The Idea of You: A Deliciously Swoony Romance
Anne Hathaway shines as Solene Marchand, a 40-ish Los Angeles gallery owner and single mother, in the romantic drama The Idea of You. Nicolas Galitzine plays Hayes Campbell, a 20-ish Brit pop star fronting the boy-band August Moon. The two connect at Coachella, and their whirlwind romance takes them on a journey across the globe.
Vibes from Coachella
The film, adapted from Robinne Lee’s 2017 bestseller, trades in the book’s erotic sizzle for a frisky charm that plays better to a wider audience. Director Michael Showalter (The Big Sick) has a way with tracing the curveballs sex throws at relationships. Both Solene and Hayes are well aware of their age difference, which adds a layer of complexity to their romance.
Age is just a number
As Solene follows Hayes on tour, they find themselves in beautiful locations, making out in beautiful places. The script cuts beneath the surface to find what hurts and maybe heals in a love affair that grows into something more than casual. Solene feels blindsided by her brush with Hayes’ fame and how her tabloid notoriety affects her daughter. And what future can horndog Hayes find with this woman nearly twice his age?
Paris, the city of love
It’s the actors who deepen the story by filling in the space between words. Kudos to Galitzine, who recently made his mark as the queer prince in Red, White & Royal Blue and as the sex-for-sale son of Julianne Moore in Mary & George. As Hayes, Galitzine fully registers that Solene is a woman getting a raw deal from the sexist perception of her as a predator.
Nicolas Galitzine as Hayes Campbell
Still, it’s Hathaway who centers the film with the grit and grace of her portrayal as a woman over 40 who defies the limits society puts on how she should behave. Hathaway can nail a laugh and then break your heart before you know what hit you.
Anne Hathaway as Solene Marchand
The book had a bummer ending that’s been slightly softened by a film that hasn’t given up on happily ever after. It even pushes the notion that the reality of who you love might just trump the fantasy version. There’s something increasingly rare about a movie that celebrates lovers who learn to see themselves clear, damn what the world thinks.
Love conquers all
The Idea of You stands high in the burgeoning romcom renaissance. Cliche quicksand doesn’t drag it down like the recent hit Anyone But You dimmed the bright pairing of Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney with vapid writing and directing.
Romcom renaissance
No such disaster befalls The Idea of You, not with Showalter and his creatives providing the sass and sweetness that fuel liftoff. Sure, there’s turbulence. Hathaway and Galitzine are impossibly gorgeous — a forgivable sin of the genre — but they infuse their roles with feelings we all can recognize, feelings that stay with you. That makes all the difference.
