In The Idea of You, Anne Hathaway gets romantic with a younger man, Nicholas Galitzine. Photo: Supplied.
Age is just a number, and there’s nothing monotonous about The Idea of You, an amorous, seductive rom-com starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine.
It follows divorced gallery owner Solene Marchand (Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married, The Devil Wears Prada, The Intern) as she falls for boy-band member Hayes Campbell (Galitzine, Red, White & Royal Blue; Purple Hearts; Bottoms).
Based on the romance novel of the same name by Robinne Lee, The Idea of You centres on Solene, a 40-year-old single mother who begins an unexpected romance with Hayes, the 24-year-old lead singer of August Moon, the hottest band on the planet.
Solene and Hayes’s paths cross at the Coachella Music Festival when she takes over as her daughter’s chaperone at the last minute. An accidental meeting between the pair ignites an undeniable spark between them, which quickly turns into a whirlwind romance.
However, it doesn’t take long before Hayes’s superstar status poses significant challenges to their relationship, and Solene discovers that life in the glare of his spotlight might be more than she bargained for.
A middle-aged woman embarking on a whirlwind romance with a much younger man does cause a stir. While several characters, most notably Solene’s jealous ex-husband (played by Reid Scott, Veep, Echo, Wildflower), allude to the striking 16-year age gap between her and Hayes, the motion picture never plays this as even the slightest bit unsettling.
The movie is based on the 2017 novel by Lee, who once claimed she wanted to challenge certain myths about middle-aged female sexuality in her novel. The Idea of You is certainly more sensual than you might imagine. However, the film’s ending is different from the book. The change in question has to do with how the relationship between Solene and Hayes ends.
In the book, they part ways for good, with Solene left lovelorn and thinking about what could have been, but this sweet and sexy film gives a sunnier conclusion. This adaptation wisely departs from the novel’s downbeat conclusion and permits Solene and Hayes a ray of hope for the future.
Hathaway delivers a conspicuously fine-tuned performance, enviably poised, the kind of woman who rarely feels the need to apologise for herself. Galitzine adapts well to eloquently portray the palpable chemistry between the two leads.
Ageing gracefully is an important key. While the film’s message, that women over 40 have every right to romantic fulfilment, is empowering, it also acknowledges that finding love with an impossibly pretty, sweet-natured pop star comes with its own unique set of challenges … ones that can be overcome.
As Galitzine points out: “… there’s obviously heightened elements to the story, but there was this sort of intrinsic championing of women and a rediscovery of sexual autonomy in a way that was really unique. And I loved the angle that it’s ridiculous that a younger man and older woman is foreign to us and [speaks to] where we are as an industry and as a society as a whole.
“You can never treat the work you’re doing with that saccharine feel that a lot of these rom-coms have. You just have to approach it [with] a grounded perspective.”
For the diehard romantics, The Idea of You has a spark and is a crowd-pleaser. Some of the music is unexciting, although Galitzine, performing his own vocals, acquits himself soulfully.
Director Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, The Baxter) delivers an unexpectedly adult romantic drama featuring admirable central performances that more than make up for run-of-the-mill writing. It carefully walks the line between sentimental melodrama and feel-good wish fulfilment with a beguiling, mesmerising sway!
The Idea of You, directed by Michael Showalter, is streaming on Amazon Prime Video
