The Idea of You should never work as well as it should, but the rom-com does. A whimsical tale full of heart, Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine is an addictive, often hilarious, and meaningful addition to the genre that has made a comeback of late. This is an old-fashioned effort that swoons the audience’s expectations to its heart’s contents.
That’s mostly because it rides the back of its leads, whose chemistry should come with a warning because they burn up the screen. Despite the 12-year age gap between them (and it helps Hathaway has the same ageless disease Paul Rudd finds himself afflicted with), you never question the differences because the script is upfront and honest by never letting us forget them.
The Idea of You gets ahead of the elephant in the room early, and often, that slowly fades away.
The Idea of You Review and Synopsis
The story follows Solène Marchand (a hilarious Hathaway), a divorcee who is co-parenting her teenage daughter Izzy (Ella Rubin) with her ex-husband, Daniel (Reid Scott). Solène lives a domesticated existence, teaching, writing, and reading. She’s about to turn 40 and go camping alone when Daniel cancels his plans to take their daughter and friends to Coachella.
As a good mother, Solène cancels her plans to take them to the festival with behind-the-scenes passes. There, she mistakes a trailer for a VIP bathroom and knocks on the door of Hayes Campbell (Galitzine, in his best role to date), the 24-year-old leader and singer of the boy band August Moon. Even though Izzy thinks she has outgrown them, clearly Solène has not, as her chemistry with Hayes is undeniable.
Considering the pedigree behind the camera, it should be no surprise that The Idea of You is endearingly enjoyable. Directed by Michael Showalter, who wrote the adaptation of Robinne Lee’s novel of the same name with Jennifer Westfeldt, the film has an honest level of maturity for such a pie-in-the-sky premise.
Despite the obvious “mommy” issues Hayes may be suffering from, think of The Idea of You as Notting Hill and Marry Me with common sense taking the day.
The conventions of the genre mean Hayes and Solène get together. And it’s delightfully winning. Hayes dedicates a song to her, and to my utter shock, the boy band performances on stage actually work and are highly enjoyable. The fact that this type of realism exists evokes the audience’s engagement to let their guard down and lose themselves for a while.
Is The Idea of You Worth Watching?
The Idea of You falls into some familiar clichés, like the ups and downs of relationships. Showalter and Westfeldt’s script plays with the nature of fame, which is welcome. Not to mention, two well-shot and well-acted scenes between the leads pull at the heartstrings. Notably, Hathaway delivers a powerful and heartbreaking monologue with perfect heartrending devastation.
The Idea of You is worth watching because the chemistry between Hathaway and Galitzine, like Anyone But You, brings sex appeal back to romantic comedy. It also combines mainstream summer filmgoing appeal with a performance from Anne Hathaway that has so much heart. The result is a funny, sexy, and poignant romantic comedy that hits all the right notes.
Those that are timeless for any age and between generations.
You can now stream The Idea of You on Prime Video.
7/10
Follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
