There was a time when the romantic-comedy dominated multiplexes across the country and in the sea of these heartwarming, and often cheesy stories of love, was the adult rom-com. A film that could blend romance with adult themed humor without veering into the territory of raunch. Will Gluck’s Anyone But You is a nostalgic reminder of those films as it delivers all the cliches you’d come to expect from the genre while complementing it with the undeniable chemistry of its two leads. There’s also a charming sense of humor lining this film that admittedly does get sappy and sentimental when expected, yet also manages to provide more than enough situational laughs and comical spots of dialogue to result in a feel-good ride.
These films usually come down to not only the individual strengths of the leads but also their ability to capture a passionate energy as a couple that audiences will want to see get together. If viewers don’t care to see a couple find love, then the entire point of the film is lost. With Anyone But You, Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell certainly have that charisma and chemistry with one another. You can sense the sexual tension between them, and it carries the runtime as they pretend to hate one another all the while secretly loving the other. Powell is handsome and has just the right level of pretentiousness to be comical but not enough to make him unlikable and Sweeney down plays the role well to give her character a genuine vibe. Most importantly, neither takes themselves too seriously, they comic to the situational humor which does boost the amusement nicely.
It’s a tried-and-true tale of love and here it provides more than enough lighthearted moments of laughs and guilty-pleasure tugs on the heartstrings. You know how this film will end and for the genre it makes nearly every familiar stop on the storytelling expressway. The characters advance predictably as well but surprisingly it doesn’t completely undercut the entertainment. You should know what you’re getting into when sitting down for this one and it delivers just as you would expect, which does make the film a success. Sure, the two main characters are completely self-absorbed and come close to ruining their friend and sister’s wedding on a few occasions. But it’s done in the name of love. A will they, or won’t they, love you know (well all know) that they eventually will find.
Despite that built-in predictability Anyone But You has more moments of fun than there are flubs and the humor hits stronger than you would expect. It gets a little crude but it’s all in the fun and what makes adult rom coms so much enjoyable when done properly. Anyone But You isn’t perfect. It’s about 10-15 minutes longer than needed, but it does what a rom com should. The romance is sweet and appealing albeit generic, and the comedy lands more often than not. Sweeney and Powell are beautiful humans, and this hyper-realistic journey of love gives them plenty of time to flex their sex appeal and it results in Anyone But You being better than you may expect.
Grade: 8/10
CAST: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, Dermot Mulroney, Gata, Rachel Griffiths, Bryan Brown, Hadley Robinson, Nat Buchanan DIRECTOR: Will Gluck WRITER(S): Ilana Wolpert, Will Gluck DISTRIBUTOR: Sony Pictures Entertainment RUNNING TIME: 103 minutes RATING: R (For language, sexual content and brief graphic nudity) YEAR: 2023 LANGUAGE: English GENRE: Comedy/Romance
Anthony J. Digioia II © 2023 SilverScreen Analysis
