Since her career began in 2008, Jennifer Lawrence has starred in roughly 25 films. That none of them is an out-and-out comedy may come as a surprise to some. David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook is as close as Lawrence has gotten, but that film is laced with a melancholic tenderness that netted the actress her first Academy Award. Now, after stepping back from the spotlight and shifting away from franchise filmmaking, Lawrence is back and better than ever. Her latest film, No Hard Feelings, is a dual coming-of-age story hidden inside a raunchy comedy that, despite its faults, is both sweet and hysterical, with a chaotic performance from Lawrence that shows the actress can do just about anything.
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Lawrence stars as Maddie Barker, a Montauk woman whose house — a prime piece of real estate in the beach-side vacation town — is under threat of foreclosure due to owed property taxes. When a scorned ex (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) tows her car, which also happens to be a source of income for her as an Uber driver, Maddie happens upon a Craigslist ad that could change her life. Offering up a Buick in exchange for dating their son Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman), Allison (Lauren Benanti) and Laird (Matthew Broderick) recruit Maddie to “date” Percy to prepare him for his upcoming tenure at Princeton, set to begin in the fall. Naturally, chaos ensues as Maddie attempts to woo the awkward Percy in all the wrong ways.

Andrew Barth Feldman and Jennifer Lawrence in No Hard Feelings. 

No Hard Feelings is sure to inspire discourse (this one will slot nicely next to the Age Gap discourse that has long dominated conversations about movies like Call Me By Your Name), but those conversations will largely miss the point of what is a surprisingly sweet movie. Feldman, in his second major film role, serves as a worthy and empathetic counterpoint to Lawrence’s jaded Maddie, and their chemistry, based on a platonic care for each other rather than anything that could be considered sexual, is something that blossoms nicely over the course of the film’s run. No Hard Feelings posits itself as a no-holds-barred R-rated comedy, something more likely to be seen in the early aughts and that is rarely made now (especially with the star caliber of Lawrence at the front), but its coming-of-age undercurrent serves as a refreshing chaser to what comes before.

Fortunately, what comes before is properly hysterical. Lawrence may not have the comedic timing of some of her more seasoned peers, but she makes up for it in sheer confidence. Maddie is as brazen as she is airheaded and Lawrence sells both in the way only she could. Her performance stands in great contrast to her turn in last year’s Causeway, a quiet drama where she starred opposite Brian Tyree Henry. It was already clear Lawrence had the range and the willingness to go there, but No Hard Feelings is such a drastic departure, and it’s a treat to see her have so much fun, especially after turns in movies like Don’t Look Up and Dark Phoenix.

Andrew Barth Feldman and Jennifer Lawrence in No Hard Feelings. 

It’s Feldman who is the real star of the show, though. He plays Percy with a pitch-perfect mix of social awkwardness, meek curiosity, and slight disdain for Maddie’s overt come-ons. It’s a bit uncomfortable watching them navigate the early scenes of their courtship, but that feels wholly the point, and it culminates in some hilarious physical comedy from Lawrence involving a tight dress, mace, and a kidnapper van. That Feldman more than holds his own against a force like Lawrence makes you wonder if perhaps the film chose the wrong protagonist, but this ultimately becomes a fleeting thought in what feels like a balanced two-hander.

No Hard Feelings doesn’t shy away from the absurdity of its premise (plenty of Percy’s peers point out their age gap, with one character even calling Maddie “ma’am” in a moment that might have elicited the most laughs from my packed showing) and that makes it all the better. At a time when so many films are playing it safe and mid-budget studio comedies are strictly streaming fare, a movie like No Hard Feelings is a rarity when it shouldn’t be.

No Hard Feelings debuts in theaters on Friday, June 23. The film is 103 minutes and rated R for sexual content, language, some graphic nudity and brief drug use.