User reviews

I saw this last night at the Atlanta Film Festival alongside a friend who is also in her 40s. We went into it calling it "the Harry Styles fanfiction movie" and knowing it was going to be a bit of a fantastical and sexy romp, but we both agreed at the end that we were surprised at how emotional we got watching it. I guess I shouldn't actually be surprised at this knowing that Jennifer Westfeldt was one of the writers, since I'm a huge fan of how she portrays women and relationships. (Kissing Jessica Stein is one of my major cultural touchstone movies.) I'm also a big Michael Showalter fan, but had never really associated him with telling this kind of story before. He gave a Director Q&A after, and I really appreciated hearing him talk about the process of making this, especially with regards to not making Hayes or the idea of being in a boy band a "joke" or something to poke fun at.

The best part of this movie is the fact that it shows something we rarely see on screen: the idea of a woman in her 40s being found intriguing, sexy, and desirable, and the object of pursuit by a younger, attractive man. The way that it achieves this is nothing new to movies - love at first sight, Solene being the only woman he can think about, and that she stirred something in him that no one else can. This is a common mechanism in female fanastical romances (see also: Fifty Shades of Grey) because, well, it's one of the biggest fantasies we all have, especially for heterosexual women. (Let's hope that it doesn't spawn an epidemic of middle-aged women "accidentally" breaking into band trailers at music festivals.) But it does, at its core, speak to a fantasy that anyone who wants to be loved has: that we will be seen for who we are, not for our familial or life situation, the wrinkles on our face, or the birthdate on our driver's license.

The other unique thing that the movie portrays is the idea of men being emotionally vulnerable. The way that you see Hayes falling for Solene and expressing his feelings about her is not something you see very often with male leads. Again, this may be a bit of a heterosexual female fantasy, but I think it comes at a time when society is beginning to be more accepting and understanding of the need for men to be able to express their emotions. If you want to know why so many women love The Notebook (another fantastical romance), think about how you see Ryan Gosling's character show just how emotionally attached he is to Rachel McAdams's character. You don't see this in that many movies, but when you do, there's a very good chance that women love it.

The film also makes good points about the hypocrisy of society with how Hayes and Solene's relationship is treated, how no one bats an eyelash when male celebrities date women 10, 20, even 50 years younger than they are (ahem, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino), but the idea of a woman dating a younger man is scandalous. This is a point made by Annie Mumolo, who I always love to see on screen, but who is regrettably underutilized here as the best friend character. There is definitely a feminist undercurrent to the movie, including some really cute lines made by Solene's daughter, but it's doesn't hit you over the head with it.

Although there are some areas I would've liked to have been handled better, such as the scene where there's tension with the other band members, overall it's a sweet and emotional movie that gives us something I think all women would agree that we want: recognition that we are more than just our age.

It's hard to believe Anne Hathaway is the same age as Bette Davis as Margo Channing in "All About Eve". However, Hathaway truly owns 40 in this 2024 romcom as she plays Solene, a successful Silver Lake art gallery owner still smarting from a divorce three years prior. While taking her teenaged daughter to Coachella, she meets Hayes Campbell, the 24-year-old lead singer of globally popular boy band August Moon. Sparks fly immediately, and homemade sandwiches lead to an extended rendezvous on a world tour. While Nicholas Galitzine fulfills the limited contours of his role as a smitten pop star, it is really Hathaway that delivers the goods giving an accomplished performance that finally adds maturity to her natural effervescence. Directed by Michael Showalter (whose last film was 2022's underrated "Spoiler Alert"), the movie definitely swerves with predictable plot turns, but at least thanks to the observant script by Showalter and the wondrous Jennifer Westfeldt, it moves with a certain aplomb that makes it watchable. Enough with the Hathahate.

The film resonated personally with me as it delved into the complexities of age-related relationships, striking a chord with how societal judgments can shape our experiences and influence our loved ones. Anne Hathaway's performance, as always, was captivating, effortlessly embodying the nuances of her character. Her portrayal added depth to the narrative, earning a solid 7 out of 10 for her remarkable portrayal and the overall execution of the storyline. The cinematography beautifully captured the essence of the narrative, enhancing the viewing experience. The production design recreated the world of the characters, immersing the audience in their reality. Moreover, the emotional impact was profound, leaving a lasting impression on the viewer. Overall, Hathaway's adept performance, coupled with the engaging plot, stunning visuals, and emotional resonance, resulted in a thoroughly enjoyable cinematic experience, deserving of its commendable rating.

My wife and I watched this movie on its first day of streaming on Prime. We expected it to be a lightweight but entertaining rom-com but we were completely wrong. It is much more than that. It examines a number of societal issues, including:

The verbal abuse an older woman takes if she dates a much younger man.

The role of paparazzi and social media in inflaming a situation.

The realities of balancing motherhood and social life.

It also plays on one of my favorite themes, the reality of random events determining our direction in life. Anne Hathaway is Solène, a divorced woman just turning 40. She owns an art gallery, she also has a teenage daughter. One day as her ex-husband is about to take the daughter and friends to Coachella he pulls out due to business in Houston, Solène fills in. In another random, accidental incident she goes into the trailer of a well-known, 24-yr-old entertainer, thinking it was the restroom, and meets him.

Nicholas Galitzine, British actor, plays the young entertainer, Hayes. He is a member of a boy band and takes an immediate liking to Solène. Her first reaction is "I am too old for you." His reaction is "I don't care."

This is a well-done movie, the situations and dialog are interesting, the sound track is very good.

