“No Hard Feelings” is basically an ’80s coming-of-age movie set in the 21st century. But unlike a typical ’80s comedy, where everything is made light of with escapist abandon, this one deals with many of the most pressing problems facing our society as a whole. As is often the case, when Hollywood has a moment of honesty, fundamentally conservative values come out of hiding.
The premise is that Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) is trying to pay the increasingly gentrified property taxes on her house in Montauk. She’s in her early 30s, engages in casual sex, and constantly hurts any man who actually cares about her.
In order to pay her taxes she tries to work as an Uber driver, but her car has been repossessed. So instead, she replies to an ad on Craigslist posted by some rich helicopter parents who are looking for an older woman to date their incredibly withdrawn 19-year-old son — and by date, they essentially mean have sex with. In exchange, she gets a car. But, here’s the catch: The whole thing has to be a secret.
Many of the typical genre beats and tropes emerge quickly. Maddie initiates the process with ridiculously over-the-top seduction tactics that do not work. But once they get past that stage, she begins to honestly like Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman). What starts as a mercenary task becomes a matter of the heart.
Percy is hopelessly awkward — portrayed as if he’s slightly on the autism spectrum. But they
