No Hard Feelings and Asteroid City – Movie Reviews

No Hard Feelings is directed and co-written by Gene Stupnitsky, stars Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman. Cash-strapped Maddie is struggling to pay the rising taxes on her house, which was left to her by her mom. She decides to answer a Craigslist ad placed by a couple who are seeking a woman to “date” their 19-year-old son before he goes to college, in an effort to bring him out of his shell.

Raunchy, hard R-rated comedies are considered a thing of the past. In part, this is because they saturated the market and people stopped seeing them. However, it’s also because the way they were written is no longer relevant and should never have been. However, movies like the previous one done by Stupnitsky still have a place in the market if they are done well, and this one is.

No Hard Feelings works because of Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman, who deliver the comedy pieces well, but the romantic aspects are the real strong points. The movie plays out exactly as you would expect, with well-written characters, a mix of comedy, and a heart-warming story that is not subtle. A raunchy comedy that harkens back to the early 2000s but still works.

‘No Hard Feelings’ Rating – 2.75/5

Asteroid City is written and directed by Wes Anderson, starring Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Bryan Cranston, and Jake Ryan, with the other usual cast of characters. It follows both a writer and his fictitious play about a widowed man and his kids in the small town of Asteroid City for a science competition his son is in, only to have their world transformed forever.

Acknowledging my bias right away, I am a Wes Anderson fan, and that has probably affected how I feel about the movie. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and left the theater with a smile on my face. This is just how Anderson movies make me feel. I do think this is his best since Budapest. The usuals are on point for Anderson movies: acting, cinematography, production design.

The only thing I can say against it is that it’s still very Wes Anderson, and that means a lack of deep, contemplative storytelling, but I don’t care. All in all, Asteroid City is another lovely Anderson film I’ll be eager to watch again.

‘Asteroid City’ Rating – 4/5

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