LAS VEGAS (AP) 鈥� Jennifer Lawrence has wanted to do a big comedy for years. She has always been funny and vibrant in her television appearances. And while she has brought humor and physical comedy to many of her roles for David O. Russell and others, she also hasn鈥檛 exactly gotten the big, broad 鈥淒umb and Dumber" or 鈥淎nchorman鈥� experience, to cite some of her favorites (or at least the ones she's memorized).
That changes this with 鈥� 鈥� (in theaters June 23), a classic, raunchy R-rated comedy that was tailor made for her.
鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to do a comedy. And I鈥檝e read a lot of them,鈥� Lawrence told The Associated Press last week in Las Vegas. 鈥淚 just didn鈥檛 read anything that was funny enough.鈥�
鈥淣o Hard Feelings鈥� was inspired by a real Craigslist ad posted by parents who were seeking a woman to 鈥渄ate鈥� their son to bring him out of his shell the summer before he went to college. There are debates over just how real the 鈥渞eal ad" was, but thinking about the woman who might answer an ad like that was a premise funny enough to catch the attention of several producers and writer-director Gene Stupnitsky.
Stupnitsky, an Emmy-nominated alum of 鈥淭he Office鈥� who also directed and co-wrote the 2019 hit 鈥淕ood Boys,鈥� knew just who to take it to. He told Lawrence about the idea one night at dinner with friends in which, he estimated, they had had about 鈥渆ight or nine martinis between us.鈥�
The two met over a decade ago, through a mutual friend, at Medieval Times of all places. Lawrence, he remembered, was dressed in a full wizard costume. And they soon became actual friends. He even introduced Lawrence to her husband.
鈥淚 owed him one,鈥� Lawrence said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I did this film.鈥�
Stupnitsky, sitting next to Lawrence, added: 鈥淭here鈥檚 probably some truth to that.鈥�
With Lawrence attached to star and produce, the movie became a hot commodity, with streaming services and studios vying for the rights to make it. Ultimately, they went with Sony and a traditional theatrical release.
鈥淭he reason I wrote this movie for her is because I knew how funny she was and I wanted everyone else to know. I mean, people know she鈥檚 funny but they wanted her in a comedy. I thought, yes I know how to do this. I know how to write her voice,鈥� Stupnitsky said. "I remember I told her, 鈥業 really want you to experience a feeling of sitting in a theater with hundreds of people laughing.鈥� She鈥檚 had many, many experiences in film, but she hasn鈥檛 quite had this one.鈥�
In "No Hard Feelings," Lawrence鈥檚 character Maddie is having a rough stretch with money. As an Uber driver without a car she鈥檚 in a pressing bind. So when she finds this ad with the promise of a Buick Regal as payment, she takes the bait. In a clip that Sony debuted for theater owners at the CinemaCon convention last week, Maddie meets 19-year-old Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) for the first time wearing a slim, hot pink mini dress and high heels and acting overtly flirty and available.
鈥淪he鈥檚 dressed like what she thinks is a 19-year-old鈥檚 idea of a sex fantasy. And she鈥檚 wrong,鈥� Stupnitsky said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 like the one kid who she can鈥檛 seduce.鈥�
The situation escalates from there as she tries to give him a ride home. He thinks he鈥檚 being abducted and, as anyone who has watched the red-band trailer knows, it ends with her getting pepper sprayed. But there鈥檚 a sweet core to the film too.
鈥淗e is longing for a connection, which is what she needs as well but doesn鈥檛 know it yet,鈥� Stupnitsky said. 鈥淪he wants to get the car and move on with her life. But he鈥檚 forcing her to kind of take things slow and get to know him and be intimate, in a way, with him in a platonic sort of way.鈥�
The experience, Lawrence said, was a blast, helped by her connection with her younger co-star.
鈥淲e just laughed all day long,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ometimes I would get in bed after work and just like, giggle before going to sleep, just thinking about the day. I was also sad for making it because I was like, 鈥楪od, I鈥檓 just I鈥檓 not going to have one of these again. This is this is so singular.鈥欌��
As a producer on the film, Lawrence has already gotten to watch it with an audience and experience that big, communal laughter that Stupnitsky promised.
鈥淚 went to a test screening and sat in back,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was pretty extraordinary.鈥�
Every film, she knows, is a gamble but she鈥檚 pretty confident about 鈥淣o Hard Feelings.鈥�
鈥淵ou really never know. You might think audiences want this and they don鈥檛. And I鈥檝e certainly had my experiences with that,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a mix of instinct and looking at the information that you have. I knew what we had was the funniest movie that anybody would have ever seen 鈥� I have no doubts about that鈥攁nd I knew that Gene was the one that could do it.鈥�
It鈥檚 also Lawrence鈥檚 first major theatrical release in a few years, since the 2019 X-Men movie 鈥淒ark Phoenix.鈥� Her recent films have been primarily streaming releases with Netflix鈥檚 and which she also produced.
鈥淚 think audiences are really going to remember why they love her,鈥漇tupnitsky said.
Lawrence laughed: 鈥淚 look much better 12 feet high.鈥�
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
