The Way Way Back meets American Pie in No Hard Feelings, starring Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence as a Montauk bartender in desperate need of an influx of funds. The timely and surprisingly-wise new comedy from director Gene Stupnitsky (The Office, Good Boys) is a heartfelt depiction of a millennial learning from a member of Generation Z – and a refreshingly fun addition to this summer’s cinema lineup.

Lawrence stars as Maddie, a woman fighting to pay property taxes on her late mother’s home due to rising property costs in her beloved Montauk. Desperate for a car to continue working as a rideshare driver, she responds to an internet ad to “date” a socially-awkward teenager in exchange for a vehicle. The fumbling pursuit provides laughs and lessons for the character and Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman), a clueless and nerdy Princeton-bound undergraduate with as much to learn as his awkward seducer.

An unexpected friendship is fostered between Maddie and Percy throughout the 103-minute run time, creating the throughline for a feature that is as purposefully cringeworthy as it is unexpectedly profound. Matthew Broderick, Laura Benanti, Natalie Morales and Ebon Moss-Baachrach complete the cast, filling out Stupnitsky’s feature. The supporting cast make Maddie’s version of Montauk feel genuinely lived-in, with the film’s Long Island setting becoming a character in itself.

Marketed as a slapstick comedy, No Hard Feelings received its fair share of “problematic” backlash due to the age difference between its two leads. Those who actually pay the price of admission will see Maddie has much to learn from Percy – and will understand industry veteran Lawrence would likely not choose to re-enter the world of comedy without offering a deeper message about the ever-growing generation gap. 

No Hard Feelings harkens back to a time when movies were not overly-analyzed, or under-marketed – when original comedies were allowed to breathe and succeed without being raked over the internet coals. While Stupinksy’s feature is imperfect and lags a bit in the third act, it is ultimately a funny, forgettable summer staple about growing up. It provides a happy medium between bleak indie offerings and over-the-top studio blockbusters, ending up right in the middle of the pack, which is exactly where it aims to be. Summer fun, sporadic laughter and a decent dose of sincerity make for an above-average movie, which might just be exactly what post-pandemic audiences need.