Much like superhero movies, romantic comedies have also had a quiet year in Hollywood. From Reese Witherspoon’s Your Place or Mine to Jennifer Lawrence’s No Hard Feelings, most high-profile romantic comedies have neither managed to boast an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score nor cross the $100 million mark at the box office.
Early reactions to Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell’s R-rated rom-com Anyone but You suggest the ending of 2023 is not going to be any better for the genre. In this specific case, the reason behind the underwhelming reviews ironically might have to do with the great chemistry between the lead stars.
Why Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell’s Romantic Comedy Is Failing to Impress Critics
Often, in the case of romantic comedies, the biggest draw for viewers is the dynamic between stars rather than the storyline itself. The friction between the lead pair is usually a staple of the genre and a source of the majority of the laughs.
From The Proposal (Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds) and Knocked Up (Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen) to You’ve Got Mail (Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks) all highly-admired movies have main characters who bring very different things (and personalities) to the table initially before slowly understanding each other and eventually falling for each other.
In that regard, Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell‘s enemies-to-lovers story about Bea and Ben, who after a sour initial attraction are forced to pretend to be the perfect couple at a destination wedding in Australia, has left critics disappointed. Sweeney and Powell’s chemistry is so good that they never really manage to convince the viewers that they really dislike each other after their first date ends badly.
Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair notes:
“There’s not enough friction, not enough tension between difference and similarity. Neither character is scrappy, neither is an underdog, neither is believable in their insecurity.”
Another complaint about Anyone but You, which is now in theaters, is that the focus on Powell’s incredible physique and Sweeney’s beautiful appearance makes it tough for viewers to see them acting as regular individuals. Director Will Gluck has simply failed to make his characters relatable.
Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell Were Rumored to Be Dating During the Shooting of Anyone but You
One of the reasons fans might find it hard to overlook their adorable on-screen chemistry is many headlines about an alleged affair between them during the filming of Anyone but You. It all started when Sweeney and Powell were pictured looking deeply in love during their movie’s filming in Australia earlier this year.
However, both actors have frequently denied such suggestions. Sweeney, 26, recently revealed that such claims affected her co-star, stating to Glamour:
“It was really hard on Glen, which made me sad… because [otherwise] it was such a beautiful experience for the both of us. I care for him so much.”
The 35-year-old was in a relationship with Jehane-Marie “Gigi” Paris at the time the rumors concerning his romance with Sweeney started to fly. Recently, Powell and Paris decided to split. Meanwhile, the Euphoria star is engaged to Jonathan Davino.
