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Blu-ray Review: NO HARD FEELINGS

Home » Blu-ray Review: NO HARD FEELINGS

Sep 03, 2023 Posted by in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Maddie Barker (Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games) is one of the dwindling number of locals still living in Montauk, NY. Property taxes in The Hamptons have tripled as more and more rich people move into the area with their expensive vacation homes. It’s getting increasingly difficult for Maddie to keep up, and she’s in danger of losing the home her mother left her if she doesn’t pay her property taxes by September 1. To make matters worse, her car has just been repossessed, and since Maddie works a second job as an Uber driver, that means she’s going to lose out on a lot of well-needed revenue as the summer tourist season starts up. Maddie is desperate to get her vehicle back, and sees an ad that may solve all her problems. Wealthy helicopter parents Laird (Matthew Broderick, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) & Allison Becker (Laura Benanti, Life & Beth) are offering up a free car in exchange for someone to “date” their shy, inexperienced college-bound 19-year-old son Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman, A Tourist’s Guide to Love). Despite being a bit older than what the ad specified, Maddie jumps at the opportunity, and agrees to secretly seduce and hook up with Percy, to help him come out of his shell before he heads off to Princeton in the fall. However, she soon discovers that getting Percy into bed isn’t going to be as easy as she thought.

No Hard Feelings is an extremely entertaining and amusing screwball comedy that will not only have you laughing out loud, but it also takes some heartwarming turns. Maddie Barker is used to dating guys who treat her poorly, so having sex with a stranger to get a car isn’t something completely out of the norm for her. Even Maddie’s best friends, expecting couple Sara (Natalie Morales, Dead To Me) & Jim (Scott MacArthur, The Righteous Gemstones), aren’t surprised by the proposition, though they try to serve as her voice of reason in the matter. Maddie figures a quick seduction, then she hops into bed with Percy, and the car will be hers. However, Percy isn’t like those other guys. He has lived an extremely sheltered life, with his parents tracking his every move, and protecting him from the “dangers” of the world. He’s a talented musician, but is too scared to play in front of people. He has no friends, doesn’t talk to girls, doesn’t go to parties, doesn’t drink, and doesn’t drive. So when Maddie attempts to flirt with Percy, he’s completely oblivious as to what’s going on. Even as Maddie gets more and more obvious with her seduction, it continues to fall on deaf ears and she soon has to just outright state her intentions. However, unlike the other guys Maddie has hooked up with, Percy actually wants to get to know more about her before they have sex. This throws Maddie for a loop as it’s nothing she has experienced before. Despite initially doing all this for a car, she starts to have genuine feelings for this nice guy and doesn’t want to do anything to hurt him. At the same time, Percy starts falling for Maddie, and starts to question moving away for collage if it means he can’t be with her. This was supposed to just be a quick hookup for Maddie to get a car, and now she could be ruining his future!

Jennifer Lawrence is amazing in this role—easily her funniest comedic performance to date. She plays this somewhat lazy young woman looking for a quick fix to her problem, but in the process is forced to confront a larger issue that’s been holding her back. Lawrence is fearless in this role, where nothing is off-limits. Maddie’s over-the-top and ridiculous attempts to flirt with this clueless 19-year-old had me laughing out loud! At the same time, relative newcomer Andrew Barth Feldman is such a delight as Percy. He plays this role to perfection. Percy is both a genuine nice guy, but also very naïve and inexperienced. He and Maddie are in some ways perfect for one another, as they challenge each another to break away from the feelings of being trapped and the ruts they are in. Maddie helps bring out the more social, adventurous and confident side of Percy, getting him to not rely on his parents to protect him from the world. At the same time, Percy helps challenge Maddie in a way no guy has ever done before, making her confront the real reasons she has has stayed in Montauk all her life. Though despite this heartwarming message at the core, and some sweet moments, the film is still very much a wild and raucous comedy with loads of inappropriate and awkward humor and nudity.

No Hard Feelings also has a talented comedic supporting cast. Natalie Morales and Scott MacArthur are a hoot as Maddie’s best friends who are always arguing with each other but have an undeniable love for one another, Laura Benanti & Matthew Broderick are hilarious as Percy’s overprotective parents who mean well, but go to some crazy lengths to get their son to come out of his social shell. The guest cast also includes Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear), Kyle Mooney (SNL) & Hasan Minhaj (The Daily Show).

Sony’s has released No Hard Feelings on Blu-ray and DVD, but it is also available digitally in 4K. I was sent the Blu-ray release for review, which features solid picture and sound. The picture looks clean and clear throughout, and captures the beauty of the Hamptons setting in excellent detail. The audio track provides clear dialogue, and a general ambiance throughout. The disc includes 13 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes and a short gag reel. The Blu-ray disc resides in standard HD keepcase with a glossy slipcover. An insert provides instructions on how to redeem an HD Movies Anywhere-compatible digital copy of the film.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:43:23)

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