Jennifer Lawrence follows up her outstanding work in 2022′s “Causeway” with the 180-degree turn that is “No Hard Feelings.” Inspired by a real Craigslist ad in its now defunct “Casual Encounters” section, this raunchy flick casts the Oscar-winning actor in a role that showcases a fearless flair for physical comedy I didn’t know she had.
Director and co-writer Gene Stupnitsky lets Lawrence go for broke in a bunch of hilarious scenes; the most memorable involves stopping a group of miscreants from stealing her clothes while she’s skinny-dipping. Taking a page from Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises” (2007), a stark-naked Lawrence beats the hell out of the pranksters. Later, she will kick in doors, do a pratfall or two, and get the most awkward lap dance ever committed to celluloid. She should do more comedies.
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But back to that Craigslist ad, the catalyst for the script by Stupnitsky and John Phillips. They keep the central idea: Helicopter parents seek a woman to help bring their 19-year old son out of his shell before he heads off to college. Wealthy Montauk, Long Island, parents Allison Becker (Laura Benanti) and Laird (Matthew Broderick in a distracting fright wig) seek such an applicant for their Princeton-bound son, Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman).
Maddie Barker (Lawrence) discovers the Beckers’ ad after her car has been repossessed. Maddie’s life is already a hot mess: She owes back property taxes on the childhood house she inherited from her late mother, which explains why Montauk is repossessing the car she needs to do her job as an Uber driver.
She also has a terrible penchant for ghosting boyfriends when they fall for her. So when she discovers her ex-boyfriend Gary (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is the guy towing her car, her attempt to sweet-talk him into giving her a break backfires spectacularly.
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The Craigslist ad promises a Buick to whomever successfully goes out with Percy. “You mean date him,” asks Maddie at the job interview, “or date him?” implying the activity everyone hopes will end a date.
“Both,” says Allison. “Date him hard!” replies a giddy Laird.
Allison questions Maddie’s age (she’s 32), but Maddie convinces her that an older woman would have the maturity required for the task of socializing Percy. The first part of the plan is to meet him at the animal shelter where he volunteers, where she feigns interest in adopting a violent animal I’ll refer to as “Cocaine Dog.”
Based on the premise, you would think that Percy was some kind of über-nerd with an off-putting personality. Turns out, he’s a really sweet kid who has simply lived a very sheltered life. Sure, he maces Maddie when she initially tries to seduce him, but she did inadvertently stage the encounter as if it were a kidnapping.
Once Maddie realizes her new job won’t be as easy as a quick one-night stand (“I promise I’ll put out next time,” Percy says humbly after declining her advances), she tries a subtler, slower approach. But the clock’s ticking on those property taxes — her house is the next thing to be repossessed by Montauk — so she can’t go too slowly.
“No Hard Feelings” reminded me of the teenage sex comedies that flooded theaters in the early days of my adolescence, which I snuck into because of their prohibitive R rating. Stuff like “Losin’ It” (1983) and “Private Lessons” (1981) provided titillation while delivering all the wrong messages to kids like me. They were all smut and no heart (admittedly, that was the reason I sought them out).
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However, this film has a different balance. As he did with the superior (and equally raunchy) prepubescent boy adventure “Good Boys” (2019), Stupnitsky complements the crudeness with a sweetness that’s shockingly effective. (It’s also more honest about sex.) Twelve-year old me might have found that a betrayal; thank goodness I’m no longer 12.
Lawrence and Feldman are given space to develop their characters and chemistry, and not at the expense of the comedy. They’re both great. Take the scene where Percy, at Maddie’s urging, serenades her at a restaurant piano. His choice of song is meant to be funny (and Feldman nails it with his beautiful singing voice), but watch how Lawrence registers surprise and affection using only her eyes. It’s equally touching and ridiculous.
Ultimately, “No Hard Feelings” is the story of two people who are afraid of life for different reasons, and how they help each other lose that fear. I’ve heard complaints that it sacrifices filth for feelings. To those folks, I say — you can always watch “Porky’s” instead.
★★★
NO HARD FEELINGS
Directed by Gene Stupnitsky. Written by Stupnitsky and John Phillips. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Barth Feldman, Laura Benanti, Matthew Broderick, Ebon Moss-Bachrach. 103 minutes. At AMC Boston Common, suburbs. R (folks cuss and get nekkid for a variety of reasons)
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Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.