Rob Reviews "The Idea of You"

When actor/writer/producer Robinne Lee decided on the title of her book that is now a film featured on Prime Video, she had to know that there is a cross-section of the population that would have flashbacks to their formative years.

Me.  I am a cross section of the population.

With The Idea of You, her text is placed in the hands of a talented director (who also co-wrote the adaptation and is an actor as well) in Michael Showalter.  Anne Hathaway plays Solène, an art dealer, divorcee, and mother who is looking to celebrate her 40th birthday by camping by herself and getting away from it all.  Unfortunately, her ex-husband is called away from work, so she has to accompany her daughter and her friends to the Coachella music festival where they have VIP access and a Meet & Greet with boy band August Moon.  Circumstances lead her to meeting August Moon’s lead vocalist in Hayes (Nicholas Galitzine), who is sixteen years her junior.  A spark ignites leading to a whirlwind romance that has consequences that reach further and wider than either one of them anticipates.

For a film that has every reason to simply follow the standard rom-com formula, this does a bit more than that.  I have not read the book, but if the adaptation is faithful to the source material, I can understand the popularity of the book.  There is actually a good amount of heart at the center of this story, and the chemistry between Hathaway and Galitzine is extremely solid.  It is so good that I was actually invested in this story, and I am NOT the target demographic for it.  Don’t get me wrong: I dig a good romantic story as much as the next person, but The Idea of You should not on paper be on my radar outside of checking it out to review.  So, shout out on THAT.

As their relationship navigates the number of obstacles in their way (and trust me here, it covers a LOT), the ride this script took me on was one of the better of its type that I have seen in quite some time.  Even though I pretty much knew the next step in the parade as it played out on the screen, there was a realness to it that kept me engaged from beginning to end.  Even though it was a bit longer than I thought it could have been, The Idea of You really does stick the landing in a way that I found impressive.  If you subscribe to Prime Video, this is worth a watch with a bowl of popcorn and your favorite beverage!