SXSW review: The Idea Of You

A good romantic comedy is a hard thing to make. Let’s be clear: A good movie of any genre is a hard thing to make, but I mention this specifically with regard to rom-coms because, too often, they’re viewed as a kind of day off for the talent involved. Or worse, as a kind of professional valley in an actor’s career. Despite a decades-old proud Hollywood tradition and entries in the genre starring some of the most talented people in the history of cinema, we still spend too much time thinking of the romantic comedy as something lightweight, predictable, and disposable.

But sometimes a rom-com comes along that not only reminds us that the opposite is true, it also reminds us of the level of craft and attention that goes along with making such a film work in the first place. Yes, everyone involved has to balance the needs of both romance and comedy, but they also have to balance an idealized view of everyday life with a relatability that makes audiences keep watching. They have to be sexy and silly, tender and quick-witted, earnest and ironic at the same time. It is hard to do, and even harder still to do it while creating the immediate sense that everyone involved is doing really good, lasting work.

Which makes it all the more wonderful that The Idea Of You manages to pull it off. Starring one of the best actresses of her generation delivering one of her finest performances, and filled with a sincere sense of passion that will have eager audiences humming in their seats, it’s one of the best romantic comedies we’ve seen in quite a while.

Directed by Michael Showalter, with a script adapted by Showalter and Jennifer Westfeldt from the book of the same name by Robinne Lee, The Idea Of You follows Solène (Anne Hathaway), a single mom who’s poured all of her energy into raising a teenage daughter (Ella Rubin) and running a trendy art gallery in L.A.’s Silver Lake neighborhood. But Solène also isn’t shy about admitting that she’s searching for something more, some sense of fulfillment that she hopes to find on a solo camping trip she’s planning.

That is, until her frustrating ex-husband (Reid Scott) bails on taking their daughter and her friends to Coachella to see August Moon, a One Direction-esque boy band (if the plot sounds like Directioner fan fiction, that’s because the novel was loosely based on Harry Styles) that she loved in junior high. It’s a little bit of a lark for both mother and daughter, but after getting lost on the hunt for a bathroom, Solène finds herself face to face with Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), August Moon’s handsome and charming lead singer, who’s taken by her self-assuredness and her initial failure to recognize him. It’s a nice meet-cute, one that Solène shrugs off, at least until Hayes shows up at her gallery in an effort to get her know her, setting off a whirlwind romance that will take the 40-year-old single mom around the world with the 24-year-old pop star, and change everything she thought she knew about what she wants.

So, we’re beginning with some very familiar rom-com fodder, right? You’ve got the fame imbalance of something like Notting Hill, the age gap issues of films like As Good As It Gets (though a bit less pronounced, admittedly), and the single-parent romance of stuff like One Fine Day and Sleepless In Seattle. But it’s clear early on that it’s not paint-by-numbers, thanks to a script that takes care to swell the narrative with detail very early on. Solène’s not just a single mom looking for fulfillment in this story, but a woman with trust issues and self-awareness and a life that she already enjoys but admits could be just a bit fuller. And Hayes is not just the hot pop star ready to sweep Solène away. He’s a young man who wants to prove himself, who’s worried that his professional roots will never allow him to grow, and who’s after the kind of love he sings about.

Admittedly, the plot does get a bit dodgy in the middle, as the romance becomes a love story in search of a conflict that appears not-quite-organically in a world that seems to occasionally forget its own circumstances (the paparazzi and fans who follow Hayes everywhere seem to quite conveniently vanish when the story calls for it), but there’s a richness to this narrative that keeps it humming along even when it stumbles. Showalter and Westfeldt know what they’re doing, and they also know that they’ve got the actors to back it up.

And those actors immediately, forcefully shine throughout. Hathaway has always been a brave and exceptionally game actress who leaps headlong into searing dramas and broad comedies alike. Here, she reminds us that she’s just as good when she relaxes into a very human, very vulnerable role, sits right in the key emotional pockets of the story, and simmers with a mixture of longing, doubt, and joy. It is impossible to take your eyes off her, even in the most mundane of moments, and even if The Idea Of You doesn’t go down as one of the all-time great rom-coms, her work deserves to go down as one of the all-time great rom-com performances. That Galitzine is able to share the screen with her without getting completely blown out of focus is an achievement, but then he goes further, matching her emotional rhythms for some great work of his own.

All that, plus some very catch boy-band tunes, a breezy comedic tone, and a third act that really does keep even seasoned rom-com fans guessing at least a little bit, means that The Idea Of You is a very welcome new piece to the rom-com canon. It’s a warm, approachable movie that you’ll get blissfully lost in.

The Idea Of You arrives May 2 on Amazon Prime Video