Film Review: "The Idea of You"

The new rom-com from Michael Showalter serves as a fitting showcase for the dazzling chemistry of Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine.

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Warning: Full spoilers for the film follow.

If you’ve been a subscriber to this newsletter for any length of time, you no doubt know that I am a huge fan of the romantic comedy. Thus, like many other gay men of a certain generation, I have been quite celebratory as the genre seems to have made a triumphant return to Hollywood, both on the big screen (in films like Anyone But You) and the small (Red, White and Royal Blue).

The newest high-profile rom-com is The Idea of You, based on the novel by Robinne Lee. In the film, Anne Hathaway stars as Solène Marchand, a 40-year-old mother who has a meet-cute with Nicholas Galitzine’s Hayes Campbell, one of the singers in a boy band called August Moon. The two begin a whirlwind romance but, given their difference in ages (roughly 16 years), things quickly hit the skids, as the venomous, stultifying nature of modern celebrity puts pressures on them both that neither of them are quite prepared to handle.

Let me say upfront that this film succeeds in no small part because of the presence of Anne Hathaway. There’s no question that she is one of the most versatile actresses of her generation, capable of delivering potent and emotionally textured performances in everything from light teen fare (The Princess Diaries) to brainy science fiction (Interstellar) to queer melodrama (Brokeback Mountain, which features one of her most haunting performances). She brings all of those considerable skills to bear in The Idea of You and, even when the script doesn’t give her much to work with, she still manages to capture and convey Solène’s many complicated feelings as she begins to find herself falling head over heels in love with the younger man. One can see the spark in her eyes during their meet cute just as one can see the sense of despair and sadness on her face once they part for what seems like the last time.

However, I have to give Galitzine credit, too, because in the past year he has consistently turned in one great performance after another. He seems to have an almost unnatural ability to portray yearning young men whose cherubic features cover over a deep well of insecurity and angst. In Hayes’ case, much of this stems from familial dysfunction and, just as importantly, from his deep fear that he will be seen as nothing as a joke by both his fans and the world in general. It might seem trite to some, but I found myself wholeheartedly believing that a 24-year-old man whose entire youth has been spent in the public eye–he auditioned for the band when he was merely 14–would begin to have doubts as to his own worth, both in his own eyes and the rest of the world.

Indeed, it’s only because we get to see both of these characters in all of their rich emotional complexity that we come to care about them as both individuals and as a couple. For Solène, the unique nature of their relationship threatens her relationship with her daughter who, like many other teens, has to endure the relentless mockery of her fellow high schoolers. Hathaway perfectly captures the complex play of emotions in these scenes, just as she also conveys a rich well of feeling anytime she shares the screen with Galitzine. Theirs is an undeniably electric chemistry, and it appears in scenes both silly (the moment when Hayes comes back to Solène’s house and drinks spoiled milk as he tries to help her figure out what is salvageable from her broken fridge) to steamy (their various sexual encounters). While it’s not explicit in the same way as, say, Red, White and Royal Blue, The Idea of You still isn’t afraid to show the sexier side of romance. I know that I, for one, will always be grateful for seeing more of Galitzine sans clothes. 

As far as the script goes, it hits all of the notes one would expect from a rom-com. Some might balk a bit at the time jump that occurs near the end, and while I can see the point, I also think that it neatly resolves some of the tensions and difficulties that the story has thrown in the way of our protagonists. And, as others have pointed out, there are some plot twists and turns that do strain the modern viewers credulity, not the least of which is the fact that Solène and Hayes think that they can somehow go on a European tour, engage in all kinds of amorous shenanigans for several weeks, and somehow think that all of this will go unnoticed by either the paparazzi or social media. 

And, while this is certainly a rom-com, it does tend to veer more toward light humor than outright guffaws. Michael Showalter, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jennifer Westfeldt, clearly understands the contours of the genre better than most directors working with the genre today, and he knows how to coax out textured performances from both of his leads. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the songs–performed of course by August Moon–many of which are decidedly infectious. Credit must go to Nicholas Galitzine here, too, who shows that he can only act but sing, too. He really does fit the bill for the soulful member of a boy band, and that’s no mean feat.

Ultimately, The Idea of You is a pleasant entry in the romantic comedy genre. It does have some deeper messages–about the perniciousness of fame, about the way that older women often have to contend with numerous double standards about their love lives, about the necessity of making oneself vulnerable to others–but it wisely doesn’t beat us over the head with such messages. Instead, it delivers exactly what we all really want from a film like this one: two beautiful people falling in love and having lots of very beautiful sex. While some might not like the way that the film changes the ending, I for one was more than happy to see our larger-than-life leads get the happy ending they deserve.

Sometimes, at the end of the day, we all just need a happy ending.