But one of them is not that a young star like Hayes Campbell ( Nicholas Galitzine ) would fall for a single mom like Solène (Hathaway).
In the power dynamics of “The Idea of You,” Hayes may be a fictional pop star but Hathaway is a very real movie star.
The showbiz veteran in the movie is played by Galitzine, a less well-known but up-and-coming British actor whose performance in the movie is quite authentic.
The only thing that really needs to make perfect sense in a movie like “The Idea of You” is the chemistry.
Given that Galitzine is 29 and the 41-year-old Hathaway is no one’s idea of old, this is more like a July-September relationship.
But Hathaway and Galitzine are a good enough match that, for a couple hours, it’s easy to forget.
The movie nails the look and sound of boy bands so well because it went straight to the source.
“The Idea of You,” an Amazon MGM Studios release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for some language and sexual content.
In the delightful romantic comedy “The Idea of You,” Anne Hathaway portrays a forty-year-old divorcee and owner of an art gallery in Silver Lake. Following her teenage daughter’s Coachella trip, she develops romantic feelings for a twenty-four-year-old boy band member named August Moon. When they first meet, she thinks his trailer is the restroom.
The odds of finding love anywhere close to the porta johns at a music festival are just one of the several hundred aspects of this concept that may seem implausible. However, none of them are that a young celebrity like Hayes Campbell (Nicolas Galitzine) would fall in love with a housewife like Solène (Hathaway).
With flawless bangs that appear to have been genetically altered, Solène is fashionable and unimpressed by Hayes’ celebrity. Above all, she’s Anne Hathaway. While Hayes is a made-up pop star in “The Idea of You,” Hathaway is a real movie star. And in Michael Showalter’s mildly entertaining presentation of the actress at her radiant best, you don’t forget it for an instant.
A rom-com made successful by its contradictions is what makes “The Idea of You,” which makes its Prime Video debut this Thursday. Playing a down-to-earth nobody is megawatt-smiling, extremely glamorous Hathaway. Galitzine, a less well-known but promising British actor, plays the movie’s showbiz veteran, and her portrayal is remarkably genuine. The entire situation is unquestionably a glitzy, high-concept Hollywood fairy tale, but Showalter gives it just enough nuance that “The Idea of You” sounds more genuine and authentic than you might anticipate.
In a film like “The Idea of You,” the chemistry is all that truly needs to make perfect sense. The movie, which was written by Showalter and Jennifer Westfeldt based on Robinne Lee’s best-selling book, takes its time in the opening moments involving Solène and Hayes, first at Coachella and then when he visits her gallery. This gives the actors plenty of time to develop a convincing relationship.
The movie “The Idea of You” has taken you on a European journey of sex and room service, if not completely enthralling you with its steamy hotel-room encounters. It also adheres faithfully to its primary goal of honoring middle-aged womanhood. The relationship will eventually spark a social media storm, but for now, Solène’s main concern is whether or not she can stay with Hayes in the wake of her ex-husband Reid Scott’s cheating on her. She deserves this happily ever after.
Showalter (from “The Big Sick”) has long demonstrated a mastery of balancing drama and comedy at the same time, but “The Idea of You” leans more heavily toward wish-fulfillment romance. That may not be enough to keep the movie going, since it has significantly diminished some of the elements that set the novel apart.
The romance between May and December has somewhat diminished. The vocalist in the book is twenty. This is more of a July–September partnership because Hathaway, 41, is by no means old and Galitzine, 29, is only 29. In the novel, the awkwardness is heightened by Ella Rubin, the daughter, who is a huge fan of the pop singer; however, in the film, August Moon seems “so 7th grade” to her.
“The Idea of You” could have definitely gone in more interesting and humorous directions. However, Hathaway and Galitzine make such a great match that it’s easy to forget about them for a few hours.
August Moon, though, is the most compelling aspect of “The Idea of You.”. Because it went directly to the source, the film captures the style and sound of boy bands so perfectly. One Direction’s debut single, “What Makes You Beautiful,” and several other pop hits were produced and penned by Savan Kotecha and Carl Falk, who also wrote the original songs in the movie.
The idea that “The Idea of You” is almost exactly “The Idea of Harry Styles” will likely only grow stronger as a result of that connection. The movie’s creators have disassociated it from any real-life parallels. We are living in the golden age of the fictional boy band, though, with August Moon following 4(asterisk)Town of “Turning Red” (whose songs were written by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell).
The Motion Picture Association has rated Amazon MGM Studios’ “The Idea of You” R due to strong language and sexual content. The film lasts for 115 minutes. Out of four, I give it 2.5 stars.
