Anyone But You review
Anyone But You is something of a rarity. It’s a romantic comedy that’s both funny with enough tender heartfelt moments to get released in theaters. The genre has all but been banished to debuts on various streaming platforms now.
Turns out the key to making a good rom com is having a pair of attractive leads with palatable on-screen chemistry, a script that isn’t completely outlandish and likable supporting players. That formula isn’t exactly revelatory but too few rom coms are able to pull it off this smoothly lately.
Bea (Sydney Sweeney, Madame Web) and Ben (Glen Powell, Top Gun: Maverick) have an incredible meet cute. The kind that makes for a memorable rom com. They go to have a stellar first date that’s so spectacular it seems like this is going to be a pretty easy path to the happily ever after end credits.
Things get a bit sideways the morning after as both Bea and Ben make some self-sabotaging decisions. Neither is used to a first date or a relationship going that well and panic effectively ruining what could have been truly special. Six months later Bea and Ben reunite in the most unlikely circumstances. Bea’s sister, Hallie (Hadley Robinson, Little Women), starts dating Ben’s close friend, Claudia (Alexandra Shipp, Barbie).
The reunion is passively hostile with both Ben and Bea trading some decidedly below the belt cheap shots. At least this one night is the last time they’ll have to play sorta nice with each other, right? Not quite. Six months later, Hallie and Claudia are set for a destination wedding in Australia. Now the bickering barely exes will have to try and keep the peace long enough for the wedding to go smoothly. Spoiler: that might be asking too much.
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Properly assessing the messy situation, Hallie, Claudia, Claudia’s renaissance brother, Pete (Gata) and her parents (Michelle Hurd and Bryan Brown) decide on another course of action. Make Ben and Bea rekindle those feelings from their earlier magical night. Worst case, they have a brief fling that prevents them from ruining the wedding week.
Bea’s parents (Dermot Mulroney and Rachel Griffiths) don’t get the message and attempt to spark another romance. They fly Bea’s ex, Jonathan (Darren Barnet, Love Hard) out in hopes that she “comes back to her senses.” Ben also has an old love connection among the wedding party. Claudia’s cousin, Margaret (Charlee Fraser, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), still has Ben reminiscing about their relationship while she’s moved on.
With pressure from all sides, Bea proposes faking a relationship with Ben. That pauses her parents’ matchmaking scheme with the added bonus of possibly making Margaret jealous. The trick is Bea and Ben selling that they’ve found love before the real thing messes their plan up.
Director/co-screenwriter Will Gluck (Friends With Benefits) and co-screenwriter Ilana Wolpert give a nod to Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, the influence for the film. This is one of the better Shakespeare adaptations.
Gluck and Wolpert set up fun scenarios that never get too crazy. Outlandish scenarios are grounded enough to seem possible, the script is sharp and the supporting cast dutifully carries out their roles. None of those elements would matter if Sweeney and Powell couldn’t convincingly sell a fast romance replaced by a highly antagonist reunion and the tease of something more.
Anyone But You doesn’t magically break the rom com formula, but Powell and Sweeney sell the story for hopeful romantics. Sweeney shows a bankable rom com lead charisma. She’s able to play against her looks and pull off the genre pratfalls. Sweeney could easily get typecast in the bombshell role, but her willingness to not take herself too seriously shows an actress with true rom com headliner appeal. In theaters no less.
Powell feels like he’s on the same trajectory as Ryan Reynolds pre-The Proposal. Reynolds was a reliable and welcome supporting player in all of his projects. After teaming with Sandra Bullock, he started getting more featured lead roles and is now one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. It’s possible Anyone But You could do the same for Powell.
Rom coms might not be making a full-fledged comeback just yet, but Anyone But You is a positive indication that the formula can still entertain if it’s done properly.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Photo Credit: Sony Pictures