LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Jennifer Lawrence has long desired to star in a major comedy. In her television appearances, she has always been witty and bright. And, while she has brought humor and physical comedy to many of her performances for David O. Russell and others, she hasn’t received the huge, broad “Dumb and Dumber” or “Anchorman” experience, to name a few of her favorites (or at least the ones she knows).
This summer, that changes with ‘No Hard Feelings’ (in theatres on 23 June), a classic, raucous R-rated comedy tailor-made for her.
“I’ve always wanted to do a comedy,” she says. And I’ve read many of them,” Lawrence said last week in Las Vegas. “I just didn’t read anything funny enough.”
A real Craigslist ad by parents looking for a woman to “date” their son over the summer before he went to college served as the inspiration for the song “No Hard Feelings.” There are disagreements over how genuine the “real ad” was, but the idea of a woman answering such an ad was amusing enough to pique the interest of numerous producers and writer-director Gene Stupnitsky.
Stupnitsky, an Emmy-nominated “The Office” alum who also helmed and co-wrote the 2019 smash “Good Boys,” knew exactly who to take it to. He informed Lawrence about the concept over dinner with pals one night after they had had “eight or nine martinis between us.”
They met almost a decade ago at Mediaeval Times, thanks to a mutual friend. Lawrence, he remembered, was dressed like a full-fledged wizard. They quickly become real friends. He even introduced her spouse to Lawrence.
“I owed him one,” remarked Lawrence. “That’s why I did this film.”
Stupnitsky, seated next to Lawrence, remarked, “There’s probably some truth to that.”
With Lawrence set to appear in and produce the film, it quickly became a hot commodity, with streaming providers and studios bidding for its rights. They ultimately chose Sony and a regular theatrical release.
“I wrote this movie for her because I knew she was funny and wanted everyone else to know it.” People knew she was witty, but they wanted her in a comedy. Yes, I thought, I know how to accomplish this. “I know how to write her voice,” said Stupnitsky. “I remember telling her, ‘I want you to experience the feeling of sitting in a theatre with hundreds of people laughing.'” She’s had many cinematic experiences, but none quite like this.”
Maddie, Lawrence’s character in “No Hard Feelings,” is going through a financially difficult patch. She’s in a bind as an Uber driver without a car. So when she comes across this ad promising a Buick Regal as payment, she bites. Maddie meets 19-year-old Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) for the first time in a clip shown to theatre owners at the CinemaCon event last week, dressed in a slim, hot pink little dress and high heels and behaving openly flirty and accessible.
“She’s dressed as if imagining a 19-year-old’s sex fantasy.” “And she’s incorrect,” Stupnitsky replied. “He’s like the one kid who she can’t seduce.”
The scenario worsens when she tries to give him a ride home. He believes he is being kidnapped, and as anyone who has seen the red-band trailer knows, it concludes with her being pepper-sprayed. But the picture also has a lovely center.
“He is longing for a connection, which she also needs but isn’t aware of,” Stupnitsky explained. “She simply wants to get the car and get on with her life.” But he’s forcing her to take things slowly and get to know him and be intimate with him in a spiritual way.”
Lawrence described the event as “fun,” which was aided by her bond with her younger co-star.
“We just laughed all day long,” she explained. “Sometimes after work, I’d get in bed and just, like, giggle before going to sleep, just thinking about the day.” I was also sad about making it because I thought, “God, I’m just not going to have one of these again.” This is unusual.”
As a producer on the picture, Lawrence has already seen it with an audience and experienced the great, communal laughter that Stupnitsky promised.
“I went to a screening test and sat in the back,” she explained. “It was pretty extraordinary.”
Every project, she realizes, is a risk, but she’s optimistic about “No Hard Feelings.”
“You just never know. You may believe that audiences desire this, but they do not. “And I’ve certainly had my share of experiences with that,” she admitted. “It’s a combination of instinct and analyzing the information.” I had no doubts that what we had was the funniest movie anyone had ever seen, and I knew Gene was the one who could pull it off.”
Lawrence’s first major cinema release in a few years, following the 2019 X-Men film “Dark Phoenix.” Her most recent films have been streaming releases, such as Netflix’s “Don’t Look Up” and Apple’s “Causeway,” which she also produced.
“I think audiences will remember why they love her,” said Stupnitsky.
“I look much better, 12 feet tall,” Lawrence joked.
SOURCE – (AP)
