Another entry into the “Harry Styles fanfiction cinematic universe”. If you have no idea what that means, I’ll be honest, this movie might not be for you. The Idea of You, based on the book of the same name by Robinne Lee, centers on 40-year-old art gallery owner Solène Marchand (played by Anne Hathaway) who, after being forced to take her daughter and friends to Coachella after her ex-husband bails on the plans, unexpectedly meets Hayes Campbell (played by Nicholas Galitzine), 24-year-old British front man to the popular boy band August Moon (similar to something like, I don’t know, One Direction?). Their meet-cute eventually turns into a romance. The short version: what would happen if your mom started dating Harry Styles?

Yes, this premise does sound ridiculous and, yes, when I first saw the trailer I thought it looked incredibly, painfully cringey. But I was surprised to find that movie turned out to be not only fairly grounded, but also extremely watchable and even enjoyable. Minimal amounts of cringe! I know “grounded” may seem like a totally offbase description for a story like this because obviously the entire premise is rooted in fantasy. But if you accept that as the jumping off point, the plot is actually pretty tight. Any time you start to ask questions like, “What about her daughter?” or “What would his fans say?” “What would her friends say? The media?” “Why wouldn’t she say this?” “Why wouldn’t they do that?”, they answer the questions. Again, this is not necessarily a realistic story where the answers all make sense, but I’m just saying they avoid major plot holes which is rare for stories like this that are often so surface-level. It covered way more bases than I was expecting for a “boyband romance” like age-gap relationships, media coverage (both tabloids and social media), societal expectations for women and mothers, celebrity fandom, and more.

I don’t know if The Idea of You was marketed as a romcom but it is definitely more rom than com. There’s not a lot of com, mostly rom. The funniest part of the film to me was probably how spot-on the One Direction parody felt. They really nailed it. I also feel like they tried to market it as a sexier story but it really is just hardcore romance. Many are drawing comparisons with Notting Hill which I think is apt considering the way celebrity factors into that story as well, but Notting Hill definitely has a touch more comedy than The Idea of You just based on the nature of the actors and the performances (and truly no offense to The Idea of You but Notting Hill is a better movie). 

The strongest aspect preventing this movie from falling into the cringe category is the performances. Both Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine take their roles seriously and play them without any hint of mocking or eye rolling that it really helps audiences believe them. They feel like human beings with real emotions, not cheesy caricatures. Their tension and chemistry in the early flirting scenes is palpable and intriguing and, although it does fade as their relationship progresses, we buy that these people have real feelings for each other. The movie really hangs on Anne Hathaway’s performance and she delivers. I genuinely think the least believable thing about the entire film is that anyone in the world would question why the Hayes Campbell character would be interested in this woman. Anne Hathaway looks incredible and so much younger than her age, it would actually be absurd for anyone not to be attracted to her. In one scene, the character of Solène gets embarrassed and self conscious to be sitting next to a group of 20-year-old women by the pool so she covers up from head to toe and my only thought was that she looked ten times better than any of them. Ultimately, though, part of the narrative is how her own insecurities (warranted or not) affect her relationship with Hayes and also how the media and the general public will find ways to scrutinize and tear women down regardless of what they look like.

This movie isn’t groundbreaking or life changing. But it is an entertaining and different take on a love story. If you’re looking for a simple, enjoyable, modern romance or if you have had fantasies about what it would be like to date Harry Styles, I would recommend The Idea of You.

2024 Count: 11 seasons/specials, 23 movies