She has lately been focused on dark dramas and pitch black satire, but Jennifer Lawrence delighted her fans with the release of the first trailer for her upcoming sex comedy No Hard Feelings on Thursday.
The trailer for the hard R-rated movie promises more laughs than Lawrence has delivered in years, and its the first straight-ahead comedy she has ever made, as most of her lighter projects have been dramedies or satires.
Lawrence, 32, stars in No Hard Feelings as a woman who responds to an ad from a set of parents who offer a car as a gift to any woman who is willing to date their straitlaced son before he leaves for college.
While several Twitter users were elated to see Lawrence doing comedy again, some noted that her return comes amid a seeming downturn of sex comedies and rom-coms.
‘I’m glad Jennifer Lawrence is doing a sexy comedy,’ wrote the comedian and writer Kath Barbadoro. ‘They should make more sex comedies! Idk why they stopped.’
Palpable excitement: Jennifer Lawrence, 32, energized her fans on Thursday with the release of her raunchy hard R-rated sex comedy No Hard Feelings
Change of pace: While several Twitter users were elated to see Lawrence doing comedy again, some noted that her return comes amid a seeming downturn of sex comedies and rom-coms
‘Jennifer Lawrence doing physical comedy??? Yes!! She looks good in this!’ gushed another user.
The trailer showed off plenty of physical comedy from the Oscar winner, including a scene in which she writhed around on the ground in agony after her intended date Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) sprays her with pepper spray after thinking she was trying to kidnap him.
In another over-the-top scene, Percy — who was previously a teetotaler — has way too much wine and tries to punch an older man, only to miss and accidentally hit Jennifer in the throat, causing her to gasp comically before making an exit.
Others appeared to appreciate Lawrence playing up her sex appeal and comedy skills.
‘Jennifer Lawrence being hot and funny is all I need from a film so my ticket is sold,’ tweeted another person.
Another person added: ‘Jennifer Lawrence has always had unmatched charisma and star-power. So excited to see her in this R-rated comedy!’
Some fans were particularly excited to see the new film because it appears to be such a stark contrast from her latest film, in which she costars with Brian Tyree Henry, and one was particularly elated to see that Lawrence had creative control of her latest project.
‘Jennifer Lawrence going from her acclaimed understated indie film (causeway) to a raunchy R-rated comedy movie (no hard feelings) seems like such an inspired//fun career move… and producing both (!!),’ one user enthused.
Some fans were even expecting the upcoming film to be a hit, as several of her films from the last few years have failed to gain traction with critics.
Nailed it: One fan thought Lawrence was just the right fit for the material
Good enough: Another wrote that Lawrence being ‘hot and funny’ was all they required of a movie
Icon: Some Twitter users thought Lawrence’s ‘unmatched charisma’ and ‘star-power’ would be beneficial to the comedy
Taking charge: Others applauded Lawrence’s range, as her most recent film is the critically acclaimed drama Causeway. One fan noted that she had produced both films
Could be big: Some fans were even expecting the upcoming film to be a hit, as several of her films from the last few years have failed to gain traction with critics
Wow: Lawrence plays a cash-strapped woman trying to seduce a 19-year-old boy for pay in a wild new trailer for No Hard Feelings
Girl in trouble: The racy comedy movie stars Jennifer as Maddie, who finds herself in such dire financial straits that she is on the brink of losing her late mother’s house
Care and concern: Maddie throws herself on the mercy of a rich pair of New Age ‘helicopter parents’ played by Broadway stars Laura Benanti and Matthew Broderick
Innocent: Percy (Andrew Feldman), their geeky 19-year-old son, is about to go to college and has been cosseted his whole life, never breaking the rules
‘I’ll date his brains out’: The couple offers Maddie a car in exchange for a heavyweight favor – she must seduce Percy before he leaves for Princeton
In No Hard Feelings, Jennifer plays Maddie, who finds herself in such dire financial straits that she is on the brink of losing her late mother’s house.
Maddie throws herself on the mercy of a rich pair of New Age ‘helicopter parents,’ played by Broadway stars Laura Benanti and Matthew Broderick.
Percy, their geeky 19-year-old son, is about to go to college and has been cosseted his whole life, never breaking the rules.
The couple offers Maddie a car in exchange for a heavyweight favor — she must seduce Percy before he leaves for Princeton.
Maddie begins the trailer by running out of her house to see her car getting impounded by a tow truck driver she apparently used to date.
She tries to finagle her way out of the situation by telling the man (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) she misses him – but the previous night’s plans get in the way.
Right as she tries to put the moves on the driver, a musclebound Italian wearing nothing but underwear bounds out through her front door.
The sizzling beefcake wraps his arms around Maddie from behind and grabs her breasts over her protestations to the tow truck driver that he is her ‘cousin.’
‘I’m an Uber driver and I don’t have a car!’ she says, and resorts to attempting to carry out food deliveries on a pair of roller-blades.
While commiserating with her pals about her circumstances, she sees a classifieds ad on her phone: ‘Need a car? “Date” our son this summer to bring him out of his shell before college. In exchange we’ll give you a Buick Regal.’
