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The Idea of You is a romantic drama film directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jennifer Westfeldt, based on the novel of the same name by Robinne Lee.
Starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine in the lead roles, the film follows a 40-year-old single mother, who, upon meeting a young boy band member, begins a romantic relationship that is deemed unconventional by society.
The Idea of You is produced by Amazon MGM Studios and also features Ella Rubin, Perry Mattfield, and Reid Scott in important roles. The film features multiple songs penned and composed Savan Koetcha, while the original score is written by Siddhartha Khosla.
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The Idea of You was released as a Prime Video original film on May 2, 2024.
The Idea of You is about society's unforgiving treatment of women
Solene, a gallerist and a single mother, has been dealing with a messy divorce with her ex-husband. She meets a young and charming boy band member Hayes Campbell. Despite a gap of 16 years between them, they feel mutual attraction for each other and begin a romantic relationship.
After a passionate night at Hayes's hotel suite, Solene is invited to join Hayes in Europe, where he will tour with his band August Moon. For the first time in forever, Solene feels alive. However, the pair's relationship garners negative media attention and trolling from the general public.
Solene initially tries to avoid from the negativity by staying away from the internet. Eventually, she realizes that the smothering attention and negativity are affecting her teenage daughter and her business associates.
In the end, she decides to break up with Hayes, which he initially contests but eventually agrees. They part ways with a promise to reunite after five years when their relationship won't affect Solene's daughter.
The Idea of You explores the unfair treatment and harsh judgment that a woman faces for her personal decisions. The age difference between Hayes and Solene becomes the main reason for negative media and public scrutiny. However, as Ella Rubin's character says in the film - if the role was reversed, no one would have any problem.
Hathaway and Galitzine deliver convincing romance
The strongest part of The Idea of You is the convincing chemistry between Solene and Hayes. Their conversations hold the viewers, as the rousing sexual tension between them escalates through every subsequent meeting. In fact, their second meet-cute is almost fifteen percent of the film, but it manages to not have a dull moment, mostly attributed to the lead pair.
Anne Hathaway delivers a stellar performance as a woman stuck between her desires and society's conventions. In one particular scene, when Solene part ways with Hayes in her apartment, Hathaway laughs and cries at the same time, conveying the emotional state of the character and the absurdity of the situation.
The film is unexpectedly quite musical
Hayes is a singer-songwriter, and The Idea of You utilizes that part of the character to feature some soulful and energetic songs, which elevate the audio-visual experience of the film. While most of the songs are played in the concerts of August Moon, some soulful tracks play in the background when the lead pair is on screen.
Nicholas Galitzine sang all the songs performed by Hayes in the film, the solos, as well as the group ones. Among the solos sung by Galitzine in the film are Go Rogue and The Idea of You (acoustic version).
Siddhartha Khosla, famed for composing the score for This is Us and Only Murders in the Building, is behind the film's original score. The songs featured in The Idea of You have been written and composed by Savan Kotecha.
Final Thoughts
In the climax of The Idea of You, Hayes sings a song for Solene during his appearance on The Graham Norton Show. Meanwhile, Solene watches her long-lost love on the TV. Later, he arrives in her gallery, five years after their break up, just as he promised. The heartfelt ending of the film gives hope to the hopeless romantics.
The Idea of You is streaming right now on Amazon Prime Video.
