No Hard Feelings: Release Date, Cast, And More
Studio comedies aimed at adults are in short supply these days, but this summer, "No Hard Feelings" seems poised to change that — or at least start a conversation about it. The new movie with a rent-a-date plot and a surprising cast that includes Jennifer Lawrence and Matthew Broderick has already divided potential viewers ahead of its release. Based on who you ask, the first trailer either looks like a great throwback and a return to comedic form for Lawrence, or a dated, problematic premise creepily passed off as a fun romp.
Regardless, "No Hard Feelings" could turn out to be a major summer movie. You can decide for yourself whether or not you want to opt into the chaos, raunch, and possible romance as we've got you covered with everything you could ever need to know about "No Hard Feelings."
No Hard Feelings release date and where you can watch it
"No Hard Feelings" hits theaters on June 23, 2023, making it a perfectly timed movie for high schoolers or college students just starting their summer vacations. The movie is set for an exclusive theatrical release at the moment, meaning it won't be appearing on any streaming services on the same day. "No Hard Feelings" comes via Sony Pictures Releasing, one of the only major film companies that don't have a streamer of its own. Sony Pictures does have two streaming deals in place, which see its theatrical titles premiere on Netflix, before moving to Disney's platforms after the first year.
It's worth noting that "No Hard Feelings" recently moved its release date back a week, swapping spots with DC's "The Flash," which will come out the week beforehand. This means "No Hard Feelings" will be hitting theaters on a Friday that has little new box office competition, but you'll still have to prioritize among several movie options to watch it: the new Pixar film "Elemental" and the horror comedy "The Blackening" are also coming out just one week beforehand.
What is No Hard Feelings about?
If "No Hard Feelings" already has people talking, it's likely because of the movie's plot, which is rather edgy for a studio comedy in 2023. According to the official synopsis, the film follows Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence), an Uber driver who discovers she's about to lose the home she grew up in. Desperate due to the loss of her car, Maddie answers an unorthodox job posting: a wealthy couple wants to hire someone to date their teenage son before he leaves for college. Hijinks, of course, ensue.
The first trailer for "No Hard Feelings" fills in some of the details, and they're pretty wild. From the looks of it, Maddie tries desperately to seduce 19-year-old Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) over the course of a summer, but the kid doesn't seem interested. She meets him at the animal shelter where he volunteers, flirts with him in a situation that gets her pepper sprayed, and tries to get him to go skinny dipping despite his fear of sharks, jellyfish, and drowning.
It's unclear from what we know whether Percy is a late bloomer, closeted, asexual, or simply has trouble connecting, but I personally hope there's something more interesting going on here than a gross secret set-up plot and an overused geeky virgin trope.
Who's in the No Hard Feelings cast?
"No Hard Feelings" is, of course, headlined by Jennifer Lawrence, who is known for her star-making role in "The Hunger Games" franchise as well as her Oscar-winning turn in "Silver Linings Playbook." Lawrence stars opposite Andrew Barth Feldman, who you might recognize from "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" or the Broadway production of "Dear Evan Hansen." This will be Barth's feature film debut.
The movie's supporting cast includes some equally unexpected but familiar faces. Ebon Moss-Bachrach of "The Bear" and "Girls" fame pops up in the trailer as Maddie's ex, while "The Righteous Gemstones" actor Scott MacArthur and actress and director Natalie Morales appear as two of her friends. Meanwhile, Percy's dad is played by none other than Ferris Bueller himself, Matthew Broderick, while "Supergirl" actress Laura Benanti plays his mother.
Jennifer Lawrence is returning to Hollywood with No Hard Feelings
It's worth noting that this is the first film set for a wide release that Jennifer Lawrence has appeared in since 2019's "Dark Phoenix," a film that suffered reshoots and was ultimately not well-received. Since then, Lawrence has appeared in two films that ended up in award season conversation, "Don't Look Up" and "Causeway," but both saw limited theatrical releases as they were distributed via streamers: Netflix and Apple TV+, respectively.
In 2021, Lawrence told Vanity Fair she made the intentional choice to step away from acting for a while, "I was not pumping out the quality that I should have. I just think everybody had gotten sick of me. I'd gotten sick of me." In the time since she's returned, though, Lawrence has already demonstrated a wide range once again, playing a soldier with a traumatic brain injury in "Causeway" and an astronomy student who discovers a world-ending comet in "Don't Look Up."
The actress has shown off her comedy chops in movies like "American Hustle" and "Silver Linings Playbook" in the past, but "No Hard Feelings" looks to be a rare purely comedic performance from the actress.
No Hard Feelings director, writer, and more
The time for raunchy mainstream comedies seems to have mostly passed, but if there's one filmmaker keeping the subgenre that gave us movies like "American Pie" and "Superbad" on life support, it might be "No Hard Feelings" filmmaker Gene Stupnitsky. The director may not be a household name, but he's been responsible for a couple of noteworthy gutter-minded R-rated comedies over the years. Among them are 2011's Cameron Diaz-led film "Bad Teacher," and 2019's "Good Boys," a hard-R film about a trio of sixth graders who end up accidentally offloading drugs on the way to their first "kissing party."
Stupnitsky is behind the camera again for "No Hard Feelings," which he also co-wrote with John Phillips. Phillips produced "Good Boys" and also co-wrote the similarly crude 2016 comedy "Dirty Grandpa," which starred Robert De Niro and Zac Efron.
Lawrence is among the producers of "No Hard Feelings." The actress recently began producing projects she stars in, beginning with "Causeway." This will be her second producer credit. Fellow producers include Alex Saks, Marc Provissiero, Naomi Odenkirk, and Justine Polsky. Phillips and Kerry Orent executive produce.
Watch the trailer for No Hard Feelings
"No Hard Feelings" dropped a red band trailer (as in, watch this with headphones in and be aware that it has some harsh language) in March that gave audiences an idea of what to expect from the edgy comedy. So what should we expect? Basically some crude, wacky humor and a story that hopefully turns out to be sweeter than it looks. In the nearly three-minute trailer, Maddie tries to convince her tow truck driver ex that the man feeling her up is her second cousin, promises Percy's parents she'll "date his brains out," and almost gets mowed down by a speeding train. It all makes a lot more sense if you check it out for yourself.
What is No Hard Feelings rated?
We've already established that "No Hard Feelings" looks pretty outrageous and you just saw a red band trailer — it lets fly several F-bombs and opens with the line, "Hi, mind if I touch your wiener?" — so it's no surprise that the film is rated R. While the trailer doesn't actually indicate that Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) actually hooks up with Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman), its whole plot revolves around the gig worker's stealthy seduction of the teen, so it's obviously not a comedy that's meant for kids.
"No Hard Feelings" hits theaters on June 23, 2023.