There’s nothing more satisfying than a good romantic comedy. As a lover of all things corny and cliché, I consider rom-coms my wheelhouse. And over the years, I’ve been able to pick up on a few key elements that are guaranteed to make me fall in love with a rom-com every time.
Since the movie Anyone But You just came out, I thought I would put it to my rom-com litmus test. Does it have sizzling chemistry between its leads, a secondary cast whose lives you’re equally invested in, and most importantly, are the jokes actually funny? Anyone But You became something of a global phenomenon after getting increased attention on TikTok. The film follows Ben and Bea, two people who meet and have one perfect night together before going their separate ways after a communication snafu. But when they find themselves going to the same wedding months later, they have no choice but to pretend to be a couple to save face in front of their friends and exes.
Word of mouth is no joke, but TikTok has been known to be wrong about things before. Regardless, the film has managed to have a strong box office opening, which is extremely rare for an R-rated romantic comedy. It’s time to put that social media hype to the test.
The Chemistry
As anyone who watches romantic comedies knows, there’s nothing more important than the chemistry between a movie’s two leads. The entire love story is built around their dynamic and tension. If audiences don’t believe in the attraction, then the rom-com might as well go cry in a corner and lick its wounds. So how does Anyone But You hold up under that kind of scrutiny?
Well, it’s safe to say that the chemistry between the leads off-screen was a major draw for people. Part of the movie’s success can be traced to an online fascination with Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney. In multiple videos shared on TikTok, the two can be seen laughing and flirting with each other as they do promotional marketing for the movie. Comments on these videos range from “EVERYBODY KNOWS” to “They know how to do good marketing.”
These users raise an interesting point. Once a hallmark of marketing tactics, many users suspect that the two actors are purposefully taking a flirtatious, banter-filled approach with each other in interviews to generate publicity for the movie. And so far, it seems to be working. The intense online speculation over the nature of their off-screen relationship has managed to draw audiences to their movie.
But sadly, whatever chemistry the two have in real life did not translate to the big screen in my opinion. The videos of the cast’s playful banter with each other online were far more entertaining than anything they had to read off a script for the film. The movie basically tries to convince audiences that the two hate each other after a miscommunication and one perfect night together.
I’m sorry, but that’s just not believable. Anyone But You isn’t the only perpetrator of the miscommunication trope, but it certainly does it on a larger scale. It’s hard for me to believe they hate each other so fervently after only one night together. And they didn’t even have sex! Sorry guys, but this one was a no for me.
The Cast
This part of the movie was actually not bad! Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell’s whole purpose for their fake-date ruse is that they end up running into their exes on an island while the former’s best friend is getting married. Yes, this movie is endlessly relatable. But overall, I enjoyed the subplot of Sydney Sweeney’s best friend getting married.
There were some tender moments between the two, and it allowed for fun familial shenanigans to ensue. Claudia and Halle, played by Alexandra Shipp and Hadley Robinson, have a sweet relationship that isn’t afraid to explore the rough patches of impending wedding doom, even as the two seal their union with a kiss at the end.
Overall, not bad at all. But I would be furious if my best friend kept upstaging my own wedding because she didn’t know how to play nice with some guy for a few days. Anyway, I digress.
The Jokes
I’m once again going to come across like a hater here, but sometimes there are rom-coms that are genuinely funny and sometimes they just happen to have pretty people in them. This one…was not funny. Maybe I’m biased because of how blessed our society was with Glen Powell’s other romantic comedy Set It Up, but almost none of Anyone But You’s punchlines landed.
Even just the opening scene fails to stick the landing. The meet cute between our two leads takes place in (what else?) a coffee shop. Sydney Sweeney’s character really has to pee but can’t get the key from the barista, so Glen Powell swoops in like the white knight he was cast to be and saves the day. Then we have a really long montage of Sydney Sweeney getting stuck in the bathroom because she gets water on herself. Obviously, she can’t look like she peed in front of Glen Powell. That would be social suicide. But what follows is a scene seared into my eyelids, where she straddles and humps a blow dryer in what is presumably meant to be a comedic moment. Instead, I was just uncomfortable.
And that pretty much sums up how I felt during this movie!
The Ruling
I think it’s safe to say that Anyone But You was not my favorite rom-com I’ve seen recently. Yes, I know Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell are talented. But beautiful people do not always make a good rom-com. There was nothing special about this movie — it felt like some variation of something we’ve all seen a million times before.
But don’t worry, everyone. I’m keeping my eyes peeled for the Next Big Thing. Anyone But You was just not it.
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