In one scene, a woman just so happens to be walking around Coachella and somehow stumbles into the trailer of the lead singer of her daughter’s childhood favorite world-famous boy band. Of course, the woman has no idea who the trailer’s owner actually is, and she asks to use his bathroom. This transfixes him, and little does she know, she just met her love interest.
Despite some of its stereotypical and unrealistic rom-com moments, “The Idea of You” stands out because of its strong acting, its humorous one-liners, and its exploration of feminist themes.
“The Idea of You,” a highly anticipated film directed by Michael Showalter, began streaming on May 5 on Prime Video, starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine. It is based on the book “The Idea of You” by Robinne Lee. Soléne Marchand (Ms. Hathaway) is a 40-year-old single mom who owns an art gallery in Los Angeles. After her ex-husband cancels at the last minute, she is forced to take teenage daughter Izzy and her friends to Coachella to meet their favorite childhood boy band, August Moon. At Coachella Soléne meets 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Mr. Galitzine), one of the members of August Moon. They then begin their romance, as they try to navigate their relationship despite public scrutiny at their age gap, Hayes’ struggle with fame and Soléne’s shame in herself for dating someone much younger.
Ms. Hathaway shines in this role, and at many points it appears as if she is not acting but simply feeling. In one scene Soléne and Hayes are opening up to each other, and Soléne tells Hayes how her ex-husband cheated on her with a much younger woman. Because of her expressive facial movements, Ms. Hathaway so clearly portrays Soléne’s anger at her ex-husband, and her shame in herself for dating someone younger than her, like her husband did. Ms. Hathaway’s acting makes the character of Soléne a vibrant, caring and intelligent woman who “feels everything” with love interest Hayes.
The movie appears to comment on and oppose society’s common notion that a woman’s desirability decreases as she ages. Hayes does not care about Soléne’s age and points out to her that if he was the older of the two, no one would attack them online. Despite Hayes’ best efforts to shield Soléne and Izzy from obsessed fans, people unrelentingly call Soléne a “cougar” because, according to Soléne’s friend, in general “people hate happy women.”
Featuring mature content which people should be aware of before watching, “The Idea of You” is a silly yet comforting rom-com with impressive acting, hilarious moments and an emphasis on exposing society’s double standards.
