The Idea of You

R

Released May 2

1h 55m

Romance

Drama

Comedy

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List

80%

Tomatometer

182 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Based on the acclaimed, contemporary love story of the same name, The Idea of You centers on Solène (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet. When Solène must step in to chaperone her teenage daughter's trip to the Coachella Music Festival after her ex bails at the last minute, she has a chance encounter with Hayes and there is an instant, undeniable spark. As they begin a whirlwind romance, it isn't long before Hayes' superstar status poses unavoidable challenges to their relationship, and Solène soon discovers that life in the glare of his spotlight might be more than she bargained for.

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Critics Consensus

The Idea of You offers a welcome reminder that Anne Hathaway remains a thoroughly delightful romcom lead -- and reaffirms that few filmmakers understand the genre better than Michael Showalter.

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Alejandra Martinez

TheWrap

Galitzine and Hathaway anchor the film and their chemistry is palpable, making every touch feel electric.

Aug 8, 2024

Full Review

Dwight Brown

DwightBrownInk.com

Within ten minutes, the story’s charm, beguiling characters and awkward situations are in full bloom.

Rated: 3/4

May 31, 2024

Full Review

Robert Levin

Newsday

This is a substantial movie with the veneer of a frothy romantic comedy.

Rated: 3/4

May 21, 2024

Full Review

Kevin Bourne

SHIFTER

The "Idea of You" follows in the footsteps of modern romantic comedies that forego the over-the-top fairytale endings of the 90’s to early 2000’s. This is a must-see for romantic comedy junkies and fans of stories of loving against the odds.

Sep 11, 2024

Full Review

Matt Pais

MattPais.com

Executes its supposedly taboo conceptual fantasy with all the controversy of a library card and the specificity of "I Want It That Way."

Rated: C

Sep 1, 2024

Full Review

CJ Sheu

The News Lens International

The film in general has a reasonable proximity to realist logic, but it’s still a rom-com, so there’s at least some fantasy involved. . . . It’s just a really good film.

Aug 20, 2024

Full Review

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Diane B

Rom Coms are all about suspending disbelief but this one stretches that too far. It's not the 16-year age difference but rather the plot -- especially at the end. Pathetic

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/18/24

Full Review

Sam R

It was fantastic and I think what impacted me the most was the line in the movie "people hate happy women". That was the gist of the movie for me. It's true that people hate happy women, you are hated by your own sex, by men- a happy woman who doesn't care an iota for anyone's opinion just seems to irk everyone. And while having a kid involved makes it understandable that the romance couldn't continue, there's no reason we should abandon true love, if that's truly what it is. Glad they changed the ending and that I never read the book because I don't think I could deal with that stark of a letdown. Anne and Nicholas had real chemistry and it made everything perfection.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/13/24

Full Review

tyler g

my favorite rom com of all time I'm not kidding

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/10/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Great little love story - no political agenda or social commentary. Just a good old fashioned story line and great acting. Great way to spend a few hours

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/08/24

Full Review

Brian B

The story line is about as thin as it gets and nothing meaningful in the older woman/younger man storyline was explored in any real depth, unless you count shameful and predictable faux social media posts. The stars look great, save for one or two too many Hathaway preens - at times it felt like she was channeling early 90's Meg Ryan - but the story of a vapid art dealer dealing with a vapid Boy Bander helped pass a ten hour plane ride. Just don't expect anything but connect the dots tripe that has been done many times before.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/07/24

Full Review

Simone A

"𝙄𝙛 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖 𝙜𝙪𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙃𝙞𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙧, 𝙗𝙞𝙣-𝙇𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙚𝙡 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙩 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙚𝙡 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙘𝙚" I don't think a movie that looks like it was made with PowerPoint can be called such. I'm still trying to understand what are the steps with which the plot evolves. Watch Notting Hill, not this crap!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/05/24

Full Review

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Michael Showalter

Director

Anne Hathaway

Solene

Nicholas Galitzine

Hayes

Ella Rubin

Izzy

Annie Mumolo

Tracy

Reid Scott

Daniel

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The Idea of You: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Based on the acclaimed, contemporary love story of the same name, The Idea of You centers on Solène (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet. When Solène must step in to chaperone her teenage daughter's trip to the Coachella Music Festival after her ex bails at the last minute, she has a chance encounter with Hayes and there is an instant, undeniable spark. As they begin a whirlwind romance, it isn't long before Hayes' superstar status poses unavoidable challenges to their relationship, and Solène soon discovers that life in the glare of his spotlight might be more than she bargained for.

Director: Michael Showalter
Producer: Cathy Schulman, Gabrielle Union, Anne Hathaway, Robinne Lee, Eric Hayes, Jordana Mollick, Michael Showalter
Screenwriter: Michael Showalter, Jennifer Westfeldt
Distributor: Amazon Studios
Production Co: Welle Entertainment, Amazon Studios, Somewhere Pictures, I'll Have Another
Rating: R (Some Language|Sexual Content)
Genre: Romance, Drama, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 2, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 2, 2024
Runtime: 1h 55m

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