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The first trailer for the new Jennifer Lawrence movie No hard feelings outlined the film’s contentious and problematic plot, with follow-up trailers only doubling down on the film’s questionable themes and motivations. Despite being inescapable from the big screen since her debut in 2012 hunger GamesJennifer Lawrence has dramatically reduced her workload in the past few years, with No hard feelings being her first, and possibly only, movie of 2023. Lawrence has been acting frequently throughout the 2000s, starring in multiple entries for big franchises like the aforementioned hunger Games, as well as X-Men franchise, and winning an Oscar for her performance in silver linings playbook.
Directed by Gene Stobinsky (Good boys), No hard feelings Maddie sees Jennifer Lawrence – “Dating” – “Dating” the son of a wealthy helicopter family in exchange for a new car, so she can continue her career as an Uber driver. The family posted the ad online in hopes of bringing their introverted 19-year-old son out of his shell before he goes off to college in an effort to improve his social life. No hard feelings Supermodels themselves on mainstream sex comedy in the early 2000s. However, Maddy’s attempts to seduce and change Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) feel dark, uncomfortable, and problematic.
The No Hard Feelings plot revolves around grooming
despite of No hard feelings It positions itself as a sex comedy, but the film’s comedic elements heavily outweigh its central elements of grooming and sexual harassment. Several scenes in the trailers show Maddy forcing Percy into non-consensual situations and frequently using sexual innuendo and her own body to try and seduce Percy, who is clearly not interested.
Maddie’s persistent and aggressive nature leaves attempts at humor with a bitter aftertaste rather than the awkward one-liners they were initially intended to be. What makes these moments even more disturbing is that Maddie has the full support of Percy’s parents. In one of the opening scenes in the trailer, Maddie asks “Do you mean to date him, or ‘date him’?” To which they respond: “Yeah…dating him is hard!”
The uneasiness of this scene looms over the rest of the trailer as Percy’s sexual innocence and lifestyle choices are seen as repugnant to his parents, as they attempt to impose a culture of sex and drinking on their discontented son.
Another inevitable aspect No hard feelingsThe controversy is the large age gap between Maddie (32) and Percy (19), with 13 years between them. Although Percy is of legal age, the childish innocence of his demeanor only serves to heighten the questionable morals of Maddie Lawrence.
Several scenes depict Maddie trying to engage Percy in sexual situations, including performing a lap dance and skinny diving, with Percy being oblivious to any sexual aspects of these situations. During the lap dance scene, as Maddy is grinding against Percy, Percy says he finds her hips uncomfortable, which causes the camera to cut sharply to Percy sitting on Maddie’s lap, which is reminiscent of the relationship between child and mother.
one section of No hard feelings Maddy’s disregard for Percy’s approval is pushed to its limits, as Maddy literally kidnaps Percy and holds him hostage in her truck, with the scene played out for laughs as Percy pepper sprays her.
There is no outdated hard feelings plot
The late 90’s and early 2000’s were full of sex comedies like American pie And Not another teen movie. on the roof, No hard feelings It seems to invert the gender roles of such films, with innocent women pursued by sex addicts, with Maddy taking on the role of the sexual pursuer and Percy as the innocent lover targeted for corruption.
However, in the year 2023, these plot trappings feel a bit dated, especially in the wake of movements like #MeToo — which Jennifer Lawrence proudly supports. In addition to feeling the aggressive sexual nature of the film, No hard feelings It also features harmful and outdated stereotypes of teenage masculinity, with Percy’s innocence and lack of libido presented as bizarre and played for laughs.
Indeed, the current scenes of sexual comedy such as American pie Difficult for modern audiences, those films are filled with problematic elements – such as spying on women changing through hidden cameras – with those elements “justified” by teenage hormones.
A frequent complaint vented online is that if the gender roles were reversed, with Percy the 32-year-old stalker and Maddie the 19-year-old innocent, No hard feelings It will instantly feel uncomfortable and problematic for the viewers. As a result, it is strange to see Jennifer Lawrence, an Oscar-winning actress who is almost always in demand, pick this as one of her only projects for 2023.
