Movie: No Hard Feelings (2023) Caution Spoiler Alert

 No Hard Feelings

Came out; 2023

Time; 1 hours 43 minutes

Watched: Amazon

Rated: R for sexual content, language, some graphic nudity and brief drug use

IMDB Rating; 6.4/10

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring.

Jennifer Lawrence as Maddie Barker

Andrew Barth Feldman as Percy Becker

Laura Benanti as Allison Becker

Matthew Broderick as Laird Becker

Natalie Morales as Sara

Scott MacArthur as Jim

Story Line.

On the brink of losing her home, Maddie finds an intriguing job listing: helicopter parents looking for someone to bring their introverted 19-year-old son out of his shell before college. She has one summer to make him a man or die trying.

Thoughts:

This movie started out great! I was thinking it would be similar to Failure to Launch, and it was with a different spin.

There were some hilarious moments in this, the kid is so awkward, and Jennifer plays a character being just as awkward! I was a little put off by the ending, I thought it would have ended differently.

CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert

32-year-old Maddie Barker is an Uber driver and bartender in Montauk, New York. She is facing bankruptcy after her car is repossessed as she owes property taxes on a home she inherited from her mother. Desperate to avoid losing the home, she accepts an unusual Craigslist posting. Her new employers, a pair of wealthy helicopter parents known as the Beckers, ask her to "date" their 19-year-old son Percy Becker in exchange for a Buick Regal. Since Percy is shy and has had no experiences with girls, drinking, parties, or sex, his parents hope to boost his confidence before he attends Princeton University in the fall.

Maddie attempts to seduce Percy at the animal shelter he volunteers at. However, after offering him a ride home, he mistakenly thinks that she is attempting to kidnap him, and pepper sprays her. Despite this, they agree to go on a date the following day. Maddie and Percy meet at a bar the next night and then go skinny dipping at the beach. While they are in the water, a group of drunken teenagers try to steal their clothes. Maddie fights them in the nude, frightening Percy, who demands to be taken home. When she tries to leave without him, he jumps on her car, naked, and they outrun the police. She and Percy attempt to have sex, but he develops a rash from his anxiety, so Maddie nurses him.

Maddie and Percy continue to date, sharing more about each other and forming a friendship. Both reveal that they never went to prom, so they imitate a prom night and go to a fancy dinner. Percy meets a school acquaintance in the restaurant who invites him to a party. After he and Maddie have a disagreement about their long-term plans, he goes to the party while Maddie searches for him. She finds him after he took an ibuprofen with alcohol. Percy confesses his love for Maddie.

The next day, Percy tells his parents he wants to stay in Montauk with Maddie. In a panic, his father offers her the car if she convinces him to go to Princeton. Percy inadvertently hears Maddie's deal with his parents. He invites Maddie to dinner with his parents, revealing that he knows about their deal. While Maddie and his parents argue over who told him about the deal, Percy crashes her Buick into a tree, heavily damaging it. When he returns, Percy tries to have sex with Maddie. After prematurely ejaculating, a betrayed Percy ends their relationship.

Maddie takes the damaged car and becomes determined to pay off her debts. After Ubering for the remainder of the summer, she manages to save enough money to save her home and fix her car. Excited, Maddie tells her friends, Jim and Sara, but Sara asks Maddie if she really wants to stay in Montauk or is just doing it for her mom. The couple also admit they are moving out of Montauk to Florida due to housing costs. Maddie reflects on her life and tries to amend her wrongs. She reunites with Percy at a Princeton mixer and apologizes for betraying him. Not convinced, Percy starts to drive off when Maddie jumps on the hood of his car. Unable to see, Percy crashes the car into the ocean. As the car is towed, the pair reconcile and promise to stay friends. Maddie decides to sell the house to Jim and Sara and move to California.

Later, Maddie drives Percy to Princeton while on her way to California, and reveals that she has adopted Milo, a former police dog addicted to cocaine who lived at the shelter where Percy had volunteered. Maddie promises to call Percy during her entire drive to California.