The Idea Of You – Movie Review

The Idea of You is now streaming on Prime Video.

You won’t have to wait until 2025 if you’re still yearning for some fresh hot gossip from Coachella. ‘The Idea of You,’ the newest film developed by Amazon MGM Studios and streaming on Prime Video, begins its central romance with a chance meet-up at the popular California music festival. It is based on the popular novel by Robinne Lee.

‘The Idea of You’ stars Anne Hathaway as Solène, a single mom trying her best to embrace her 40th birthday. While chaperoning her daughter and friends at Coachella, Solène crosses paths with Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), a Harry Styles-esque member of the super-popular boy band August Moon. Solène and Hayes strike up an unlikely romance despite Hayes being extremely famous and 16 years younger than Solène.

The ups and downs of the actual romantic plot are predictable.

First, it’s Solène coming to terms with the fact that this young star could truly have feelings for her, coping with the age difference, and lastly, the social media backlash that comes from the relationship inevitably going public. It can be a little tough to stomach why fans would have such a problem with anyone of any age being attracted to Anne Hathaway, a movie star who can play younger than her age. Still, it comes with the territory of a romantic film like this.

Michael Showalter’s directing is safe and not overly flashy. There are pros and cons to this. While it’s nice to see something new, there’s also something comforting about a standard romantic drama that we see increasingly less of in the current movie climate. Showalter has shown skill at blending severe drama with comedy in the past (‘The Big Sick’), and while there is plenty of charm to be found in ‘The Idea of You,’ it’s light on laughs.

Hathaway is magnetic and refuses to phone in any aspect of her performance. Hathaway has been criticized for being a bit too showy or theatrical in the past. However, her performance here is earnest and fits the dramatic material. Galitzine is surprisingly worthy as the romantic interest, and the attraction between the two actors doesn’t feel forced. Galitzine is one to look out for. He’s proven he can handle dramatic material and comedy (2023’s ‘Bottoms’).

Verdict

I give ‘The Idea of You’ 3 out of 5 stars. It is a safe romantic drama featuring some great performances in relatively predictable material. It’s a competent film for those looking for a nice date night movie at home, but it remains to be seen if it will be regarded as a classic.

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