No Hard Feelings Blu-ray
Blu-ray + Digital HD
Sony Pictures | 2023 | 103 min | Rated R | Aug 29, 2023
Jennifer Lawrence is back and this time it’s not a superhero flick, a sci-fi, or even a traditional rom-com. Prepare for a fun and charming coming of age comedy with just enough tasteful raunch to earn that edgy R rating; the perfect venue for Jen to put her comedic skills to the test. Her costar and “romantic interest”, Percy is played by Andrew Barth Feldman who exhibits the perfect blend of awkwardness and lack of any social skills, and together there is this infectious chemistry between the couple.
As always, I’m not here to review the movie’s content as much as the technical side of things like sound, audio and bonus content. The plot is pretty basic and ripped right from an actual Craig’s List ad. Percy is about to head off to college and his parents have placed an ad for a 20-something woman to “date” their son and get him out of his shell in exchange for a low-mileage Buick. Maddie (Jennifer) has just had her car repossessed; not good when she’s an Uber driver trying to earn money to pay the property taxes on her inherited home. Matthew Broderick was perfectly cast as Percy’s father, and in my own mind I’d like to believe this is how Ferris Bueller would have turned out as an adult.
Anyway, Maddie must “seal the deal” with Percy and not let him know it was all a setup by his parents. This is a by-the-numbers plot so you can be sure that Percy will discover the secret and all sorts of third-act drama will ensue, but everything leading up to that is pure comedic gold starting with Maddie’s attempt to seduce Percy by pretending to adopt a dog, followed by dates at a bar, a fancy restaurant, and even a midnight skinny dip at the beach. No Hard Feelings uses its R rating mostly for language. There is a scene with Maddie kicking some ass totally naked on the beach, but it wasn’t sexualized. Somebody stole her clothes and she “got them back”. There is only one very short sex scene that ends rather “prematurely”, so the whole movie comes off rather innocent compared to the sex comedies of the 80’s and 90’s.
Perhaps what surprised me most was just how seriously everybody seemed to approach this project. There are some very dramatic and emotional beats scattered throughout the flick, none of which outshine the scene about halfway into the film where Percy serenades Maddie playing Maneater on a grand piano in a fancy restaurant to the delight of everyone…especially Maddie. While Andrew totally commits to the performance it was the reaction shots of Maddie sitting at the table listening that totally sold this scene. You can literally see her starting to develop feelings for Percy during the song, and what a great rendition of Maneater with simple piano chords and an outstanding vocal. It’s been stuck in my head for weeks.
Technically speaking, these types of movies are seldom the source material for outstanding visuals and sound, which probably explains the lack of a UHD version, but honestly, Blu-ray is plenty, and this copy delivered a fantastic 1080p image and suitable DTS-HD 5.1 audio mix. If you were planning to buy this for the bonus content, you might be disappointed that there are only three short features. Outtakes & Bloopers are plentiful and fun to watch while A Motely Crew will introduce you to the characters and A Little Wrong discusses the overall movie-making process. There is also a digital code for Movies Anywhere so you can watch on a portable device.
No Hard Feelings is a tough recommendation; not because it isn’t a great movie – it is, but because in this day of $24 movies this one comes off as feeling a bit bare bones. The movie is on the shorter side and the extras, while amusing, are a bit light on substance. Thankfully, the movie is highly rewatchable and not just for the horndogs who are scrambling to hit Pause button during that beach fight. Even so, only the most diehard of J-Law fans will likely want to add this to their physical collection; at least until there is a significant drop in price, and by then it will likely be streaming on some service, so you might just want to wait. Then again, I’m not here to spend your money; just to tell you if a movie is good or not, and this one is witty, charming, and fun – the perfect movie date.
