The Idea Of You Review: Anne Hathaway Shines In This Unconventional Romance [SXSW 2024]

Rom-coms are a staple of cinema and have been for decades. Right alongside action movies and horror flicks, these tales of romance infused with humor are often there to help anchor any given year at the movies. Yet, they are often viewed as nothing more than popcorn movies; the cinematic equivalent of empty calories. Director Michael Showalter's "The Idea of You" is here to remind us that these movies can be so much more than that. At their best, they can be illuminating experiences that shed meaningful light on the human condition. Thanks in no small part to a stellar performance by Anne Hathaway and a star-making turn for Nicholas Galitzine, this is the genre at its best.

The film centers on Solène (Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mom who has to chaperone her teenage daughter's trip to the Coachella after her ex-husband bails at the last minute. There, she has a chance encounter with Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of August Moon, who just so happens to be in his mid-20s. They strike up an unexpected romance which comes with some understandably huge challenges, given Hayes' superstar status and their sizable age gap.

Countless times in movie history, we've seen older men strike up romances with younger women. The James Bond franchise has done this with its Bond girls plenty of times. Be it with 007 or the average Joe in any other film, it's hardly ever addressed and, if it is, it's more of an attaboy for the man. It's remarkably rare to see the script flipped. At that level alone, "The Idea of You" feels like a hugely fresh take on the modern rom-com. Fortunately, Showalter — armed with some great source material in the form of Robinne Lee's book of the same name — goes much deeper than that.

Showalter has played with romance plenty in his films in the past, be it the based-on-a-true-story "The Big Sick" or 2020's "The Lovebirds," which tragically ended up going straight to Netflix. Here, he is once again bringing something new to the table: a layered film that could easily get lost in the weeds with its somewhat silly setup. How many ways could "slightly older woman meets guy from a boy band at a music festival" devolve into something utterly trashy and/or ridiculous? And yet, Showalter manages to find a balance and make this feel shockingly real. It's human. It's touching. It never loses sight of the bigness of what is going on, yet it still feels relatable to anyone who has ever felt human emotion in this arena.

The other nice bit is that Showalter and co-writer Jennifer Westfeldt don't shy away from addressing the age gap between Solène and Hayes. Rather, it makes it a part of the narrative because, let's be honest, it's something that would be talked about. Not addressing it would feel disingenuous. At the same time, there are more than a few ways of trying to address it that might feel more than a little off-putting. It never ventures into such territory. It feels honest. It feels real. It feels like it carries some real-world weight.

Nobody plays with this genre quite like Showalter. This feels like a blockbuster in the way "As Good as It Gets" or even "Crazy Rich Asians" feel like blockbusters. It's the kind of movie people are going to fall in love with and watch over and over again. It's not disposable like a Hallmark movie of the week or a straight-to-streaming attention grab. It's genuinely funny while also basking in the very believable romance of it all.

It's tough to strike a perfect balance in a rom-com, with the comedy or the romance often running the risk of being left behind, but here they're both at their best. So much of that can be credited to Hathaway and Galitzine, who shine bright as the two lovers at the center of this tale. Hathaway, in particular, reminds us why she has an Oscar to her name. It's the best parts of everything she's ever given us on screen, from "Rachel Getting Married" to "The Internship." It's Hathaway giving it everything she's got — and she's got an awful lot. Perhaps we don't truly appreciate her straight-up prowess as an actress enough. "The Idea of You" makes an argument that we should.

As for Galitzine, we're not exactly talking about a newbie here, as he had memorable roles in movies like "Bottoms" and 2021's "Cinderella." Here though? He makes a case that he can be a real-deal movie star. It's not an easy thing to play a pop star, let alone one that has to be the famous person while Hathaway is the unknown suburban art dealer. And yet, Galitzine sells it the whole way through. He's a heartthrob that is going to make women swoon. But more than that, he gives this whole thing believable depth. As a duo, they make these characters feel lived in, with inescapable chemistry. This movie works because these two leads are firing on all cylinders.

From a stellar cast to spectacular execution of a unique story, this movie has so much to offer lovers of rom-coms. Heck, even the original songs are bangers capable of creating fans of a boy band that doesn't even actually exist. It's truly difficult to ask more of a movie cut from this particular cloth. The only real shame is that it won't have the chance to become a breakout big screen hit like "Anyone But You" as it's going straight to Prime Video. Such is the way.

"The Idea of You" arrived on Prime Video on May 2, 2024.

/Film Rating: 8 out of 10