Jennifer Lawrence's latest blockbuster was based on an actual true story, the director has revealed.
The star of The Hunger Games takes on the role of a woman who is financially hard up and answers an unusual ad after her car is repossessed, leaving her unable to work.
The ad promises a car, if the person who answers can date the socially-awkward 19-year-old son of two two rich crypto investors.
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It seems like an easy enough gig for Lawrence's down on her luck character, but of course things turn out to not be quite as easy as they first appear, with several hilarious escapades resulting.
In a brilliant twist, it transpires that the fictional ad in the film was in fact based on a real Craigslist ad - which you can see below.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Gene Stupnitsky revealed that the idea for the film came to him when he was shown a Craigslist ad from a couple looking for someone to date their son.
He said: "I read it, and I thought, 'This is wild. Who is the woman that answers this ad?'.
"And I thought, 'Oh, that'll be a great role for my friend Jennifer Lawrence'."
Lawrence told Entertainment Weekly: "Gene read the Craigslist ad to me, and I died laughing.
"I thought it was hilarious, but there wasn't a script or anything. I just thought he had a funny idea. And then a couple years later, he handed me the funniest script I've ever read in my life."
But what does the actual ad say? Well, it turns out it was covered by the HuffPost when it went viral.
In it, the parent said: "This is going to sound strange but my son is a senior in High School and I want to help him. He's 18 and will go away to Harvard in the fall. He's extremely smart but socially awkward, has never had a girl friend and I'm sure he's a virgin."
They go on to say they want a 'cute young girl' to date their son and 'turn him from high school nerd to cool college kid', adding that he's 'very handsome'.
The parent goes on to stipulate that they need to be around the same age as their son, and said they would buy two concert tickets to allow the woman in question to make a move on their son.
At this point things take a raunchy turn, as the parent writes: "Then you
seduce him and take his virginity. Keep dating him (and showing him different sex positions) til he goes to college and then let him go gently so he'll have the confidence to date other girls once he's there."
They added: "In return I'll make your financial issues disappear."
Leaving aside the manipulation, it seems difficult to imagine someone's confidence responding positively if they ever discovered this arrangement.
Dear lord, the trust issues.
Topics: News, Entertainment, Film and TV, Jennifer Lawrence
Kit Roberts