Worth: $14.00
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Cast:
Anne Hathaway, Nicholas Galitzine
Intro:
The story itself has all the makings of a fun and forgettable fling, but the authenticity that Hathaway brings to her portrayal, along with the compelling sweetness of Galitzine’s Hayes, lends a layer of realness to it all that balances the more outlandish plot.
It’s the ultimate wish fulfillment fantasy—the biggest pop star on the planet locks eyes with someone in the audience and the next thing, they’re being swept up in an illicit romance that crosses continents. It sounds like fanfiction, and that’s because it basically is.
The Idea of You started life as the debut novel of author Robinne Lee, who in the past has not shied away from admitting that her muse for Galitzine’s character in the film, British boy band singer Hayes Campbell, was none other than Harry Styles. It’s an homage that the film leans into—from the costumes Hayes wears to the tattoos he’s adorned with, it’s undoubtedly familiar for those who know what to look for. Ink, cardigans and the accent, however, are about as far as the comparisons go.
Writer/director Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, Wet Hot American Summer) and co-scriptwriter Jennifer Westfeldt (Friends with Kids, Kissing Jessica Stein) offer unexpected nuance and vulnerability in the story of how newly divorced, soon-to-be-40-year-old Solène (Anne Hathaway) got her groove back. What feels like your everyday romcom set up, may hit the beats of girl meets boy, feelings are felt, hijinks ensue, but there’s an honesty to the performances that transcends expectations.
Hathaway’s Solène is a woman who finds herself single for the first time in 20 years, coming to grips with being her own person again after so long, and then being tossed into the most unlikely of whirlwind romances when she accompanies her 17-year-old daughter to see August Moon (the fictionalised band whose songs are performed by Galitzine himself) at Coachella. She meets 24-year-old Hayes backstage, and things progress from there. The story itself has all the makings of a fun and forgettable fling, but the authenticity that Hathaway brings to her portrayal, along with the compelling sweetness of Galitzine’s Hayes, lends a layer of realness to it all that balances the more outlandish plot.
In a story about musicians falling for the everywoman in the audience, perhaps the most unbelievable part is casting Hathaway as the everywoman. Her presence is undeniable, to the point where scenes that have her worrying about competing with the “Moonheads” in their 20s feel laughable. The film makes some strides in depicting the double standard in Hollywood for May-December relationships, adding complexity to the fantasy of it all, but above all else, it’s a very sweetly human story of two people longing for connection, with a supporting soundtrack of catchy earworms to match the mood.
