As the romantic comedy genre fades from the big screen, it seems to have taken its bold exploration of sex with it. The trailer for "No Hard Feelings," featuring Jennifer Lawrence as a 32-year-old Uber driver entangled with a 19-year-old virgin geek, has stirred interest and media coverage.
The premise promises a risky narrative, prompting some moralistic reactions. However, the actual film, when experienced, reveals that its suggestive allure is more of a playful tease than a daring venture.
Lawrence portrays Maddie, an underachiever from Montauk, Long Island, who embraces a hedonistic lifestyle. Struggling with escalating property taxes and the threat of losing her inherited home, Maddie depends on her Uber job. The catch? Her car just got repossessed, adding another layer to her predicament.
While Lawrence's portrayal radiates pride, sensuality, and self-assuredness, the narrative twist involving Maddie's involvement with a younger man to regain access to a car and rejoin the gig economy feels implausible.
Yet, within the whimsical spirit of a rom-com, directed and co-written by Gene Stupnisky ("Good Boys"), the film manages to carry the audience along. Lawrence's bold theatrical sexiness, coupled with the winning performance of newcomer Andrew Barth Feldman, creates a charming dynamic that engages viewers, despite the film's departure from strict plausibility.
