The Idea of You review: Unexpectedly charming
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8Ivan Radford | On 30, Jun 2024
Is it Harry or isn’t it? That’s the question surrounding The Idea of You, a romantic comedy based on Robinne Lee’s book. Lee’s speculative flight of fantasy around dating a boyband member is, according to Lee, not at all inspired by One Direction or Harry Styles, but that very fan-fiction association gives you a clue of how much material there is to explore in the way that stans imagine and obsess over famous people in a social media age.
Anne Hathaway stars as Solène, a 40-year-old art dealer in Los Angeles who has been emotionally wounded by an unfaithful husband. When he lets down their daughter, Izzy (Ella Rubin), she agrees to accompany Izzy and her friends to Coachella. At the festival, she accompanies Izzy to a meet-and-greet with the boyband August Moon, whom Izzy was a fan of in her younger years. But while there’s a nostalgic irony in the air, a genuine connection emerges between Solène and singer Hayes (Nicholas Galitzine).
In fact, it emerges 30 minutes earlier, after Solène blunders into Hayes’ trailer unwittingly – and that unlikely meet-cute sets the tone for this increasingly implausible love match. And yet, while there’s definitely an uncomfortable note to this unlikely couple’s age gap, the script by Michael Showalter and Jennifer Westfeldt smartly turns that weakness into a central focus of the film.
What ensues is a surprisingly thoughtful exploration of ageism and misogyny. The age gap between our duo is reduced for the screen – Hayes is 24 and Solène is 40 – but the film gamely delves into subjects such as online bullying and the swift judgements made by people in an era of parasocial relationships and inaccurate perceptions of others. There’s also an unusually mature understanding of the role that sex can play in a relationship, whether that’s shaping, defining, undermining or strengthening it.
Needless to say, all this wouldn’t work without a cast to sell it, and director Michael Showalter both nails his casting and gives his stars room to breathe in their roles. Anne Hathaway is bursting with earnest charisma as Solène, sinking her teeth into her character’s loneliness. Nicholas Galitzine, meanwhile, delivers on the promise shown in his breakout role in the brilliant The Beat Beneath My Feet, not only giving substance to a celebrity who’s lonely too, in his way, but also entirely convincing as a genuine pop star, thanks to his impressive musical chops.
The result doesn’t have anyway near enough depth to be a legitimate rom-com classic, but its brave approach to its own thorny subject matter and the real chemistry sparking between its leads make this strange tune an unexpectedly charming number.