Anyone But You (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Budding stars Glen Powell & Sydney Sweeney star in the surprise 2023 romantic comedy hit, 'Anyone But You' - a contemporary riff on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. This movie opens with a meet-cute prologue in which the attractive, brainy Bea & the handsome, confident Ben have an awkward encounter which leads to an amazing night of talking & cuddling before a silly {for purpose of plot} miscommunication results in each of them thinking very poorly of each other. They coincidentally {of course, or else ther'd be no movie} reconnect down the road when both are invited to the same destination wedding in glorious Sydney, Australia.
While there, friends & family try to push them together -- a scheme that might work if they weren't so hell bent on hating each other. Howwwever, when Bea's parents (Dermot Mulroney, Rachel Griffiths) bring invite her ex-boyfriend, Jonathan (Darren Barnet) to the wedding proceedings, & Ben superficially finds himself pining for his ex-girlfriend, Margaret (Charlee Fraser), who still seems interested in him ... both decide that it might be advantageous to pretend that they are a couple in love; this holds the dual advantage of chasing away Jonathan for Bea's benefit, while making Margaret jealous for Ben's benefit}. But, of course, the more they keep up this charade to convince everyone of their love ... the more it fails to be a charade.
'Rom-coms' with formulaic frameworks allow us viewers to {hopefully} enjoy some clever dialogue, sophisticated comedy and, most importantly, white hot chemistry btwn. the leads. That said, despite having the advantage of some Shakespearean source material, Ilana Wolpert & Will Gluck's script offers dialogue that is too often pedestrian, comedy that is too often cringey, and so, it's up to Glen Powell & Sydney Sweeney to make up the difference -- thankfully, they jussssst about do. Lord knows Sydney Sweeney is sexy and, she handles some poignant moments very well, but there's something about the droll, flat delivery of her lines {meant to be funny} that come across slightly underwhelming -- it's as if she's drowsy, but thinks that that drowsiness comes across as funny. To be a 'great' rom-com heroine, you need a snap, crackle & pop to your line readings that make people fall in love with you.
Glen Powell - though playing a cocky character - is inherently charming and, fairs better with the humor; both spouted from his mouth & with physical antics. Powell & Sweeney are given ample instances where they can ooze their sexiness and even shed some clothing {they're often in fabric-deprived bathing suits; a tarantula is used as a way for Glen Powell to get buck naked; a fire is utilized as a way to take off a dress & use it to snuff out the flames, etc}. Powell & Sydney are hot actors who look good together & contain the requisite - if not white hot - chemistry needed, here.
And so, ultimately, the film gets by on its leads, despite the contrived script, endless cliches, forced moments, & witless contrivances. There's also a bizarre running motif of Natasha Bedingfield's hit "Unwritten" being utilized throughout the film; it's funny at 1st, then annoying, then becomes amusing again in the end. Ya know, there was a time when throwaway rom-coms just like this were habitual multiplex fillers, but this genre has fallen from grace. I may be damning this with faint praise, but I can say that this movie has given the genre a nice shot in the arm again. 'ABY' doesn't break new ground, but it provides 3 necessary components: 1) an amiable, easy breezy time. 2) Two hot people 'falling in love'. And 3) the cheesy & requisite happy ending.
While there, friends & family try to push them together -- a scheme that might work if they weren't so hell bent on hating each other. Howwwever, when Bea's parents (Dermot Mulroney, Rachel Griffiths) bring invite her ex-boyfriend, Jonathan (Darren Barnet) to the wedding proceedings, & Ben superficially finds himself pining for his ex-girlfriend, Margaret (Charlee Fraser), who still seems interested in him ... both decide that it might be advantageous to pretend that they are a couple in love; this holds the dual advantage of chasing away Jonathan for Bea's benefit, while making Margaret jealous for Ben's benefit}. But, of course, the more they keep up this charade to convince everyone of their love ... the more it fails to be a charade.
'Rom-coms' with formulaic frameworks allow us viewers to {hopefully} enjoy some clever dialogue, sophisticated comedy and, most importantly, white hot chemistry btwn. the leads. That said, despite having the advantage of some Shakespearean source material, Ilana Wolpert & Will Gluck's script offers dialogue that is too often pedestrian, comedy that is too often cringey, and so, it's up to Glen Powell & Sydney Sweeney to make up the difference -- thankfully, they jussssst about do. Lord knows Sydney Sweeney is sexy and, she handles some poignant moments very well, but there's something about the droll, flat delivery of her lines {meant to be funny} that come across slightly underwhelming -- it's as if she's drowsy, but thinks that that drowsiness comes across as funny. To be a 'great' rom-com heroine, you need a snap, crackle & pop to your line readings that make people fall in love with you.
Glen Powell - though playing a cocky character - is inherently charming and, fairs better with the humor; both spouted from his mouth & with physical antics. Powell & Sweeney are given ample instances where they can ooze their sexiness and even shed some clothing {they're often in fabric-deprived bathing suits; a tarantula is used as a way for Glen Powell to get buck naked; a fire is utilized as a way to take off a dress & use it to snuff out the flames, etc}. Powell & Sydney are hot actors who look good together & contain the requisite - if not white hot - chemistry needed, here.
And so, ultimately, the film gets by on its leads, despite the contrived script, endless cliches, forced moments, & witless contrivances. There's also a bizarre running motif of Natasha Bedingfield's hit "Unwritten" being utilized throughout the film; it's funny at 1st, then annoying, then becomes amusing again in the end. Ya know, there was a time when throwaway rom-coms just like this were habitual multiplex fillers, but this genre has fallen from grace. I may be damning this with faint praise, but I can say that this movie has given the genre a nice shot in the arm again. 'ABY' doesn't break new ground, but it provides 3 necessary components: 1) an amiable, easy breezy time. 2) Two hot people 'falling in love'. And 3) the cheesy & requisite happy ending.