No Hard Feelings: Why The Raunchy Teen Comedy Is R-Rated & What Parents Should Know
It's a busy summer blockbuster season in 2023. Every week seemingly has a new event picture for people to rush out to see, from "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" to "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." Between all of this, it's natural some people would gravitate toward some counterprogramming, and that's where "No Hard Feelings," starring Jennifer Lawrence, fits the bill.
The R-rated comedy opens in theaters on June 23 and has been heavily marketed for its raunchy nature. The red-band trailer certainly abides by that fact, as the story follows Maddie (Lawrence), a down-on-her-luck woman hired by a family to bring their 19-year-old son, Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman), out of his shell before he goes to college. What ensues will clearly be debauchery, dirty jokes, and ample sexual innuendo, so there's an obvious answer to the question of why is "No Hard Feelings" rated R.
This will obviously be a movie that revels in its R rating, as the MPAA has given it to the film for "sexual content, language, some graphic nudity and brief drug use." IMDb went on to state how some of that includes both full-frontal and rear female nudity. As such, parents should proceed with caution before letting young children or even teenagers see Jennifer Lawrence's latest.
No Hard Feelings doesn't apologize for what it is
"No Hard Feelings" has heavily marketed itself as a throwback to raunchy teen sex comedies of the past, something along the lines of "American Pie" and "Superbad." Therefore, it makes sense the film has plenty of sexual references and jokes in addition to the nudity. There's also strong language featured throughout the movie, such as "f***" and "s***," and plenty of drug and alcohol references. In these movies, where there are teens trying to hook up, alcohol won't be far behind.
As far as a "No Hard Feelings" parents guide, this movie definitely isn't for the younger crowd. It earns its R-rating through and through, and there are many scenes that may make things uncomfortable if you're sitting next to your child. Apparently, one standout scene from the film that has reviewers raving can be described thusly by @BenjaminCrew1, "There's a fight scene I can only describe as 'American Pie meets Eastern Promises' that had my audience screaming. Support original comedy!"
"No Hard Feelings" sounds like a hoot, but this is probably one film to see on a date night while leaving the kids with a babysitter. Younger kids watching it may bring up questions parents may not be ready to answer.