No Hard Feelings Ending Explained (2024)

Jennifer Lawrence made her debut in a full-fledged comedy, and No Hard Feelings’ ending takes a heartfelt turn as the characters move past their hurdles. The film, directed by Gene Stupnitsky from a screenplay he co-wrote with John Phillips, is focused on Lawrence’s Maddie, a Montauk local who is hired to bring the introverted 19-year-old Percy out of his shell before he goes off to Princeton. Billed as a raunchy comedy, No Hard Feelings has plenty of emotional beats and character development as Maddie and Percy find their groove and settle into a genuine friendship.

No Hard Feelings has a simple premise, and its conflict arises after Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) learns that Maddie, who is struggling financially and is close to losing her house, only sought him out after his parents put out an ad to help him before going to college. Maddie desperately needed the car Percy’s parents were offering. By the end of No Hard Feelings, Maddie and Percy helped each other grow. Maddie was able to open up emotionally, paying off her property taxes, selling the house to her friends, and using the money to move to California. Meanwhile, Percy gained confidence and friends, able to leave his room without fear of social stigma.

Maddie & Percy: Will They Remain Friends?

They Likely Won't See Each Other Much But Can Keep In Touch

When Percy thinks he and Maddie are in a relationship, they discuss the option of long-distance, but Maddie is against it. Mostly, it’s because Maddie knows that they’re not really in a romantic relationship, but it’s also because she can’t see them staying in touch when they’re so far away from each other. At the end of No Hard Feelings, Percy says he'll be back in Montauk for Thanksgiving, but Maddie will be in California, which provides yet another roadblock to their ongoing friendship. While Percy and Maddie will likely keep in touch for a few months, it’s possible Percy will become too busy at Princeton to constantly check in.

Maddie will also have her hands full getting situated in California, especially after having lived in Montauk all her life. No Hard Feelings geographically splitting up Maddie and Percy doesn’t mean they won’t stay friends long-term, but there’s is the kind of friendship that allowed them to get out of their own way, addressing their individual fears so that they could move forward instead of being stuck in the past. Their relationship was a success, so even if they don’t remain close after parting ways in No Hard Feelings, they will always remember the ways they helped each other. In that sense, Maddie and Percy will always be friends.

Maddie's Move To California Explained

She Needed To Move On

Maddie refuses to sell her mom’s house throughout No Hard Feelings, opting to win the car Percy’s parents promised her, so she can Uber and pay off the house’s property taxes. By the end of the film, though, Maddie sells the house and uses the money to pack up and move to California after getting a bit of a reality check from Percy. She realizes she’s been stuck in the past while blaming everyone else for the decisions she’s made about her life. Maddie was angry for good reason, but she had been clinging to the rejection she felt from her father, who didn’t want anything to do with her.

Moving to California was an unfulfilled dream for Maddie, but it wasn’t until she could break free from her fear of change that she could finally uproot her life. Maddie realized that she didn’t need her father to contact her, and she could figure things out on her own with people who genuinely cared for her. Selling her mother’s house was the final step in letting the past go, allowing Maddie to take big swings and do something for herself that required being a bit brave.

The Deep Meaning Behind Maddie Adopting Milo

Milo Is A Part Of Maddie And Percy

At the start of No Hard Feelings, Maddie attempts to fake adopt Milo in a bid to meet Percy, but she doesn’t go through with it because she’s so focused on sleeping with Percy and getting the car. However, Maddie winds up adopting Milo and taking him with her to California because the dog has sentimental value to her. Milo is a big part of her journey with Percy, and Maddie likely wanted to adopt the dog as a reminder of the friendship she forged with him, and all that they went through together.

While she isn’t initially fit to care for the dog, Maddie takes responsibility for Milo in a way she couldn’t have before. Maddie also knows what it’s like to be abandoned, and promising to adopt Milo but not following through would have brought up comparisons to her father, which is not who she was as a person. Milo has obvious issues, but also has the capacity to love and be loved if given the chance, echoing Maddie’s own emotional throughline in the film. Not only is Milo a reminder of the friendship she forged with Percy, but the canine will also serve as a nice connection with Montauk.

Does No Hard Feelings Signal A Career Shift For Jennifer Lawrence?

The Actress Was Great In A Comedic Role

No Hard Feelings marks the first major comedy for Jennifer Lawrence. Silver Linings Playbook came the closest, but it was more of a dramedy that she was occasionally funny in. No Hard Feelings has an old-school comedy feel to it, and Lawrence gets to be raunchy, tough, and outrightly funny in it. After starring in dramas for so long, No Hard Feelings could signal a career shift for the actress, whose biggest roles have included franchise flicks like The Hunger Games and X-Men: First Class to hardcore dramas like Red Sparrow, Causeway, and mother!

Lawrence’s upcoming projects may not be comedies like No Hard Feelings, but they will allow the actress to flex her acting skills in a variety of genres beyond the drama variety. Lawrence will star in a crime drama and a horror thriller with Mob Girl and Die, My Love, respectively. That said, audiences shouldn’t expect Lawrence to deviate too much from the kinds of films she’s done in the past, as the actress will also appear in dramas and biopics in the near future. It seems a straight-up comedy is not in the cards anytime soon, but it doesn’t mean Lawrence won’t return to the genre later in her career.

How No Hard Feelings Compares To Other Raunchy Comedies

It's The Latest In A Long Line Of Great Similar Comedies

No Hard Feelings has been marketed as a raunchy comedy, and it certainly has those elements throughout, though it’s also very heartwarming. While it’s vulgar to an extent, and there’s a good amount of nudity, No Hard Feelings is not as raunchy as films like Wedding Crashers or Bridesmaids, which take their brand of comedy to another level. No Hard Feelings is a callback to raunchy comedies of old, but it’s a bit more tame, and perhaps less offensive, than others in the genre, including Bad Santa and Ted. No Hard Feelings, while on the lighter side in terms of its crudeness, is still raunchy enough to justify its label.