The Idea of You Review:Giving words (and a chance) to a mass of unrepeatable and beautiful emotions is complex. But we shouldn't give it up out of convention or shame, because the transformative power of love, which is often underestimated, is not a theme that fascinates only poets and philosophers but is something that truly can push people to overcome their limits and grow as individuals. How can we not reach those who free our minds and make us evolve?
The protagonists of the film The Idea of You, Solène and Hayes, know this well, as they evolve together despite the age difference. Their mutual knowledge reveals a rebirth for both. The rom-com directed by Michael Showalter, based on the novel of the same name by the actress and writer Robinne Lee, with a brilliant screenplay co-written with Jennifer Westfeldt, features the always magnificent Anne Hathaway in a rather original role - even as producer of the film - and the handsome Nicholas Galitzine of Purple Hearts and Red, White & Blue Blood who also acts very well, giving his character the possibility of expressing the infinite nuances.
The Idea of You – The film celebrates invincible love, which overcomes the laws of men and hatred towards happy women
The feature film marks Showalter's return, after six years, to the SXSW Film Festival, where he debuted and presented numerous projects such as Hello My Name is Doris (2015) and The Big Sick (2017), which both won the Audience Award. With The Idea Of You, the director manages to capture the essence of Robinne Lee's novel published in 2017, and bring the story of a fatal, invincible, and unconventional love to the small screen.
The character of Solène is played by Anne Hathaway, she is a 39-year-old, divorced and mother of a teenager; while the singer of August Moon, the most popular boy band in the world, Hayes (the idea of this character, as Robinne Lee declared to Vogue, was born after some research on One Direction and after the author's discovery that pop star Harry Styles often dated women older than him), played by the no less handsome Nicholas Galitzine.
One day Solène (who enters the scene in a stylish midnight blue dress) accompanies her daughter and her friends to the house of her ex-husband, who has bought them tickets and VIP access to August Moon's concert at the Coachella festival, but after having accompanied them and while she is preparing for a solo weekend, she is joined by her ex-husband (and his new wife) and boys, because he has had a work commitment and can no longer accompany them: it is therefore up to Solène to take the teenagers to Coachella, where - in search of a bathroom - the woman accidentally ends up (we won't spoil where) with Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine) who is the 24-year-old leader of August Moon. He has the classic love at first sight and she too is fascinated by this young man, handsome and with an English accent. But life won't be easy for a couple who goes against the conventions of a world that is scandalized if she is a woman who is a few years older.
Nicholas Galitzine is a very credible Hayes Campbell, outside and inside pop music
It is the beginning of a love story that will remind us of the Notting Hill paparazzi, which begins to capture us when the two protagonists get to know each other better, showing us the originality of their characters: Campbell is not a buffoon - a superficial pop star -, he is entrusted with social criticism veiled in irony and sarcasm, even on the problems of the music industry. Solène, on the other hand, is an art expert and no one wants us to believe that she is a mother like the others, we are told that she had Izzy when she was very young after graduating in fine arts, and not even one would fail to notice how sensual she is and fascinating.
The two begin to involve us in a story in which one must never count, in which half-words are worthless and inspiration arises spontaneously. These are some of the reasons why we appreciated The Idea of You: because, simply, he doesn't know what he's already seen, seen again, or seen again. Furthermore, we cannot help but spend a few lines on August Moon: the care with which their songs were put together (for example Dance Before We Walk), the choreographies (like the biographies) of this imaginary boy band almost give rise to the suspicion of being in front of a real group! In short, Nicholas Galitzine is a very credible Hayes Campbell, outside and inside pop music.
The Idea of You: evaluation and conclusion
In conclusion, The Idea of You is particularly appreciable for the light story it tells and the way it does it: with a breath of very useful fresh air. Prime Video lets us find among the new titles a film that explores the themes of unconventional love, which deals with media pressure and hate speech, but above all the complexity of relationships.
Art then enters the scene forcefully and we like it. We have always liked his burst when it comes to conveying emotions. Because that "criminal" everything, to quote the writer Jodi Picoult, which invades and "steals" your heart, "I only find it in art and love" Solène and Hayes would say. We like films precisely when they manage to offer us a window into the human soul and allow us to see the world from a different perspective