by Alice-Ginevra Micheli, Contributing Writer
There are many open secrets in the pop culture realms. Things that everyone knows, talks about, or even take part in, but would rather take to their grave than admit their participation. Fanfiction is most definitely one of those things. Sure, in recent times there’s been a shift in the cultural consciousness to allow one to enjoy their pleasures, regardless of whether society deems them guilty or not, but I think it’s fair to say, this is something that has been around for some time.
So whenever something breaks out of the fan fiction world, and into the mainstream, there is a little cause celebré. Do these properties end up being considered good when put to such public scrutiny? Titles such as Fifty Shades of Grey, and After would have most saying no, but is The Idea of You the title to break out of this judgement once and for all?
Michael Showalter’s rom-com follows Solène (Anne Hathaway), who ends up beginning a steamy love affair with boy-band front-man, Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), after accompanying her daughter to Coachella.
It’s important to note how rare these types of films are nowadays, and by “these types of films”, I of course mean romantic comedies. It seems after the flash of the 80’s-00’s obsession with true love, the modern audience has been overloaded with dramedies that show what “real life is like”, rather than the idealised version of romance we’d been brought up on previously. While it’s impossible to say that this is the reason for the more cynical and discerning audiences present today, it certainly would be a contributor, resulting in films like this acting as a breath of much needed air.
It’s light, it’s breezy, it’s wholly unrealistic, but then again so is a sorority girl who gets into Harvard in order to get her ex back. You could say that this type of film serves as a form of fantasy for those of us that get up every day, go to our 9-5’s, and deal with the depressing realities of life by day-dreaming about the extremely minuscule possibility of attracting the attentions of a world-famous pop-star.
To that point, this film serves its purpose well. It has all the right lines, the right story turns, and the right amount of ‘this might as well happen’ events to allow buy-in from an audience that might just be looking for a type of escapism in their lives.
Where this does differ from the shiny rom-coms of the past is in its presentation. Grounded, ever-shifting, and wholly intimate, Showalter directs the scenes, and even depicts the imagery in a way that is a little more adult, a little more considered. The whole time I was watching, I felt like I was actually sitting down to experience an indie-passion project, rather than a glamorous Hollywood production. In that way, it felt modern, and the characters – ironically enough – felt more grounded. It didn’t shy from conflict, choosing to have a significant amount depicted, more than the average movie of its type, and instead illustrated the characters moving past it, and beyond to the next thing.
Sure, it has all the tropes you’d expect in a romantic comedy. The meet cute, the chemistry-laden leads, the best friend character who I cannot for life of me remember the name of, but it chooses to present these elements in a way that feel like they could very well take place in 2024.
Where this is a positive in a lot of ways, it’s also somewhat of a negative regarding how it affects the pacing. At times it’s slow, and meandering, while at others it feels like we’ve smashed through weeks of development in a couple of minutes. It’s not enough to ruin the watching experience, but it’s enough to be noticeable, particularly as the film begins to wrap up, leaving the audience wanting, and not always in the best of ways.
However, where the pacing is lacking, the chemistry between Hathaway and Galitzine is firing. For actors with such an age gap, you’re surprised they’re not actually an item in real life. While the mentioned ages of the characters is a major plot point explored, the connection these characters so evidently share allows the audience to root for the relationship, rather than turn away from it. I should also mention, given that the youngest character is 24, and not say 16, it also seriously lowers the “ick” factor to acceptable levels. It would have been nice if Hathaway’s character raged against the injustices of being an older woman, and mother having to deal with many unfair side-effects of the age gap that is often not presented with the opposite gender match-up, but the film does present Solène as being a reluctant fighter early on, which makes decisions made, and events unfolded more believable.
Coming back to our leads, this film wouldn’t work if they didn’t sell it. Both are stunning in their portrayal, making out each character as if they were real people that inhabit our world, and not just stand-ins for a day-dream that became a fan-fiction that became a book, and movie.
Hathaway proves again why she is one of the best actors working today with her tremendously vulnerable portrayal of a woman caught between duty and wanting. Galitzine continues to make his name as one of the most impressive young actor’s working today, slipping into the skin of a relatable pop star with ease. It’s films like these that make you understand why the Academy is bringing in an award for ‘Best Casting’, as these things don’t always work out, but when they do it ’s truly magic.
The Idea of You is a good old-fashioned romcom with a twist. The twist being reality, and moving past it to a semblance of happiness regardless of what ‘should happen’. It’s a great weekend watch, a perfect cosy couch companion, and is sure to be on many an audience member’s comfort movie watch list’s for years to come.
Rating: Really liked it.
The Idea of You is currently streaming on Prime Video
You can read more from Alice-Ginevra Micheli, and follow her on Instagram and Letterboxd