Warning: Spoilers ahead!
As an avid consumer of romantic comedies, aka rom-coms, I forced my best friends to come with me to watch Anyone But You in a movie theater a few days after it was released because I wanted to finally watch a rom-com when it was released in theaters. While my friends were both skeptical at first, we found that we had thoroughly enjoyed the film. Recently, I rewatched the film in theaters with a different group of friends and found that I loved it even more. I think this film could potentially lead to an increase in the number of rom-coms that we see released in theaters, and here are a few reasons why I think it’s earned its place in the rom-com Hall of Fame:
- The soundtrack
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Each time I finished watching this film, I immediately put “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield on a loop. My friends and I ended up screaming the song on the drive home. All of the best rom-coms, which largely came out between the late 1980s to the mid-2010s, have incredible soundtracks that you could stream on Spotify without skipping a single song. A few films come to mind, such as Drive Me Crazy and 10 Things I Hate About You, which have magnificent soundtracks that introduced me to songs that have forever altered my taste in music. Other songs in the film that showcase what a great soundtrack it has are “Anyone But You” by Still Woozy and “Loving You” by Wet Leg, in which the entire soundtrack is saved as one of my Spotify playlists.
- The chemistry
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Based on the trailers and small promotional clips that I’d seen on social media about the film before it came out, I thought that Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell weren’t convincing as a couple. However, I was quickly proven wrong. From the moment their characters met at the beginning of the film, the chemistry between the characters was palpable. Unlike some rom-coms I have seen recently, the relationship that developed between Sweeney’s and Powell’s characters, Bea and Ben, felt authentic. Even at the beginning of the film when the characters met for the first time, it didn’t feel like they rushed the connection between them. The idea that they would spend the day together by simply getting to know each other and hitting it off feels as though it could happen in real life. Moreover, the fact that Ben would pretend that the night didn’t mean anything to him when his friend asked him about it the next day, along with the fact that Bea left without knowing why because she’s so inexperienced regarding relationships, all felt genuine and made the movie’s plot much more convincing. One moment in particular that showed the amazing chemistry between Bea and Ben was when they were stuck on a buoy. It conveyed how out of all the people in her life, she could be truly honest and herself with Ben since she told him, and only him, that she’d decided to drop out of law school. This reveal, along with the fact that he’d jumped into the ocean after she fell off the boat, makes you want to root for this couple and see them thrive.
- The comedy
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Most of the jokes in the film made me laugh both times that I saw it. The best part about the film is that it leans into the seemingly “roll your eyes”-kind of jokes, in a self-aware manner. My friend and I looked over at each other during the airplane scene when Bea tried to get Ben’s cookie and her sweater got stuck in the airplane seat. This is because she ends up essentially in a position that appears as though she is humping him as he’s sleeping, and later putting her butt in his face. It’s one of those jokes that makes you cringe, but then makes you crack up even further when she finds out that the song he’s listening to as he sleeps is “Unwritten.” The entire ordeal makes you simultaneously cringe and belly laugh, and it’s the perfect example of how the movie leans into the ridiculousness of the jokes it makes. Another example of comedy is the re-occurring joke where Bea’s and Ben’s friends try to get them to fall in love with each other by speaking really loudly about how Bea likes Ben and vice versa to convince them that they like each other, as it was obviously scripted by the friends and said in a loud voice, but they pretended that they weren’t expecting anyone to overhear. Ben immediately believes it, while Bea knows it’s an obvious setup, along with Bea’s sister and fiancée laying on the floor afterwards in an attempt to hide is so absurd but leads the audience to laugh every time.
- The outfits
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Sweeney’s outfits in this film are amazing, and I left the theater wanting to replicate every single one of them. From the first outfit in the film that’s giving business casual to the beautiful pink bridesmaid dress she wore at the end of the film, she had such a variety of clothing that never failed to impress. I loved the variety of prints that were used for her bathing suits, the beautiful colors for all of the dresses including not only the pink for the bridesmaid dress, but also the blue for the dress she wore on the boat, and the dark purple, low-cut dress she wore while playing charades at the house, and even the workout set she wore when she went hiking, as they were all outfits that I want in my own wardrobe. I would argue that a staple in all of the great rom-coms is the wardrobe for the main female character, in which Confessions of a Shopaholic, The Notebook, 13 Going on 30, and The Sweetest Thing are all examples of where the wardrobe is absolutely stunning, and Anyone But You can now be added to the list.
Sony Pictures Entertainment - The build-up
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I think one of the major issues with rom-coms that have come out recently is that writers rush the love story, they don’t allow viewers to connect to the characters or care about the relationship. Bea and Ben essentially fall in love in one day, however, it feels genuine because they spend hours together and connect by sharing parts of themselves that they’ve never shared with anyone before. Then, their development of hatred towards each other due to miscommunication that occurs the next day becomes the central focus of the film, and it’s because they develop this hatred that the reconciliation is so satisfying. The final grand gesture of love occurs when he shows up in the water rescue helicopter at the Sydney Opera House and confesses his love for her. It calls back to multiple things mentioned throughout the film, and while the speech could’ve been more dramatic and heartfelt, it brilliantly wraps up the movie and gives the viewers the fulfilling ending they were hoping for.
So, I’m not saying this is the greatest rom-com in the history of rom-coms, but it doesn’t claim to be or have to be. Anyone But You is just a great film that’s enjoyable to watch and showcases many of the incredible aspects of why we love the romantic comedy genre. If you’re wondering what to do on Valentine’s Day (or Galentine’s Day), might I suggest watching (or re-watching) a spectacular film that’ll leave you screaming and dancing to “Unwritten”?