No Hard Feelings [Blu-Ray]

Director: Gene Stupnitsky

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Barth Feldman, Laura Benanti

Release Date: August 29, 2023

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 7.5/10
Disc Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:

Maddie thinks she’s found the answer to her financial troubles when she discovers an intriguing job listing: wealthy helicopter parents looking for someone to “date” their introverted 19-year-old son, Percy, and bring him out of his shell before he leaves for college. But awkward Percy proves to be a real challenge, and time is running out. She has one summer to make him a man or lose it all.

Please Note: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

‘No Hard Feelings’ accompanies Maddie, a struggling woman in her early 30’s who is trying to save her family home but finding it consistently harder to do in the small town she grew up in thanks to the influx of wealthy folks that have sent local costs skyrocketing. Upon seeing a job listing from a wealthy couple willing to provide a free car to anyone willing to “date” their 19 year old son and help bring him out of his shell before heading off to college she figures it couldn’t be easier. After managing to convince the couple that she’s right for the job, she assumes hanging out and sleeping with the young man should be a quick and easy way to help her situation, but what she didn’t count on was just how difficult it might end up being, or that she might actually end up liking him as a person, regardless of his various hang-ups and quirks.

Directed by Gene Stupnitsky (Good Boys, TV’s The Office) from a screenplay written by Stupnitsky & John Phillips (Dirty Grandpa), Stupnitsky does a solid job at the helm of ‘No Hard Feelings’ guiding along the vulgar and humorous tale with plenty of heart sprinkled in. The film’s cast includes Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle), Andrew Barth Feldman (TV’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), Laura Benanti (tick, tick… BOOM!), Natalie Morales (Stuber), Matthew Broderick (Manchester by the Sea), Scott MacArthur (TV’s The Righteous Gemstones), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (TV’s The Bear) and more who each do their part to help make this R-Rated comedy work as well as it does.

‘No Hard Feelings’ is a surprisingly touching comedy that delivers the raunchy and vulgar fun and laughs that you might expect, while also balancing it with a surprising amount of heart that really allows it to become a film that’s equally amusing and heartfelt as it progresses. It somehow manages to take a premise that was initially based upon nothing more than a weird and amusing online ad and then turn it into a film that not only manages to keep the laughs coming consistently throughout its duration but also manages to repeatedly touch your heart at the most unexpected times and evolve into a tale of self-discovery and unexpected connection between two drastic opposites. Jennifer Lawrence shines in the lead and offers a splendid performance as the down on her luck and wild living Maddie, and Andrew Barth Feldman does a marvelous job opposite her as the two prove that opposites can certainly attract, but often not without some hilariously awkward moments occurring along the way.

‘No Hard Feelings’ may not be monumental or groundbreaking, let alone a film that’s destined to sweep the various Award ceremonies by any means, but it never fails to keep you entertained and laughing while backing up its offensive fun and humor with a heart that’s almost big enough to match. If you’re seeking an uncomplicated and amusing tale to relax with one lazy evening at home, then ‘No Hard Feelings’ should make a solid selection and is definitely worth taking the time to give a chance.

Overall, ‘No Hard Feelings’ delivers a light, frequently hilarious and occasionally offensive comedy that ends up being a far better film than expected thanks in large part to a rewarding performance by Lawrence and a tale that has far more heart than you would ever expect. It ends up evolving into a touching tale of self-discovery and friendship that will have you laughing while falling in love with these two polar opposites throughout their misadventure of sorts. ‘No Hard Feelings’ is definitely recommended for fans of Lawrence, along with anyone that tends to enjoy a fun, funny and vulgar, yet equally touching comedy with plenty of heart and humor to offer. It’s an easygoing good time that should be well worth the price of a rental and the time of anyone that’s already at all interested in the film.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘No Hard Feelings’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation with the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks great and delivers a clean, nicely detailed presentation from start to finish that holds up smoothly and never suffers from any faults or troubles along the way. It shows crisp detail and clarity in nearly every element appearing onscreen including character faces and clothing, along with outdoor beach exteriors, restaurants and interior settings, plus vehicles and plenty more that all look sharp and clean every step of the way. Overall, this is a very nice high definition video presentation that never loses its way and it should easily satisfy fans of the film as well as first time viewers.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack may not be a wildly aggressive audio presentation but it does its job quite well and provides a crisp, clean and immersive audio presentation throughout. It utilizes all five available channels in order to send music overtaking the various speakers, while also sending some nature and crowd content, waves crashing, vehicles and plenty of other tidbits zipping throughout whenever appropriate, while never allowing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring at the same time to become distorted or negatively affected in the process. Overall, this is a fully capable 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that delivers nicely in every way required of it and doesn’t disappoint.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘No Hard Feelings’ includes a few brief, yet enjoyable extras. Included on the release are a collection of ‘Outtakes and Bloopers’ (running approximately 4 minutes in length), along with a couple Behind the Scenes Featurettes that include interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. The included Featurettes are ‘A Motley Crew: Meet the Characters’ (running approximately 7 minutes) and ‘A Little Wrong: Making No Hard Feelings’ (approximately 6 minutes).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 7.5/10
Disc Rating: 7/10

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‘No Hard Feelings’ Arrives on Blu-ray & DVD August 29, 2023 & is Now Available to Own on Digital from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

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