The initial teaser trailer for Anyone But You was, in a word, baffling. There was no romance or comedy shown for the Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney-starring romantic comedy. It was so confusing and poorly received that director Will Gluck even ended up commenting on it:
“I blame myself,” the co-writer and director says. “The teaser wasn’t well received and I put that completely on my own shoulders. We tried to get too cute with it. It is a big fun comedy, and if you saw that teaser without anything else, you’d think, ‘Is someone going to get killed? Is this a thriller?’ That was a mistake on my part. I just wanted people to lean in and say, ‘What is this?'”
Not the best start for your rom-com starring two of the hottest people on the planet where you’re banking on good initial reception and word of mouth to have strong legs during the Christmas season. Thankfully, though, the full length trailer showcased more of what the movie actually is. And what it is, is a standard issue romantic comedy that is a ton of fun.
In the modern-day retelling of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Powell and Sweeney star as Ben and Bea. The movie starts with a classic rom-com meet cute, leading right into a perfect first date. The end of the date, however, does not go as well, and the lingering mutual resentment festers, turning into near-hatred. Then through some “only in a rom-com” happenstance, the two find themselves at the same destination wedding in Australia, with Ben’s best friend’s sister Claudia (Alexandra Shipp) set to marry Bea’s sister Halle (Hadley Robinson).
The rest of the family and friends are worried the animosity between the two will ruin the weekend, so they conspire to get the two together, or at least “jump each other’s bones” as Claudia’s mom puts it. Ben and Bea catch on, and when the situation is complicated further by the appearance of each of their exes, they decide to play along.
And from here, Anyone But You is off and running as it hits all the usual genre tropes. The big romantic gestures, the easy miscommunication that could be cleared up if characters would just be logical and have a simple conversation, various silly and ridiculous “only in a rom-com” moments; it plays all the classics, and it plays them well. For most romantic comedies, it comes down to how well they execute these expected aspects, especially when there’s not an extra, less common hook (the time loop in Palm Springs, for example). Anyone But You runs through each one easily, often playing off the chemistry between its leads and the strong supporting cast.
But Anyone But You even has a little bit of that extra hook too. Ben and Bea are pretending to be together, but in that pretending, real feelings might be starting to develop. But are those feelings real? Or are they just getting caught up in ruse? It’s kind of the other side of the same coin, but at least it’s something. It gives the movie a slight edge that a traditional rom-com wouldn’t have.
With whatever else a romantic comedy does well, though, none of it matters if the main couple can’t cut it. But Anyone But You has Glen Powell, so one half is an automatic A+. The man just oozes charisma. In case you’re unfamiliar with the man, make yourself familiar and watch Set It Up and Everybody Wants Some!! He’s good in everything, but those two especially show off the swagger and charm you need for a movie like this.
On the other side, Sydney Sweeney mostly keeps up. She’s not bad, but if there’s a weak spot in the cast, it’s her. I’m just not sure romantic comedies are her speed. Look at her in Euphoria, The White Lotus, Reality, she’s great. And The White Lotus showcases some legit comedic chops. But romantic comedies call for something a little different. You know there are going to be some cheesy and corny parts, especially with the dialogue.
Quotes and speeches and actions that would come off as completely ludicrous in a more straightforward comedy, but feel right at place in a rom-com. And this is where Sweeney struggles. When pulled off, they still come off as corny or cringeworthy, but in on the joke. But when they’re not done well? Just plain corny and cringeworthy. You need someone with the natural, smooth and easy charisma like Julia Roberts or Meg Ryan. I truly believe Sydney Sweeney is a good actor; but this is one skill she simply doesn’t seem to have. Outside of those moments, though, she’s good. And she and Powell have otherwise excellent chemistry.
The romance is there, and the comedy hits too. Rarely does a joke miss, and there are more than a few big laughs, while still being consistently funny in between. Multiple side characters get a moment or two, but it’s Ben’s friend Pete (GaTa) who shines brightest. He’s a jack of all trades, master of some, always ready with a quick joke or rhyming quip. There are a handful of good visual gags, and even a couple musical moments for good measure.
Neither character has any real depth or gets much development, and that’s probably the biggest thing holding Anyone But You back from being even better. There are a few small attempts with Bea, about figuring out what she wants out of life, doing what she wants versus what her parents want for her. It’s barely surface level stuff, but at least she gets something. Ben, though, gets effectively nothing. There are mentions of his mother, and some references to how he may have grown or matured in the past few years. But they’re so small and irrelevant to the overall story the could have been completely cut out and nothing would have changed or been lost.
Anyone But You is simply a solid movie. It knows what it means to be a romantic comedy and doesn’t shy away from it. It leans into the tropes and expectations of the genre, and it’s better off for it. Even though Sydney Sweeney can’t pace with Glen Powell every step of the way, the two of them are still mostly great together, carrying most of the load for this very sweet, fun movie.
Score: 84/100
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