FILM REVIEW: “The Idea of You”
“The Idea of You” is what some might call a Cougar Movie: a picture in which a significantly older person falls in love with a somewhat younger consenting adult. Strangely, that isn’t too much of a problem here, as the film tells its Cougar Movie story relatively well. The familiar beats and rhythms and cadences of a romantic film are there, but the film rolls along comfortably with them.
The film stars Anne Hathaway as a forty-year-old divorcée named Soléne, who takes her daughters to Coachella, where she immediately falls in love with the lead singer of her favorite five-man vocal quintet: a 24-year-old man named Hayes Campbell (played by Nicholas Galitzine, who was last seen in the LGBTQIA+-themed romantic comedy “Red, White and Royal Blue”, and here plays someone who, as far as I know, is totally straight). Soléne ends up falling in love with the guy, who is in the group August Moon, and they take their love from Los Angeles to places such as New York, London, Barcelona, Paris and Rome. The two of them are so drawn to each other in these places that in many of them, they end up making love. And yet, despite this, Soléne has concerns about the glaring age disparity and breaks up with the young lad. However, despite their relationship proving to be tabloid fodder (much to Soléne’s dismay), Hayes still holds out hope that they might actually get together again someday.
And that’s about all I can provide for a plot summary. I have but one complaint regarding this picture: that it is long. Nearly two hours long, to be exact. That is too long for a story this light and the film often feels the need to pronounce its length. Most of the time, the pronunciations are justifiable. The music is nicely-done contemporary pop, and Mr. Galitzine (assuming that’s him singing) is an accomplished vocalist. However, a few other uses of its length are questionable, namely a kissing scene and a sex scene that both seem heavily drawn out.
The music and the chemistry of its leads are enough to sell you in on this picture. Anne Hathaway, a sex symbol of the 2000s, is probably as ever (this is the first film I’ve seen her in), and Mr. Galitzine shows how skilled he is at, well, swinging both ways (which I can say as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community). If they’ve made a Cougar Movie together, well, let’s just say that they’ve mostly made a good one.
IN CONCULSION
A good little cougar
★★★
“THE IDEA OF YOU”
Directed by Michael Showalter, produced by Cathy Schulman, Gabrielle Union, Anne Hathaway, Robinne Lee, Eric Hayes, Mr. Showalter and Jordana Mollick, screenplay by Mr. Showalter and Jennifer Westfeldt from the novel by Robinne Lee, music scored by Siddhartha Khosla, photographed by Jim Frohna, edited by Peter Teschner, a Welle-I’ll Have Another-Somewhere-Belle Hope release through Amazon MGM Studios, which can be screened for free with a subscription to the Amazon Prime Video streaming service. This picture has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association.
THE CAST
Soléne . . . . . . . . . . . Anne Hathaway
Hayes . . . . . . . . . .Nicholas Galitzine
