There haven’t been too many R-rated rom-coms in the industry lately, but Sony is here to rectify that with the highly anticipated Anyone But You. Romcoms have kind of become a neglected genre in recent years, and there has been a serious lack of big, exciting and star-studded romcoms. Sydney Sweeney, who stars as Beatrice and is also an EP on the movie has been saying that, “We made the romcoms big again”, and after watching the movie I probably agree with her assessment.
The movie is directed by Will Gluck, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ilana Wolpert. He previously directed movies like Easy A and Friends With Benefits, both of which were commercially successful movies themselves. The star cast includes Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Hadley Robinson, Darren Barnet, and Dermot Mulroney among others. With talent like that attached to a project, romcom lovers were very hyped for this one, especially with two upcoming stars of the industry in lead roles who also happen to be very very good-looking, making for an exciting on-screen couple.
In terms of the lead couple and chemistry, the movie delivers and some. Sweeny and Powell are absolutely sizzling together on screen and you cannot take your eye off them. Apart from looking incredibly sexy in every scene of this movie, they also fit very well into their respective characters, which is a credit to the casting. They do not rely just on physical appeal but, are very convincing and opposites Ben and Bea. Their performances are not particularly special, but they do their jobs well and especially get their comic timings spot on. Other cast members are decent and none of them stand out.
The story is relatively simple and straightforward and simple. It sticks to the formula of romcoms and doesn’t offer any depth to its storytelling or any of its characters. None of the supporting characters even get actual arcs and are just there to take the story forward in the most cheesy and funny manner. Although it does offer a lot of refreshingly original comedy sequences and does not shy away at all from being wild and raunchy. It really earns the R-rating and doesn’t hold back on its sexiness or silliness. The screenplay is also filled with witty one-liners and savage comebacks, which are mostly hilarious.
For a director with so much experience in this genre, Will Gluck’s direction is not that great. He sticks to conventional romcom tricks and doesn’t offer a lot of creativity. Although he does use his locations and the Australian landscape very well. The Australian setting also works well for the style of the movie and its nature of storytelling. The narrative does sometimes get lost in its own glamour and extremely over-the-top moments, but that’s the kind of ride this it, and it manages to stay self-aware.
Anyone But You is a steamy riot of romance, where Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell turn up the heat with their fiery chemistry. It is predictable and formulaic, but it fully embraces its lackings in substance and sucks you in with bucketloads of charm and cheese. It justifies its R-rating with plenty of will and raunchy sequences. Fans of this genre will enjoy this hilarious ride, which is an easy and entertaing watch and makes for a great date movie.
Anyone But You releases in cinemas on December 22.
