Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galtizine bring charisma by the bucketful and an electric chemistry to this romance that tackles the realities of age-gap relationships, and the heavy burden of fame on personal lives, while retaining a light, hopeful, sensual air.

★★★★☆

When The Idea of You by Robinne Lee became a surprise hit novel during lockdown, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind who the love interest was inspired by. While the steamy book was loved in its own right, the fact that it was essentially Harry Styles fanfiction played massively into the conversation around it.

With this in mind, when the film found its way into the hands of Hollywood it came as a surprise that Oscar-winning Anne Hathaway was set to star and executive produce, in her first romantic film in over a decade. Nicholas Galitzine, in the midst of a winning streak (from Red, White and Royal Blue to Bottoms to Mary and George), was cast to play the heartthrob singer Hayes Campbell and Michael Showalter, who previously directed critically-acclaimed rom-com The Big Sick, stepped into the directors chair. And as all of these serendipitous elements came together, the ensuing film is something which genuine care and love has gone into, with the evidence of it hanging from every frame. 

The Idea of You centres around Solène Marchand (Anne Hathaway), a recently divorced mother and art gallery curator on the cusp of 40, trying to uncover who she is in this new chapter of her life. When she gets roped into taking her teen daughter Izzy (Ella Rubin) and her friends to Coachella, she accidentally finds herself stumbling into the trailer, and life, of Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), a singer in the boyband August Moon. An instant spark has Hayes seek out Solène, and though she tries to fight the temptation—largely due to the pair’s fifteen year age gap—she can’t help but find herself whisked away, both emotionally and literally, by the young celebrity. Soon enough she’s caught the scrutiny of onlookers, and the attention of the entire world, as she navigates what’s best for her family—and what’s best for her heart.

On paper one can’t help but cringe at the concept (imagine your mum sleeping with Harry Styles…), but in actuality, The Idea of You is told from an honest, human perspective, with characters that feel lived in and familiar in all the best ways. It is unafraid to be realistic about the challenges of age-gap relationships, and all the assumptions that come with them. In a particularly heart-wrenching scene, Izzy recounts how her class crush started talking to her, only to then tell Izzy to tell her mum that he turns 18 in a month, after which she begs her mum to be dropped off at her dad Daniel’s (Reid Scott) house. 

At the heart of this honesty is a vulnerable turn from the ever warm and wonderful Hathaway. Her portrayal of Solène shows a woman who is learning ‘how to be’ again after heartache and pain. The film is generous and gentle in its approach to letting Solène learn how to be happy again, while also deftly showing her hesitation to lower her walls. The youthfulness of Hayes inspires a new lease of life in her, and allows her to enjoy life in the way she was unable to at his age. 

Of course, the success of all romance films hinges on the chemistry of its leads. Thankfully, there is plenty between Galitzine and Hathaway. While this can be depicted as sexy and sensual—the physical yearning is palpable—it’s also shown through an organic and casual intimacy; a highlight of the film is a scene in which the pair dance round their hotel room to ‘Dance Hall Days’ by Wang Chung (a scene bound to make any fans of Galitzine swoon…). However, while the connection between the pair is tangible, we often are left to read in between the lines as to what inherently makes them compatible; the film is more preoccupied with Solène’s perspective than it ever is with Hayes’.

This one-sided view also affects our understanding of the effects of the press attention on both parties. We get indications of what Hayes’ relationship with the media is—he knows exactly how to react to paparazzi; there’s a scene in which he laments how his public image affects how other musicians see him; tabloids lap up anything to do with his relationship—but none of these things are fully realised. The focus on Solène allows us to empathise more than a focus on Hayes would, considering that we – like her – are merely observers of this industry, however, it also means that we are never provided insight into what it truly means for his career for him to fight for this relationship. 

We don’t get much interaction between Hayes and his August Moon bandmates, but their performances of some of the film’s brilliantly catchy soundtrack are pitch-perfect. With songs penned by the Grammy-nominated Savan Kotecha, whose credits fittingly include writing for One Direction back in the day, the songs capture the essence of classic pop that bands from N*Sync to 5 Seconds of Summer have mastered. They are tunes which you can’t help but sing along to, and will want to blast from your car, windows down, on a bright Summer’s day.

Unfortunately the film struggles with pacing, plodding along for most of the runtime. When it comes to the climax, though, everything accelerates before coming to a sudden stop, with a rushed epilogue tagged on to assure everyone that it all turns out alright in the end (and make fans of The Graham Norton Show cringe at a terrible depiction of it). However, even with this flaw, the film remains an engaging watch through its near two-hour runtime, and certainly puts a smile on your face—a smile that never would have appeared were this story to be told with any other principal cast at the helm. Its sincerity is the emotional heart of the movie, and it’s hard to imagine anyone but Hathaway achieving this so well.

The Verdict

A truly brilliant ensemble create something heartfelt, authentic, and moving, out of what is essentially tropey Harry Styles fanfiction. Even if you aren’t convinced by the love story, you’ll be converted to an August Moon fan and will certainly come out with a greater appreciation for Anne Hathaway. Solène is a heroine we not only want to root for, but want to know personally, give a hug, and hear her thoughts on art and the world over a glass of wine.

Words by Rehana Nurmahi

The Idea of You is available to stream on Prime Video from 2 May. 

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