Cinephile № 1,077 “No Hard Feelings”

Recommendation: 3/5 Stars, STREAM

Plot: “On the brink of losing her home, Maddie finds an intriguing job listing: helicopter parents looking for someone to bring their introverted 19-year-old son out of his shell before college. She has one summer to make him a man or die trying.”

Review: Jennifer Lawrence has entered a new phase of her career. With enough box office success, she can pick projects that matter most to her. No Hard Feelings is evidence of this new reality. It is a choice that really should surprise no one who has been paying attention.

Lawerence is the perfect late night talk show guest. She has great comedic timing and does not mind sharing an embarrassing tale that puts her at the center of the joke. In this film, it is those skills that elevate a crude script dripping with dry humor from beginning to end.

Within fifteen minutes of the movie’s opening credits, you will figure out where this film is heading. It suffers from a predictable storyline. Lawrence stars as Maddie. When we first meet her, life is unraveling and spiraling out of control. Her car is being repossessed. Without a car, she cannot drive rideshare and take advantage of the busy summer months in Montauk, New York. She is behind on her property taxes and is inching closer to losing her home (a home that once belonged to…