Despite the great reviews and endless media attention, “Anyone but you” staring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell was extremely underwhelming and very predictable. It had all the features of a Romantic cliche and included nothing in particular that stood out, making it incomparable to the rom-com classics like “10 Things I Hate about You” or “She’s All That.” On Jan. 3 I sat down to watch what was said to be the best rom-com in nearly a century but instead left unfulfilled and disappointed.
As an avid rom-com watcher and lover of good films, it is crazy to me to hear people on TikTok or Instagram say that this movie was comparable to or even better than the original rom-coms that are some of the classics. From the $112.8 million ticket sales to the $25 million invested in its production, “Anyone But You” was hailed as the best rom-com since the golden age of rom-coms in the early 2000s to 2010s.
The movie follows the story of Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) who start off on a good note but quickly become spiteful towards each other due to miscommunication after their first date. A year later, they find themselves reuniting at Bea’s sister’s (Hadley Robinson) and Ben’s good friend’s (Alexandra Shipp) destination wedding in Australia. Despite their icy feelings for each other, their interactions are noticed by the wedding party, who decide to set them up in order to avoid any issues with the wedding. However, their plan fails, leading Bea and Ben to devise their own plan to pretend to be a couple for the sake of a successful wedding.
From the beginning, this movie was designed to be the ultimate rom-com of the century, with attractive and popular up-and-coming actors as the lead. A significant part of the movie’s success was attributed to its marketing strategy. Every time I opened any form of social media, the first advertisement I would see was for this movie. Tiktok, in particular, played a major role in its success. After its release, there was a trend where viewers exit the movie theater to the song “Unwritten,” which is used as a theme song for the movie, causing the previously un-trending song to skyrocket to number 32 on the global Spotify charts.
However, my personal opinion about this movie doesn’t take away some of the things this movie did well with ergo the reason behind its success. First, the chemistry between the two leads was remarkable, so much so that I initially thought they must have been dating in real life (they’re not) Their connection felt genuine, unlike many other forced rom-com pairings, and it kept me interested and invested throughout the film. Additionally, the soundtrack was excellent. Hits like, “The Spins” (Mac Miller, Empire of the Sun), “Photo ID” (Remi Wolf, Dominic Fike), “Sick” (Domonic Fike), and, especially, “Unwritten” (Natasha Bedingfield), made the movie more enjoyable and added to the romantic atmosphere. Lastly, I appreciated the unexpected humor in the film. It had been a while since a rom-com had strong comedy aspects.
Undoubtedly, I know I will be watching this movie again with friends. Although it wasn’t the best rom-com I’ve seen, it was a fun watch.
