No Hard Feelings is one of the latest films to come out in the summer 2023 movie season. The Jennifer Lawrence-led film is about parents who post an ad on Craigslist, saying that they will give a young woman a car if she dates their socially-awkward 19 year old son, Percy. The premise leads to a lot of hilariously funny moments with a surprising amount of heart. Now, the cast of the film is opening up about the real life ad inspiration and the controversial subject matter.
In a recent interview, the cast of No Hard Feelings got candid with The Hollywood Reporter about some of the themes in the film, and why it ultimately worked for the story they were trying to tell. Laura Benanti plays Percy’s mother, one of the parents who posts the icky Craigslist ad that attracts Lawrence’s character. Her perspective on the premise was that it acts as a warning for parents that get too involved with the lives of their children. She explained:
It’s a cautionary tale. If you are a helicopter parent who puts your child in such a bubble, they do not know how to exist outside of that bubble, you are going to make the exact opposite and insane choice, which is what they are doing here. I feel like it is a very satirical look at what can happen if you do not give your children a longer leash to figure things out for themselves. Otherwise, you’re going to end up curating their life forever.
Matthew Broderick, who plays Percy’s father in the film, had a similar perspective on the premise. He echoed Benanti’s feelings about helicopter parents, and also saw it as a satire about the lengths parents will go to try to make big life transitions seamless for their children. He said:
I guess what happens is when a kid goes off to school, it’s so frightening that they’ll be happy and they’ll make friends and they’ll take care of themselves that some parents go to any length to make that transition work. And it’s a hard time. I’ve been through it. But you really have to let them make it on their own. But these parents decide to mess with nature.
Percy’s parents' parenting skills in No Hard Feelings are beyond questionable, with audiences having to suspend their disbelief that people would do such a thing for their son. However, the premise wasn’t completely out of the bounds of reality. The director of the movie, Gene Stupnitsky, revealed that the inspiration for the film was a real life Craigslist ad for something very similar. As for if someone like JLaw’s Maddie character answered the ad, it still remains a mystery. The filmmaker detailed:
It didn’t really matter what happened and if anyone answered it. It was just, who are these parents, these helicopter parents who are putting this ad out, and who’s their son, what’s going on there? And who answers this?
It certainly makes a crazy premise for a movie, and the writers definitely let their imagination run wild when it came to the central relationship between Percy and Maddie. I’m dying to know if the real life ad sparked something similar. Despite the center idea being sure to raise some eyebrows, No Hard Feelings is surprisingly very sweet, with Lawrence giving her all to the performance and getting love from critics. It's a different kid of role for the Oscar-winning actress, showing she can do anything. No Hard Feelings is one of those rare theatrical studio comedies that doesn’t always get a cinematic release, and hopefully is a sign that there will be more like it in the future.
You can see Jennifer Lawrence, and the rest of the comedic cast in No Hard Feelings, in theaters nationwide. Fans of the actress should also check out our feature on some of the best projects from the Hunger Games star. For more information on other films hitting cinemas later this year, make sure to consult our 2023 movie release schedule.
