Even an Unfiltered Jennifer Lawrence Can’t Save ‘Fiancé’

Jennifer Lawrence is hilarious. Certainly, she has made a name for herself as an actress in independent dramas (Burning Plains – The Edge of Solitude, A Freezing Winter – Winter’s Bone), in blockbusters and franchises (of trilogies). hunger games, X Men 2.0), unsettling films that are somewhere between horror and thriller (Hate – Home at the End of the Road, Traveler) and whatever category you want to put Mother!, David O. Russell knew immediately that Lawrence was the perfect fit for him Drama warped and deranged, and it’s impossible to think Bright Side And American Hustle They would have done just as well without him. After taking time off to be a mom, the Oscar-winning performer is back and giving us a gift cause way, indicating that she was still willing to delve deeper and explore the dark side. Complex women have always been her forte, even when she was painted mystic blue.

But if you’ve ever watched Lawrence on her talk show or seen her having fun on the red carpet, you know the Kentucky native is hilarious. unexpectedly, uncontrollably and wtf Pleasure. She has such chaotic energy that you’d think this was a new incarnation of movie star Carole Lombard, whose beauty isn’t diminished but complemented by a truly wicked sense of humor. No one, not even Russell, had really used that part of his public persona; Like his role in “Comedy” don’t look upLawrence was left as the fierce voice of reason in a sea of ​​lunatics.

So when an uncensored trailer arrived several months ago, it turned out that some of the creators had finally figured out how to use Lawrence’s wild personality and comedic numbers, all on a premise that Had tested the limits of “good taste”, was interested in what, and how. We’d finally get what we wanted: an unfiltered J-Law that she claimed to tame in the name of on-screen, wild, foul-mouthed maturity. It would be fit for a sexy comedy Secret Queen. Correct? Correct?!

No way. girlfriend for rent This gives Lawrence the chance to act disgustingly anti-social against a sea of ​​blue-blooded fools, one triumphant defeat at a time in a world of “fuck you” conceits. Needless to say, she’s the best thing about this failed attempt at an “adult”-rated sex comedy, in the same way that a daisy looks so much better than the pile of crap she’s grown out of. her timing, her way of responding with sarcastic sarcasm, her uncanny dexterity with physical comedy: give her a ladder when she’s wearing skates, a shelf to slide down after she’s been punched in the neck, or a Give licensed jerk so he can let off steam. And Lawrence will not disappoint. However, not even J-Law can save a man so lazy and desperate to offend, without the bar of courtesy. The film is not up to its level. Not really, on some level.

Her character, Maddie Barker, is originally from Montauk, New York and has a well-deserved reputation as a destroyer. He befriended most of the people in town and then soon ignored them; The list of his enemies is miles long. The anger at him is matched only by the resentment she holds for all the rich people who have recently moved in, treating citizens like slaves, and skyrocketing property taxes on her late mother’s house. – which she can no longer pay because she just lost the car, effectively losing her job as an Uber driver.

That’s why Maddie answers a Craigslist ad for a local couple (Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti) in their Buick. However, they don’t want the money. In exchange for the car, the two concerned parents would like 30-year-old Maddie to go on a date with their 19-year-old son, Percy (newcomer ANDREW BARTH FELDMAN). He should, ahem, “date,” to use Maddie’s phrase. The boy is intelligent but shy, brilliant but afraid of his own shadow. He’s going to college in the fall and his parents want to boost his self-esteem. What better way to seduce him than by an older woman?

Now, either you are angry or you are willingly accepting this morally questionable position, which would have been described as “dirty” in the 1960s, “risky” in the 1970s, and somewhat Risky Business – Old Men Out… Kids Dance in the eighties. (You can watch Tom Cruise from that first film, along with a hint of GraduateIn the idea of ​​initiating a boy into an adulthood involving sex, capitalism and vulgarity.) girlfriend for rent Look for the laugh/sweetness combination that the Farrelly brothers have perfected, especially when the movie wants you to care about the characters. Maddy starts liking this guy. In turn, that inspires her to speak openly about her father issues when she’s not trying to pick on him or get kicked in the crotch. You will feel that the film is trying hard to make you laugh as it tries to tug at your heart strings too, but wobbles awkwardly from pitch to pitch. What would you like to say about the Farrellys: They’ve figured out how to strike the perfect mix of sweet and sour for radically dirty comedy. This film is very sour-sweet.

At the same time, it also tries to highlight a decades-long wave of all-female comedies with misogynistic leads, which peaked in bridesmaids and with its lowest point bad teacher – a bad teacher, Unsurprisingly, director and co-writer Gene Stupnitsky also wrote the Cameron Diaz film, giving us a similar glorified fallen heroine who eventually softens, matures, etc. Stupnitsky also worked Office, But what he learned about comedy has not been used in this film. It seems to end just as the scenes are starting to gain any kind of comedic momentum, and there’s no momentum in any of the parts that would make you sick of laughing because of Lawrence’s brilliance. Secondary characters appear for a nanosecond, then vanish from the film’s memory. (Hasan Minhaj, Kyle Mooney, and Ebon Moss-Barrach all deserve an apology.) Did we mention Lawrence is naked and beating up some burglars on the beach when she gets kicked in the privates? This is the type of showpiece that aims to excite onlookers and possibly make a splash on paper. But, the way the sequence is presented, it seems as if you are watching the gag’s sudden death on screen.

as long as you watch the comedy part girlfriend for rent Which inevitably turn into setbacks, which lead to frustration. Lawrence works hard, he works hard to streamline dialogue, introduce double entendres, and make this misogyny worthy of sympathy, he forces himself into a routine of futility and Epic Fail maddy passionately sexy. And you want the film to support her performance, not make it difficult. Ultimately, the best way to see his work here is via YouTube, when inspired moments of gonzo insanity and wide-eyed reactions will stand alone as brief spurts of entertainment and seem detached from the movie they’re trapped in. future of ranch-com For studio adults, let alone a theatrical release, it’s up to a star like Lawrence to do what she does to propel the film. It’s hard not to think that this attempt to revive the genre is actually undermining its future.

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