turn the tide with No Hard Feelings. While not quite a throwback to the gross-out comedies, this felt like a move to audiences back to the cinema for a date night or just for a few laughs. Did it pay off?

Jennifer Lawrence stars as a Uber driver who loses her car due to unpaid tickets, wheeled-off by a heartbroken ex, and is caught in a tough spot to maintain her parent's home with mounting bills while summer quickly approaches when she would be hoping to make the majority of her income. So she turns to a site where a wealthy family will offer her a cheap car in return that she dates and sleeps with their timid son before he goes to college. 

It's a fun, quirky set-up and from the get-go, Lawrence is firing on all cylinders in the leading role and helps to make No Hard Feelings an enjoyable semi-romantic comedy all in under 103 minutes. Like a lot of comedies, it's first third the brings the humour thick and fast before the drama side comes about but Stupnitsky keeps the story moving along fast enough for it to never drag. The attractive coastline of Long Island doesn't hurt either making for a comedy that's easy on the eye, nicely shot and comes with a fine cast including Andrew Barth Feldman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Matthew Broderick.

No Hard Feelings won't be one that sticks long in the mind after watching but it offers a fun time for anyone in search of a breezy comedy. Hopefully this marks a trend with Hollywood coming back to the neglected genre; it doesn't cost the earth to make and these can be hugely successful with the right formula, which this utilises very well.