‘The Idea Of You’: Review

Dir: Michael Showalter. US. 2024. 115mins

A Coachella meet cute leads to lust then love in this romantic comedy, which puts a spin on the well-worn trope by having romance blossom between the 24-year-old member of an ultra-famous boy band and a 40-year-old single mother. That the woman is a stunning, stylish and smart LA art gallery owner played by Anne Hathaway may nix the idea that she is anything approaching ‘ordinary’, but nevertheless this romcom offers a heady slice of appealing escapism fuelled by the chemistry between its two leads.

A heady slice of appealing escapism fuelled by the chemistry between its two leads

Directed by Michael Showalter (The Big Sick), who co-writes with Jennifer Westfeldt, the film has echoes of Notting Hill and the recent Marry Me, but is in fact adapted from the 2017 novel by actor Robinne Lee. While the book didn’t make a huge impact on publication, sales picked up during Covid-19 as readers turned to escapist fiction and word spread. Amazon will be hoping to entice a similar reaction when the film releases theatrically in the UK on May 2 in partnership with MetDistribution while going out simultaneously on Prime globally. British lead Nicholas Galitzine (a 2015 Screen Star Of Tomorrow who starred in the platform’s Red, White and Royal Blue and can currently be seen in Starz series Mary & George) could certainly tempt big screen audiences. 

While Amazon is working hard to promote the film’s fictional band August Moon with a social media presence and music releases, the R-rated film, with its frequent sex scenes, is not aimed at their young fans, rather their parents – who may tap into some nostalgia about their own adolescent crushes. The Idea Of You leans heavily into that dreamy vibe as Solene (Hathaway, who also produces) first encounters charismatic August Moon singer Hayes (Galitzine) when she takes her 16 year-old daughter Izzy (Ella Rubin) to a Coachella VIP meet-and-greet paid for by out-of-touch cheating ex-husband Daniel (Reid Scott).

A neat twist — and a departure from the book, in which Izzy is a 12-year-old super-fan — is that Izzy no longer cares for August Moon, preferring edgy, female-driven rock like Saint Vincent (whose music peppers the upbeat soundtrack among solid August Moon tracks written by Savan Kotecha and performed by Galitzine). This narrative tweak removes an immediate obstacle for Solene and Hayes, whose chemistry is electric from the moment she awkwardly mistakes his Coachella trailer for a bathroom. It also allows Solene the space (initially, at least) to explore this new experience without a huge amount of parental guilt.

And enjoy it she does, as the pair quickly give into their attraction and enjoy athletic sex — shown in a spicy montage — all over Europe, with Solene joining Hayes on tour in the guise of his art dealer. (The bright, colourful locations were in fact recreated in Atlanta and Savannah, where the film was shot.) These early scenes play as straight fan-fiction fantasy, Solene so swept up in the thrill that normality fades away. Solene is portrayed as being in full control; a savvy, relatable woman deciding to put her own needs first. It helps that Gazaltine plays Hayes as a kind, emotionally complex and respectful young man.

When reality comes crashing in, thanks to paparazzi photos of the pair getting cosy in Paris, the film shifts a gear. Now Solene must face the judgement of the world; the gossip columns that call her a cougar, the internet commentators (not to mention the intensely hypocritical Daniel) who cast aspersions on her looks, her intentions, her parenting. At first, Solene stands firm, refusing to apologise for her actions — but when Izzy begins to suffer, Solene has a difficult choice to make.

In these latter stages the film begins to dig a little deeper, touching on the double standards of a patriarchal society that doesn’t blink an eye when older men date younger women. It’s unusual, and refreshingly candid, for a romcom to admit that even true love may not have a hope of conquering all. But the screenplay does not linger here, and soon diverts from the book’s sombre climax to offer up a more audience-friendly ending.