PremiumThe Idea Of You Review - There is only one Anne Hathaway and she is back at giving us charming rom-coms
Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine’s chemistry in The Idea Of You is effortlessly beautiful enough to invest in from the first minute.
Last Updated: 09.09 AM, May 01, 2024
Solène (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old divorcee, a label the world doesn't let her forget, owns an art gallery and takes her daughter Izzy (Ella Rubin) to a concert where Izzy’s favorite band from seventh grade is performing. While Izzy is not much fascinated by the idea (because the father says she ‘used to’ like them and chooses to send her on this trip without really asking her), Solène comes close to the lead singer of the band, Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine). Their age difference grabs eyeballs, and his celebrity status intensifies the conversation. What will they do to save their love that has 'unconventional' written all over it?
The Idea Of You Movie Review:
Where is the rule book that has all the rules of relationship and choosing a partner listed down? Who decides whom to love and when? The Idea Of You, a movie that discusses everything between, asks these simple questions. Why is the woman always the culprit even if it was the man who pursued her? In a scene in the Anne Hathaway starrer, newspaper headlines show sympathy to Hayes, but for Solène, they label her a gold digger, a woman who should be ashamed; that is what this movie wants to address but in the Hathaway way.
Marking Anne Hathaway’s return to rom-coms probably after The Princess Diaries, adapted from a book of the same name by Robinne Lee, and adapted for the screen by Michael Showalter and Jennifer Westfeldt. Directed by Michael, the movie is a reminder of the rom-coms we have grown up watching but with a new syntax. It's not the man who most of the time has the agency, it is the woman who has the power here. She is not in her tender age while he could be in his late 30s or 40s. The times have changed and so have the stories. Showalter realizes that even the storytelling needs to change; he makes sure this new medicine is served with a palatable mixer.
Also Read: The Idea of You: Release date, OTT platform, plot, cast, trailer and more about Anne Hathaway’s film
So she is 40, he is 24, they are in love, and they don't care what the world thinks, for the most part. But then comes the family. The Idea Of You at its core is a love story of two people who have dared to love and have created a bubble around their love story that for the world is ‘unconventional’. But the bubble will someday burst and reality will hit hard. The second act of the Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine starrer is exactly about that. With the advent of the internet and the rise of woke culture, have we really changed deep within? Are we ready to accept things that are not listed amongst our ‘normals’? Have the Gen Z grown up to be empathetic or are those reports just random stats? Are women still supposed to be guilty of loving the man of their choice regardless of age?
The Idea Of You is a love story at heart but also manages to show you the chaos it has caused in the lives of not just the people who are consequential, but also inconsequential. It briefly looks at the paparazzi culture that makes the lives of these celebrities a living hell. And there's much more. The Idea Of You remains poetic for the most part of it. Their intimacy is so tender that it feels like two lovers who have been waiting for this their entire lives have finally found their world. Anne Hathaway in rom-com is a genre we all must appreciate and invest in more. The actor defines excellence with her performance which is so balanced that you know each emotion she is feeling. Her being insecure about her body around women half her age, her feeling guilty about finding love at the age of 40. There is so much to unravel in her performance.
Nicholas Galitzine is having a great time at the movies and the actor is indeed good. Holding the ground in front of Anne Hathaway while she is doing a fine job is certainly not an easy thing. Galitzine surrenders himself to the aura of Anne, and that makes his performance so much more organic. There is no hard push for him to be sold as a lead singer of a band and the credit for that goes to the entire team.
The Idea Of You does take the monotonous route of montages to tell you how these two are falling in love. It is a space almost every rom-com is in but what saves the day for the Anne Hathaway starrer is the leading pair who have fallen in love while roaming around an art shop. We have seen their tender first kiss which was steamy. So that helps in saving the day. The climax does the magic too because it never tells you about the absolute future of this on-and-off relationship, and that does wonders.
The music of The Idea Of You is stunning. For a movie about a leading boy band and their lead singer, music was a big aspect. By bringing Siddhartha Khosla (This Is Us) and lyricist Savan Kotecha on board, the makers make the best choice. The songs are fresh, the tunes are unique, and together they deliver an album that will definitely grow on us.
This is certainly much more than fan fiction about a certain pop star. This is a movie that comes straight from the heart of a team that looks at love with hope and wants the world to be a better place. The Idea Of You is not a surface-level exploration of two generations falling in love. When the daughter asks whether he is a feminist to her mother who has fallen for a guy a generation younger than her, you know the movie comes from a researched and informed place.
Idea Of You Review: Final Verdict
Anne Hathaway should venture into rom-coms often, and Nicholas Galitzine should continue working as organically as he has in his last two projects. The two together have brilliant chemistry, and there is no reason for you not to watch this one on Amazon Prime Video.
The Idea Of You will stream on Amazon Prime Video from May 2, 2024. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more such reviews and everything else from the world of streaming and films.