Movie Review: The Idea of You

Are romcoms back? The answer to that colossal question will be revealed in due time. What I can say right now is that all of the shoddy entries in the genre that have flooded the streaming services in recent years has lowered the bar to the point where every good one that comes out feels like a divine act that should be cherished. The Idea of You is the latest solid romcom sent from the heavens and with this arriving just over four months after Anyone But You became the surprise hit of the holiday season, the romcom renaissance conversation might be starting to gain some steam.

What allows The Idea of You to enter the hallowed grounds of good 2020's romcoms isn't revolutionary or clever in the slightest. In fact, it's probably the furthest thing from it. Michael Showalter is a director that's made enough of these kinds of movies to have a feel for what notes need to be hit as well as the order they need to be played in, and romantic leads Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine are bubbly presences that have excellent chemistry. Together, this trio is able to ground an absolutely absurd wish fulfillment story about a 40-year-old single mother attempting to rebound from the blinding devastation of her ex-husband's (Reid Scott-who bring just the right amount of condescending shitbaggery to this role) infidelity who falls into a whirlwind romance with the frontman of the biggest boy band on the planet after having a chance encounter with him in his trailer before his band played their headlining set at Coachella in much as reality as humanly possible. The connection between this unlikely pair is genuine and palpable and the way they handle the unique set of obstacles that come with being an older woman with a 16-year-old daughter (Ella Rubin) dating a younger male celebrity feels surprisingly honest to both characters. It's a credit to the abundant sincerity that Hathaway and Galitzine bring to their performances for making a relationship that could easily feel forced or exploitative feel like real love that audiences want to root for. Buying the central relationship is the ultimate sign that you're in the hands of romcom professionals as far as I'm concerned, and this simple fact is why The Idea of You is able to tower above so many of its disposable peers.                      

Grade: B