After a rom-com drought in the past decade, Anyone but You could prompt the revival of the true Golden Age of cinema (80s-00s rom-coms). The highly anticipated film is adapted from the Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing and is reminiscent of those old films we love so much.
With many rumours surrounding the on-set relationships between stars Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, fans have waited to see whether their chemistry will be reflected in the film. Powell’s experience in Set It Up has given lots of people hope for the film, as many agree it was the best rom-com of the 2010s.
Plot
The film follows the characters of Bea (Sweeney) and Ben (Powell), who first meet in a coffee shop and hit it off straight away. After a misunderstanding the morning after, both characters grow to dislike each other.
When Bea’s sister gets engaged to one of Ben’s best friends, they have to adjust to each other’s company as they both head to Australia. After both of their exes arrive on the island, they devise a plan to make his fall in love again, and hers stay far away.
The film manages to encompass many classic tropes of the genre, following the timeline of many fan favourites. They meet, they fall in love, something happens that turns everything upside down, but there’s always a happy ending.
Why it works
What makes a film unique is its ability to keep audiences engaged and entertained despite the clichés. This is exactly the case with Anyone But You. What makes it so enjoyable is that it isn’t made to appeal to a particular demographic as other rom-coms have attempted to do. This usually results in an unwatchable, cringey mess that tries to relate to younger generations.
This doesn’t mean that the film is short of cringey moments, something that the film does acknowledge, “saying the word cringe is cringe”. But there’s a fine line between cringe and cheese, and you can’t make a good rom-com without cheese.
There are a few hard-to-watch moments which brings down the rating, but these are immediately followed by something funny, and although sometimes they fall flat, the humour is so stupid that you question why you’re still laughing.
What lets it down
The characters are written beautifully, each with personalities unique to their characters. The chemistry between cast members counts for a lot in the film, one of the factors which made it so highly anticipated, though sometimes it feels very superficial.
Perhaps it is due to the fact that some of the costumes don’t really have the “wow factor” seen in the classic romcoms (see: Pretty Woman), or that the pacing feels too fast. The film takes a long time to establish relationships past and new, when some of this time could be spent building the romance between Bea and Ben.
In addition to this, Sweeney’s performance sometimes seems stiff and unconvincing. Though this is not the case throughout the whole of the film, it does make certain scenes less impactful. Paired alongside Powell however, she is more relaxed and provides a more casual delivery.
Despite its imperfections, Anyone But You is truly a fun film. Even if it is not to your taste, or you feel it doesn’t quite compete with a Julia Roberts rom-com, you will certainly leave the cinema singing Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten.
As a self-proclaimed rom-com expert, this film could just have what it takes to inspire a whole new wave of classic romcoms, and I hope that’s the case.
Feature image credit: Sony Pictures
