We Hope Jennifer Lawrence's No Hard Feelings Renews Studio Faith In R-Rated Comedies
There's been a great deal of consternation lately regarding the seeming death of R-rated comedies. Once upon a time, adult-skewing romps like "Blazing Saddles," "National Lampoon's Animal House," and "Stripes" were cash cows for the studios. They were relatively cheap to produce, and did loads of repeat business. In the 2000s, Judd Apatow reinvigorated the raunchy genre with instant classics like "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Knocked Up," and "Superbad," at which point all you needed to score a box-office hit was to cast the likes of Will Ferrell, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, and so on.
This changed in the late 2010s. The new comedy superstars either grew more ambitious or simply began to bore audiences by playing the same shticky notes, and no one stepped up to fill the void. Some believe the pandemic lockdown rewired audiences' ticket-buying preferences, but look at the final domestic grosses of 2019. The top R-rated comedy earner that year was "Good Boys," which, devoid of major stars, took in an impressive $83 million. Still, the film was only the 35th highest grossing release of the year. The second-highest grossing R-rated comedy of 2019 was the Taraji P. Henson vehicle "What Men Want," which pulled in a decent $55 million. Meanwhile, "Long Shot," a critically acclaimed rom-com starring Rogen and Charlize Theron, hugely underperformed with a $30 million take.
What gives? Is this just a cyclical occurrence or have moviegoers decided en masse that comedies are now wait-for-streaming fare? The June 23 release of the Jennifer Lawrence raunch-fest "No Hard Feelings" might be a referendum on the genre's commercial viability.
Is J-Law our adult comedy savior?
Jennifer Lawrence is one of our finest working actors, a wildly versatile talent who effortlessly segues from the toughest of dramatic roles to the silliest of characters. She's great in everything, but I have a particular fondness for her comedic chops. Her reaction to the "science oven" in David O. Russell's "American Hustle" is worthy of Carol Burnett.
Judging from the trailer, "No Hard Feelings" looks like an ideal showcase for Lawrence's foul-mouthed hysterics. Director Gene Stupnitsky got tremendous off-color mileage out of Cameron Diaz with his screenplay for "Bad Teacher" (which he co-wrote with his "The Office" partner Lee Eisenberg), so we've good reason to expect a protagonist carefully tailored to Lawrence's ornery sensibilities (especially because she also produced the movie).
For me, Lawrence cutting loose like this is a must-see. Seeing her barge in on smart-phone-addicted Zoomers hanging out in bedrooms at a house party and wondering aloud "Doesn't anyone f*** anymore?" feels like a license to print money. This isn't a wait-for-streaming movie. Lawrence being rented out by a couple of rich parents to pose as their sexually inexperienced son's girlfriend — and she's the one having to push the issue — is a conversation starter.
But what happens if people don't show up?
We can't allow comedy to become the exclusive province of streamers
For a silly sex comedy, there's a lot riding on "No Hard Feelings." Jennifer Lawrence is currently one of the highest paid actors in the world. She pulled down $25 million for Adam McKay's "Don't Look Up," and probably didn't take a discount for Gene Stupnitsky's movie (there are no official numbers available at present). She needs to at least open this film, which is being sold on her strengths as a performer.
If "No Hard Feelings" opens, it likely needs to crack $100 million to turn the studios around on the production of R-rated comedies. Right now, the best adult comedy can be found on streaming series like "Succession," "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." I love these shows, but I'm a moviegoer at heart, and I miss films as rowdy as "Caddyshack" and as profanely refined as "In the Loop."
My time is finite, and I've grown tired of investing in multiple seasons of shows from brilliant comedic minds. Give me a slapdash 90 minutes of juvenilia à la the ZAZ team's "The Kentucky Fried Movie" or a quip-happy crime flick like Greg Mottola's "Confess, Fletch." I know I'm not alone in this desire, and it's not a nostalgic yearning. There's an unparalleled satisfaction in watching a well-told story with a definitive ending, especially when it's loaded with f-bombs and d*** jokes. There's an audience for this. Save us, J-Law.
Once again, "No Hard Feelings" hits theaters on June 23, 2023. Mark your calendars now, folks.