Jennifer Lawrence finds surprising comic timing in No Hard Feelings
Jennifer Lawrence shows surprising comic timing and a willingness to throw herself ‘under the bus’ in No Hard Feelings, writes Leigh Paatsch.
Leigh Paatsch
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Director: Gene Stupnitsky (Good Boys)
Director: Gene Stupnitsky (Good Boys)
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Barth Feldman, Matthew Broderick, Laura Benanti
***1/2
Live a little, and laugh a lot
There has been a theory going around for quite a while that there is no place for comedy at the movies anymore.
Some have argued that a shifting of the boundaries of political correctness have robbed comedies of their edge. Getting a good laugh in bad taste is getting harder to do every year.
Others believe that the streaming platforms are the better home for all things humorous. Who needs a big screen for a big chuckle anyway?
Therefore this week’s release of No Hard Feelings – a noticeably broad, provocative and genuinely funny movie comedy – could be regarded as an absolute acid test for the future of laughter at the cinema.
Here is hoping that No Hard Feelings elicits more than just a mere pass mark from audiences.
What the production might be perceived to lack in good taste, it more than makes up for with a healthy complement of hard-earned laughs.
Many of the best zingers are fired off by Jennifer Lawrence, an actor not generally known for pushing punchlines. Her performance is something of a revelation when it comes to exhibiting both great comic timing, and a willingness to throw herself “under the bus” to sell a joke at its full asking price.
These new-found skills prove mighty handy when it comes to selling the rather dubious premise of No Hard Feelings. Lawrence plays Maddie, a cash-strapped Uber driver who has just lost her car due to an unpaid tax bill.
The chance to acquire a new set of wheels comes right out of left field. In a desperate online ad, a married couple are seeking a woman to “date” their serial shut-in of a son, Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman). This nervous, nerdy 19-year-old is about to leave for college and definitely lacks the social smarts to survive there.
An older – but not-so-wiser – Maddie takes the plunge, gets the gig, and commences a slow-mo, summer-holiday seduction of Percy. Should she complete her mission successfully, Maddie will get the car she needs, and Percy will find the confidence he is sorely lacking.
In the current climate for contemporary comedy – where one misinterpreted or misjudged gag can be grounds for complete cancellation – there are guaranteed to be moments in No Hard Feelings where it could be heading in the wrong, worrying direction.
This is where the endearingly anarchic, messy and selfless merits of Lawrence’s performance really kick in, and continually keep everything on the right track. While her screen chemistry with her younger co-star Barth Feldman can be alternatively tawdry and touching, it is never less than convincing … and, most importantly of all, amusing.
No Hard Feelings is in cinemas now
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (M)
**1/2
General Release
When it comes to all things Transformers, most people worked out where they stood on the issue of sentient, shapeshifting vehicular robots some time ago. This sixth addition to the Transformers canon (or seventh, if you count that surprisingly ace Bumblebee spin-off) won’t be changing too many minds, but will definitely attract some fresh fans to the long-running series.
The chief attraction here is the introduction of a new subspecies of animal Transformers. Known as the Maximals, they had been happily living in secret exile from their hard-done-by home planet until a lowly museum researcher accidentally revealed their whereabouts in the wilds of South America.
What follows is a convoluted but mildly engrossing adventure set in the mid-1990s, which involves a familiar fleet of Autobots, an unfamiliar villain named Scourge (voiced by Peter Dinklage), and some fresh human faces you’ll probably forget about tomorrow.
The all-important battle sequences rank among the best in franchise history, which must count for something with true Transformers tragics. As will the telling contribution of Ron Perlman as the voice of Maximal leader Optimus Primal.
Extraction 2 (MA15+)
***
Now streaming on Netflix
The inevitable return of Chris Hemsworth’s hard-bitten, unsmiling and indestructible mercenary Tyler Rake is a marked improvement on the 2020 original.
The key here is the sublime direction of filmmaker Sam Hargrave, and his attractively fluid handling of some long and challenging action scenes.
The sequence which will undoubtedly seal the deal for action aficionados is Rake’s tension-throttling journey in and out of an implausibly dangerous high-security prison complex.
As a set piece, it is right up there with the finest camera work and stunt choreography that any John Wick movie of your choice has to offer.
While the storyline is a bit drab and Hemsworth’s dialled-down read of his character can be dull at times, the movie as a whole pulses with both a reckless energy and refined craft that is quite a catchy combo.
Originally published as Jennifer Lawrence finds surprising comic timing in No Hard Feelings
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