Review: The Idea of You

Directed by: Michael Showalter

Written by: Michael Showalter & Jennifer Westfeldt

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Nicholas Galitzine, Ella Rubin, Annie Mumolo, Reid Scott

Rating: [3/5]

Stories centered on starting an exciting relationship with a pop star typically have lead characters younger than the age of 30. An age young enough where they can find the excitement in the pop star’s life while also being naive enough to believe the empty promises made regarding fidelity. The Idea of You presupposes what it would look like for this romance to transpire not with a woman in her 20s but rather a mother who has just turned 40. It brings a different dynamic and one that gets handled with plenty of charm. 

Having to sub in for her ex-husband in taking their daughter to Coachella, Solène (Anne Hathaway) accidentally runs into a member of British boy band August Moon, Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine). After an initial flirtation and a pursuit by Hayes they begin a romance to the surprise of everyone around them. 

What feels like something plucked right out of fan fiction, The Idea of You plays into the wish fulfillment of being picked out by a celebrity to form an unlikely relationship. Only in this film the lucky girl is a grown woman with bills, and a teenage daughter to take care of. It, therefore, creates a different dynamic where the impact of this relationship does not just land on the individual but also immediate family. In the case of Solène, it matters greatly how this all impacts her daughter, which plays a major part of the plot. 

There’s then this balance between the romance where Solène gets swept off her feet and travels with Hayes but then reality sets in and she must deal with the real world ramifications. However, indulging in this part of the fantasy allows Solène and the audience to fulfill the dream of getting to experience being the lover of someone so famous and all that comes with it. When Solène spends time with Hayes they feel like equals and the age disparity does not feel as vast as the numbers bear. It’s ultimately what makes this film work despite following the beats one would expect from it. These two having genuine chemistry means everything for the success of the film and we got just that here. 

This relationship goes beyond the simple attraction but they also explore each other’s insecurities and address them with each other’s help. We see this with Hayes where he wants to ensure others take him and his music seriously while Solène still finds it hard to trust again given her marriage ended because of infidelity. Additionally, Solène has to deal with the reality that she’s probably not the first girl to date and be taken around the world through the boy band experience and that gets emphasized in a particular scene where she candidly converses with the female acquaintances of some of the other band members. Her age matters in the end and she cannot afford to play the same games with Hayes as a 20-year-old with no responsibilities. 

Again, in order for this film to work we need to buy into this relationship and Anne Hathaway goes a long way in nailing what this role required. Showing both a level of youth and maturity, which she has never had an issue in evoking, Hathaway brings her natural elegance to this role and pairs perfectly with Nicholas Galitzine. He needed to display both this boy band charm but also a maturity where it does not feel too strange he’s dating a woman who just reached her 40s. With his character drawing inspiration from figures like Harry Styles, he needed to be this symbol of wish fulfillment and he did a decent job in doing that. 

Nothing that breaks any narrative molds other than the age dynamic of the relationship, The Idea of You gives everything one would want from a story like this. Michael Showalter hits yet another single and keeps getting on base by delivering another romantic comedy hitting all of the right beats and crafting a relationship dynamic that works. With the winning duo at the center of this in Hathaway and Galitzine, they make it all work as a couple worth rooting for as we go through this unlikely romantic story with them and hope it all works out.