Another year, another rom-com with the weight of having to revive a mostly dead theatrical genre. While it likely won’t bring the genre back to its former glory, Anyone But You delivers a solid film worthy of attention from some of its well-timed jokes and star-making performances.
After a first date, both Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glenn Powell) think they may have made a special connection. Then, after a couple of moments of miscommunication and mindlessness, what should’ve been the first date of a promising romance turns into a one-night stand. With both parties believing they were ghosted by the other, months pass. When Ben and Bea run into each other again, only Ben’s best friend’s sister Claudia is getting married to Bea’s sister Carol and, as future members of their wedding party, the two have to figure out how to make amends.
But, of course, they fail.
Then, with an invite to Australia for Claudia and Carol’s wedding, Ben and Bea bump brains once again as they try to get along for the sake of their loved ones. Again, it does not work out. So, to try to pacify the fiery attitudes of the couple, the rest of the families try to get Ben and Bea together. Ben and Bea’s efforts to convince their families that they’re together result in comedic errors that also might make the pair realize that maybe their first date wasn’t a disaster after all.
Anyone But You strictly follows the rom-com narrative, while taking on many of the ideas of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. After grabbing headlines through his work on Top Gun Maverick, Glenn Powell comes into the film with a better chance to ooze charisma as the lead character. It works very well and his commitment to this self-declared rizzler is one of the most entertaining parts of the film. It shows off his ability as a leading man. (If that sounds promising make sure to check out Hit Man by Richard Linklater when it comes out on Netflix which puts Powell’s abilities on full display.)
Sydney Sweeney does better in a role that may seem miscast considering her work in more psychological pieces but she can bring a free-flowing and fun spirit to the character while holding down the film’s brief dramatic moments well. The film’s strengths are in its jokes that don’t always land but remain consistent. Characters do truly say whatever is on their mind and some wild things happen that you may not expect but it all serves this rom-com plot well, even if the results end up being cliche in moments. In the end, Anyone But You has plenty to enjoy, even if fails to distinguish itself from other recent attempts to revive the rom-com for a new generation.
Anyone But You is available in theatres on December 22nd, 2023.