Uh oh: Maddie begins the trailer by running out of her house to see her car getting impounded by a tow truck driver she apparently used to date
Level best: She tries to finagle her way out of the situation by telling the man (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) she misses him – but the previous night’s plans get in the way
‘Buongiorno!’: Right as she tries to put the moves on the driver, a musclebound Italian wearing nothing but underwear bounds out through her front door
‘Second cousin’: The sizzling beefcake wraps his arms around Maddie from behind and grabs her breasts over her protestations to the tow truck driver that he is her ‘cousin’
Side by side: The cast includes Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse voice actress Natalie Morales and The Mick star Scott MacArthur as Maddie’s pals
What a task: She sees a classifieds ad on her phone from Percy’s parents: ‘”Date” our son this summer to bring him out of his shell before college’
Unfiltered: Maddie wonders if the offer is a joke, but her friend says: ‘No, have you seen these helicopter parents? I’m surprised they’re not gonna f*** him themselves’
Maddie wonders if the offer is a joke, but her friend says: ‘No, have you seen these helicopter parents? I’m surprised they’re not gonna f*** him themselves.’
She sits down for a meeting with the parents, who express their concern that their son ‘doesn’t come out of his room, he doesn’t talk to girls, doesn’t drink.’
‘So when you say date him, do you mean “date him” or “DATE him?” asks Maddie, and Percy’s parents instantly catch her meaning.
‘Yes,’ says Percy’s mother hurriedly, while the boy’s father doubles down: ‘Date him, date him hard,’ to which Maddie promises: ‘I’ll date his brains out.’
Maddie decks herself out in a slinky pink cocktail dress and struts her stuff into an animal shelter where he is volunteering with dogs.
‘Mind if I touch your wiener?’ she asks the gobsmacked teenager, before slyly clarifying she was just talking about the pooch in his arms.
After failing to make much headway, she tries to playfully kidnap him – only for her plans to go disastrously awry when he maces her in the face.
‘WHY?’ she wails, crawling across the ground, and when he squeals: ‘You tried kidnapping me!’ she snaps back at him: ‘You’re 19! Grow up!’
Her attempts to get the ‘unf***able’ ‘kid’ into bed continue unabated, even to the point of taking him out to drink underage.
‘Yes’: ‘So when you say date him, do you mean “date him” or “DATE him?” asks Maddie, and Percy’s parents instantly catch her meaning
‘Mind if I touch your wiener?’: Maddie decks herself out in a slinky pink cocktail dress and struts her stuff into an animal shelter where he is volunteering with dogs
No stone unturned: Her attempts to get the ‘unf***able’ ‘kid’ into bed continue unabated, even to the point of taking him out to drink underage
Whoops: However when she tries to ply him with a Long Island Iced Tea, he spits it out onto the table, complaining: ‘This is the worst iced tea I ever had!’
However when she tries to ply him with a Long Island Iced Tea, he spits it out onto the table, complaining: ‘This is the worst iced tea I ever had!’
Persistent as ever, because ‘I just know my mom would’ve wanted me to save the house,’ she keeps trying to bring out the excitement in Percy.
She takes him to an arcade and performs a lap dance for him at home and in a burst of desperation she takes him skinny dipping in the ocean at night.
Maddie peels off her clothes and slides into the waves, patiently trying to assuage his misgivings about sharks and jellyfish.
When Percy, unable to overcome his squeamishness, adds: ‘It’s really the lack of lifeguards that – ‘ she bellows: ‘JUST GET THE F*** IN HERE RIGHT NOW!’
Maddie finds herself touched by how ‘sweet’ Percy is, especially after he confesses over an elegant dinner how ‘romantic’ his sensibility is.
On his end Percy does in fact begin to uncover a rebellious streak, rather overpouring his wine while having lunch with his parents.
As he glugs his glass down in one go, his father tries haltingly to pull the brakes, advising him: ‘You wanna savor it – savor it!’
Maddie then accompanies Percy to a party with other teens, where he proceeds to get so drunk she has to help him into the bathroom to vomit.
Tenacity: Persistent as ever, because ‘I just know my mom would’ve wanted me to save the house,’ she keeps trying to bring out the excitement in Percy
Going for it: She takes him to an arcade and performs a lap dance for him at home and in a burst of desperation she takes him skinny dipping in the ocean at night
Uninhibited: Maddie peels off her clothes and slides into the waves, patiently trying to assuage his misgivings about sharks and jellyfish
Changes: Maddie finds herself touched by how ‘sweet’ Percy is, especially after he confesses over an elegant dinner how ‘romantic’ his sensibility is
‘Savor it’: On his end Percy does in fact begin to uncover a rebellious streak, rather overpouring his wine while having lunch with his parents
Overindulgence: Maddie then accompanies Percy to a party with other teens, where he proceeds to get so drunk she has to help him into the bathroom to vomit
Once they emerge, they are confronted by a middle-aged man who appears to be te father of the high school graduate hosting the party.
The man tries to make Maddie leave, and when a drunken Percy takes a swing at him in her defense, he accidentally winds up punching her in the throat.
Helmed by Good Boys director Gene Stupnitsky, No Hard Feelings is slated for release right at the beginning of summer on June 23.
The cast includes Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse voice actress Natalie Morales and The Mick star Scott MacArthur as Maddie’s pals.