I am a HUGE fan of rom-coms. As an early teen, I binge-watched the classics of the 90s and the early aughts—Bridget Jones’ Diary, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and, my personal favorite, 10 Things I Hate About You. I think we can admit that the plot of most rom-coms are not usually the most interesting or surprising, but I believe what makes these movies truly iconic are the catchy soundtracks, iconic outfits, and witty dialogue. In my opinion, the recent release Anyone But You, starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, checks all the boxes and is a must watch for all rom-com lovers.
Spoiler alert below!
The premise of the film is daily simple. Sweeney’s character, Bea, and Powell’s character, Ben, hit it off after a chance meeting, but their connection quickly sours. Unexpectedly, Ben and Bea are forced to attend a destination wedding together and decide to pretend to be the “perfect couple” to satisfy their friends and family. Of course, they end up truly connecting and genuinely liking each other, and, by the end of the movie, with a few quintessential rom-com slip-ups, they confess their love to each other and end up with each other. The movie also featured several other rom-com stereotype characters and moments like the jealous ex, the comic relief bestie, and the big romantic gesture.
Despite these stereotypes, I genuinely found the movie to be endearing and funny. Dating rumors swirled around Sweeney and Powell after the release of this movie for good reason—Sweeney and Powell genuinely had chemistry and joked, flirted, and fought with each other in a relatable yet entertaining way. The comedic relief type characters were genuinely funny; I found myself laughing out loud at several points throughout the movie. As with many new movies, the film featured a diverse cast and show-cased different types of relationships—Bea and Ben are brought together at the wedding of Bea’s sister and Ben’s girl best friend. However, unlike many more recent movies, the casting and relationships really fit the film and didn’t seem shoe-horned in for creativity’s sake.
While I enjoyed the plot and the characters, my favorite parts of the movie were the iconic outfits and soundtrack. Sydney Sweeney is truly one of the most stunning people to walk the earth, and the costume designer, Amelia Gelber, did her curvy figure justice. All of her outfits featured classic silhouettes and fabrics but with modern touches, like pairing straight leg jeans and a white blouse with a baguette bag.
The blue dress she wore in the rehearsal dinner scene seemed to be a nod to Andie Anderson’s iconic yellow dress in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days but was slightly updated and tailored to flatter Sweeney’s curves. Similarly, the soundtrack featured a similar combination of old and new songs. While it highlighted Gen-Z favorites Olivia Rodrigo and Remi Wolf, the theme song of the movie Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield, a classic jam of the early 2000s. I loved how all of these details were so well thought out and featured pop-culture references that are familiar to the average American teen while also embracing a sense of nostalgia with older rom-coms.