HOLLYWOOD—People may find this odd, but I love a good romantic comedy. Are they my cup of tea when it comes to cinema? No, but if it is decently written and delivers romance and laughs I can get behind the flick. I recently watched the film “Anyone But You” starring Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney and I was entertained. There was plenty of buzz behind the flick especially after all the media attention involving Powell and Sweeney’s chemistry on the red carpet as they promoted and shot the movie.
Are they or aren’t they in a relationship? Long story short, they are not, but the chemistry they had on the red carpet was a bit hotter than the chemistry in the actual movie. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t bursting through the screen either. Powell and Sweeney portray twentysomethings who meet by chance at a coffee shop when Bea (Sweeney) is hoping to use the facility’s restroom, but has to make a purchase to do so. Ben steps in to save the day and an instant spark is achieved.
This is where the movie gets a bit hokey for me. The two spend the day laughing and chatting and even spend the night together. FYI, they don’t sleep together, they just fall asleep on Ben’s couch. Being concerned about making a potential mistake, Bea sneaks out delivering a dagger to Ben’s heart and ego. Ben badmouths Bea unbeknownst to him (she was eavesdropping) while talking to his pal and it leads to a rivalry that was hard to buy. These strangers suddenly hate and despise one another and they aren’t in an actual relationship?
The two become intermixed in each other’s orbit because Ben’s bestie Claudia (Alexandra Shipp) is getting married to Bea’s sister Halle (Hadley Robinson). Yes, this is how the two are brought back into each other’s orbit and the barbs are traded. There are some nifty one liners and a few scenes of slapstick comedy that work, but I was not falling out of the theater seat with laughter, but I chuckled I will admit.
There are indeed strong supporting characters here, but they are second place to Ben and Bea who really drive the narrative of the romantic comedy. I mean you have Dermot Mulroney as Bea’s father and Rachel Griffiths as her mother. The parents are a bit intrusive in their daughter’s personal and professional life bringing her former fiancé Jonathan (Darren Barnet) to their daughter’s wedding! Like what parent does that, if anything the parents should have meddled even more if the filmmakers wanted to take the movie in a completely different direction.
I just wasn’t buying the Bea and Ben trying to make their exes jealous because the exes didn’t really care. If anything, having the exes of Bea and Ben hookup would have been a stronger premise for the lovebirds to fake a relationship that ultimately turns into the real thing. Powell and Sweeney sell the romance on the screen, but the movie is predictable. You know how it ends it is just a question of how we get there. I will admit there is a scene with that Natasha Bedingfield single “Unwritten” that is absolutely hilarious and totally had me in tears laughing.
“Anyone But You” is what you expect with romantic comedies so as long as you go into the movie knowing what you’re going to get you will be satisfied with the result.
