How large of an impact do society and the media have on the actions and decisions of individuals? “The Idea of You,” released on March 16, 2024, is a seemingly innocent romance movie that dives into vital topics like sexism, objectification, ageism, single parenting and social expectations. This movie differs from your average rom-com with the issues the story highlights.
40-year-old single mom, Solène, played by Anne Hathaway, plans to take time for herself on a camping trip to look back on the life she has had. This is ruined when her cheating ex-husband, Daniel, played by Reid Scott, tells her that he can no longer take their daughter and her friends on their vacation due to an issue at work. Solène is now filled with the responsibility of taking the teenagers to a long weekend at the popular festival, Coachella. Solène and the girls have VIP passes to meet the very admired boy band, Austin Moon. After Solène went looking for a bathroom she accidentally stumbled into the trailer of the 24-year-old lead singer of the band, Hayes Campbell, who is played by actor Nicholas Galitzine. From that moment on they were both head over heels for each other. Solène and Hayes meet in private and secretly travel together on tour, both afraid of what the world will think. Once the media is informed of this surprising relationship, the couple and their families are continuously bombarded, threatened and condemned for just being in love. Solène and Hayes now have to decide between their own reputations and being happy.
While this movie does evoke that “lovey-dovey” feeling people get when watching a romance, there are also feelings of sadness. Hearts go out to Solène for being a single mother while also battling the opinions of the world. Hayes is a famous celebrity and many only see him as such. Society often forgets that celebrities are humans too and Hayes experiences that firsthand.
At first, the movie seemed predictable: just another rom-com where everyone could guess what would happen next, but the plot was unexpected and pleasantly surprising. The idea for the movie is something that isn’t very popular in movie production. Many producers like to stay away from hard topics that could be sensitive to viewers but “The Idea of You” has a perfect balance of the typical rom-com and the seriousness of the topics. The movie makes it so viewers continuously root for the couple despite all the disapproval from the media, friends and family.
“The Idea of You” sometimes felt fast-paced and it was hard to fully immerse into what was happening, but overall it was a great and well-thought-out story. Anne Hathaway played her part very well and it felt like the relationship between Solène and Hayes was real. Nicholas Galitzine has played in other romance movies like, “Red, White, and Royal Blue,” and “Purple Hearts.” His acting in this type of genre is excellent. Both actors were great and it made the movie that much more enjoyable. What makes this movie stand out is the obvious unusual relationship. It is interesting to see how the couple takes on battles that are not typically faced by others in romance movies. It is similar to other movies with its theme, “love conquers all,” but in this movie, Solène and Hayes conquer problems that are unlike other couples. They are constantly overwhelmed by the paparazzi being right outside their door, the many posts being made online and the shame being brought on by the people in their community. Their relationship is portrayed as the “happy” and “normal” couple that is present in other movies, but no one looks at them as normal. The ending was not expected and was slightly disappointing because it was not as happy as what was hoped for. The couple falls into the pressure and they don’t get the conclusion they were dreaming of. Nevertheless, “The Idea of You” is definitely a good watch for romance lovers.
