The Idea of You: Film Review
Between Eileen, Mothers’ Instinct and now The Idea of You, we have seen a lot of Anne Hathaway recently – but that is no bad thing.
In Michael Showalter’s adaptation of Robinne Lee‘s novel of the same name, Hathaway plays Solene, a 40-year-old single mother who takes her daughter Izzy (Ella Rubin) to Coachella. In the VIP area, she accidentally walks into the trailer of Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), a 24-year-old British pop star in the boy band August Moon, and they embark on a romance.
Lee’s novel was such a big hit because it plays on our fantasies – who hasn’t dreamt about being swept off their feet by a famous person?! We can live vicariously through Solene or imagine ourselves in her shoes. The novel was described as Harry Styles fan fiction (Lee later confirmed he was partly the inspiration) and Hayes does have a lot of similarities – British accent, tattoos, a One Direction-style boyband, a thing for older women. But those superficial identifiers are just the jumping-off point and Hayes becomes his own man.
While it seems like Solene is living the dream, it turns out that dating a pop star with thousands of young female fans isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. From the paparazzi camped outside the house to the taunts in school, the showbiz scandal really puts a strain on Solene’s relationship with her 16-year-old daughter. Seeing it from Solene’s perspective makes you really see how awful the media and fans can be to normies who date celebrities.
Hathaway really commits herself fully to this film and delivers a relatable and surprisingly emotional performance. She actually gives more than this material requires. Hathaway is well-matched with the attractive Galitzine, who gives Hayes more substance than I was expecting.
The Idea of You is a lovely, heartwarming and comforting film. There are some laughs, some sexy moments and fake boyband songs! An easy, enjoyable film that’s perfect for a cosy night in.
On Prime Video from Thursday 2nd May