n the touristy hamlet of Montauk, New York, 32-year-old Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) finds herself on the receiving end of a court order for asset seizure. Her car is towed, leaving her Uber gig in a tight spot, especially since it was one of several jobs necessary to accrue funding to pay the property taxes required to keep the house she inherited from her mother. She’s just desperate enough to contemplate an offer in an ad to groom a high school boy in preparation for the maturer routines of college: namely, sex. Should she manage to boost his self esteem and “date” the inexperienced, cripplingly shy Princeton inductee, she’ll earn herself a newish Buick with a mere 40,000 miles on it.

“There’s something seriously wrong with you.” Right out of the gate, cursing abounds, twinned with edgy jokes that include racism and sexism. Maddie is the type of girl who isn’t unfamiliar with using her sexual wiles to positively augment her seemingly unextraordinary life; she’s certainly not opposed to sleeping with a 19-year-old kid for the right price, though she stresses to her employers-of-sorts (parents Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti) that she’s not a sex worker – not that there’s anything wrong with that particular profession. Expectedly, however, this mindset proves to be largely toothless, as the leading lady can’t muddy her image too much, lest she prove irredeemable in the minds of audiences. Despite the harsh language, the candid conversations about sex, and the eventual sequences of nudity, “No Hard Feelings” never pushes the boundaries very far – not that it could demonstrate anything unseen in the abundance of sex comedies of the ‘80s and ‘90s (amid its older brethren, this episode comes across as thoroughly sanitized).

It’s interesting that a studio would take a chance on reviving the raunchy teen comedy genre, considering that it’s been out of commission for some time, contrasting markedly with the heightened sensibilities of modern crowds; it’s impossible to dismiss the progress made in terms of awareness surrounding power imbalances and sexual harassment/abuse post-#MeToo era, which makes this subject matter admittedly dicier. Nevertheless, this picture borrows liberally from “Private Lessons,” as well as taking notes from “My Tutor,” and “Risky Business” (among many more, such as “Weird Science” and “American Pie,” and the wealth of other comedies featuring unfledged teenage boys trying gracelessly to lose their virginities), diving headlong into awkward scenarios in which the marginally aggressive Maddie strives to seduce the hopelessly reserved Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman). It hardly matters that the film is ultimately pitting the obscenely wealthy against the pitifully average, rightfully blaming rich people flocking to the area for the summer as the cause of escalating property taxes; with enough lewdness, the primary goal is supposed to be riotous laughter.

Yet the disingenuous approach claims its casualties. When it’s absurd, such as with Maddie humorously sparring with former flings, the tone is effective; but when she’s suddenly overcome with feelings for her mark, realizing that her intimate interactions with him will alter the course of his adolescence, the shift into unfitting sincerity becomes unconvincing. Realistically, she’d be cold, methodical, and transactional; and he’d be prohibitively sensitive, uncommunicative, and sociopathic. It certainly helps in the realm of a romantic comedy that she actually possesses a heart of gold, and that he’s tender and precocious and musically talented. The setup may reflect the sad yet relatable epidemic of loneliness and disconnectedness faced by countless American teens, but the outcome is entirely the stuff of movies.

At least Lawrence embraces the material with a distinct enthusiasm and unapologetic attitude, enabling her to land many of the better euphemisms, the wittier double entendres, and the coarser sex jokes. For viewers, it’s meant to be bolstering and practically ideal when an attractive older woman pursues a lovable nerd; for Percy, it’s bizarre and scary (a gender reversal would be outright horrifying). “I didn’t know what you were trying to do.” In this fantasy-level of deficient realism, there’s light commentary on overprotective, meddling parental practices and their toll on driving independence and self-reliance from children, which clashes with the later, grounded perspective on Maddie’s relationships (her inability to connect with or commit to others) and her trust issues – but these are generally discarded for additional scenes of uncreative slapstick or over-the-top, comic hijinks.

“I’m so embarrassed.” Predictably, a few cute, sweet, and sentimental seconds arise to counter the carnal shenanigans (with, of course, emphasized consent), but the course correction feels dishonest, especially with the excessive attention to bit-part resolutions (why would anyone care what happens to a one-scene nanny character?), which drag out the running time. The falling action is excruciatingly protracted. It may be amusing to see a 2023 take on a genre that has been stagnant for a considerable stretch, but this film just doesn’t have the right combination of raunchiness and heart to make for a worthwhile foray.

– Mike Massie