"No Hard Feelings" - Review

Uber driver Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) is living her... best (?) life: a commitment-phobic, free-wheeling maneater; when her Uber is repossessed, and she falls behind repayments on the lean on her deceased mother's house. In desperate need of cash (especially since the Summer is coming up, and tourists will be flooding to the tiny town she lives in...), she answers an ad placed online: date the shy, introverted Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) so that he can gain some confidence before going to Princeton, and in return his incredibly wealthy helicopter parents (Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti) will give her a car. Seeing some easy cash, Maddie turns on the charm and her feral, sexual energy and gets to work. But this job may be harder than it seems, and the student may end up becoming the master...

I'm all aboard the band wagon of actors getting their Oscars and critical acclaim early, and then just going nuts. Jennifer Lawrence is great in this, and clearly relishing the chance to get off the leash. In between her vicious barbs and put downs, there is some depth to a character who grew up in a small town and sees big money flooding through and treating it and its people like a playground, and resenting that. A particular highlight comes from a beach scene.
Andrew Barth Feldman is one hell of a find, and plays Percy as more than a charicature.
The plot addresses its unappealing plot, and never really feels exploitative, the two characters learn from each other. Its 3rd act loses some momentum after frequent comedy beats by veering more into character piece, but the film is amiable enough to survive it and get by.
Natalie Morales steals the show, and Zahn McLarnon has a cameo!