The Idea of You is a romance movie about a woman dating a young popstar and dealing with the consequnces of that relationship. The movie stars Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries, The Intern) and Nicholas Galitzine. (Bottoms, Cinderella, Purple Hearts) It was released on May 2, 2024 on Prime Video. The movie was originally based off a novel of the same name.
The movie starts with 39, turning 40, year old Solené (Hathaway) planning a solo camping trip while her daughter, Izzy (Ella Rubin) is off with her dad, Daniel at Coachella. When Daniel has a work crisis, he asks Solené to take Izzy. Reluctantly she goes and, unexpectantly, meets Hayes Campbell. Hayes Campbell (Galitzine) is a member of the boy band 'August Moon', Izzy's former favorite band. After their interaction, Hayes finds Solené after Coachcella and starts a relationship, away from the media and from Solené's family and friends. They both venture off to Europe for the band's tour where they are spotted, causing Solene's life to turn around.
I was really excited about this movie when it was first revealed. I thought it'd be fun and show how an age gap relationship in the media would be. It did technically just that but the story just felt very flat compared to what I was expecting. I don't really know how to explain what I thought the movie would be but maybe I assumed It would feel like a teenage rom-com than something that was serious.
One way I can explain this is the score. Background music is important in a scene because it pushes the story and the emotions the characters are going through. I kept trying to turn up my TV's volume to see if there was any music but there wasn't. I feel like that was important to me because it helps me focus more on the scene. They did include some songs and original songs from the movie's boy band, which are really good. My personal favorites from the album are Taste, The Idea of You, Dance Before we Walk, and Closer. But if I could change one thing from the movie, it would be to add a better score.
Some movies that I was comparing this too were StarStruck and Somebody Else. These movies also have the same premise where a girl falls for a celebrity. The only difference is the age gap. These are considered teen movies and I assumed this movie would have the same feeling because of the marketing. There is also a rumor that Hayes Campbell is based off of Harry Styles, as they are similar in terms of look and personality.
This movie didn't live up to my expectations of the dreamy popstar relationship and wasn't very memorable. It doesn't trend that much online either. I wish it was better than how it is. It had everything, it just lacks that energy tk make it memorable. It had a great cast, just not a well planned execution.
Rating: 4/10