I've previously read the book, so I anticipated that the movie might not fully live up to my expectations, and unfortunately, I was correct. However, I appreciated how the overall plot was adapted for a faster pace, and both Anne Hathaway and Nicolas Galitzine delivered strong performances. My only gripe is that Ella Rubin seemed too old to convincingly portray Anne Hathaway's teenage daughter; in certain scenes, they resembled siblings rather than mother and daughter, which detracted from the immersion. Nevertheless, the movie excels, particularly in its departure from the book's ending, providing readers with a satisfying closure.

Take the 2023 Jennifer Lopez film Marry Me, mix it with the 1999 Julia Roberts film Notting Hill, and you get this movie basically.

Good for what it is. But, why do people have to go and make things so complicated, in the words of Avril Lavigne?

This movie was pleasant, but also frustrating because the female character was too hung up on her age and what other people thought. Meanwhile, she had a literal Prince charming they're waiting for her, time and time again. All that precious time wasted, worrying over nothing.

If anything, this movie demonstrates why people shouldn't let anything get in the way of true love, how silly it is to do so.

I **love** both of these main character actors -- Anne Hathaway is an inextricable part of my youth and Nicholas Galitzine is an wonderfully talented actor and singer -- and the book/audiobook was wonderful and touching. Unfortunately, this movie has gutted everything about the story and all of these characters that created any kind of emotional impact. I'm so, so very sad about what they've done to this book. It seems as though perhaps the depth of the story would have been better suited to a series so the true emotionality of the characters could have been appropriately explored and developed.

I am not going to pick apart every detail of this movie. I haven't read the book. I'm not a huge Anne Hathaway fan. But I loved every moment of this movie and how it made me feel. I felt like I was on a holiday from life - I'm not a mother and I'm not yet 40, but I see so many of us living a mundane life, putting ourselves second whether it's for careers or children, and so the excitement of being caught up in the most unexpected fantasy romance is really awakening. I think the lead actors had impeccable chemistry, I enjoyed every little nuance of body language and dialogue (which of course, cannot be perfect, real life isn't perfect!). I will watch this again - thank you for making it!

Anne and Nicholas both had great acting. Worth the watch if you liked movies like Fifty Shades, and rom coms. However, i do think it was rushed, and not that much plot besides a boy in a boyband, and a girl who sells art. The romance scenes are good, but it's very fast paced. I wouldn't expect much better than most romance flicks, but the music played is good. I thought it was kinda weird for her to be 40 and him to be 20, and that be the basis of it, i'm not sure what they were trying to do with that as Anne and Nicholas look about the same age and you don't really think of that the whole movie. Not a waste of time movie, try it, you might like it. Critic Review is accurate in my opinion.

I don't care that that sounds cheesy or you might think it's overrated. As a 40 year old women myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this! Loved the romcom vibe (although romcom doesn't do it justice, more just a heartfelt story), it made my heart so happy and brought me back to the old days and realised, with all the content coming out, that I haven't enjoyed a movie like this in a long time. Anne is wonderful, she displays emotions so well without it being overdone or unbelievable. I was moved by her and her performance. Nicholas was great too, it all felt very natural and easy. And maybe that's why I loved it so much, I mean that first kiss scene was epic! Man, talking about chemistry! And a real kiss! I loved that the story was really about the two main characters and their chemistry and the natural execution of it sucked me to the screen. And there does not need to be much happening, because these two carried the film. It made my heart happy, I felt giddy, emotional, it's sexy, it made me laugh here and there, I mean what more could you ask for?! The same ingredients could be in any movie and I still could not feel anything. And then there is this one, which it just works. It made me feel it, believe it and I love it when a movie does that.

This is honestly just an average movie. I really dont see why it would be hyped up but I also dont understand the very negative reviews.

There was nothing necessarily wrong with the movie. I personally did feel some chemistry between them but it was also awkward.

I think the age gap should have been less of an issue especially in this day and age but I guess it speaks to the power of social media and everyone thinking they have a say about everything.

Ann Hathaway looks good (although a little too thin) but I think that's why it worked because she did not look her age in the traditional sense.

This is not a movie I would recommend to anyone but it was a decent way to spend two hours of down time.

I was skeptical at first and thought I would like this movie because it is fanfiction, but I was proven wrong. It suprised me in a good way.

Anne was amazing in portrayal of Solène the role really suits her. Nicholas did a satisfactory job with singing I wish songs where more catchy so that they can be popular and after movie.

There is such great chemistry between Anne and Nicholas which is so important for this kind of movie. I really enjoyed watching their scenes.

Also I really like how they showed the difference in people's reactions when they saw her as a woman dating a younger man versus her ex-husband dating a younger woman.

Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine try and do their best with the adapted source material that ambivalently centers on a 40 year old divorced LA mom getting romantically involved with a British boyband popstar 16 years her minor. It also does little to elevate itself to film form with basic cinematography, an editing style of split-screen montages and its decision to bizarrely invest a large amount of the almost 2 hour run on Galitzine performing pop songs as his character. This leaves the script with no choice but to rush the conflict and outsource it to every single character that isn't actually them. In the end you're left wondering if Hathaway's problem was ever really their age gap or is her character's parenting situation just very specific.

Anne Hathaway plays Solene, a newly divorced art gallery owner who meets Hayes, a much younger than her musician played by Nicholas Galitzine. They embark upon a destined-to-fail romance.

Firstly this is pure formula. Girl meets boy, thinks about it. Falls for him, they split, they get back together, they split again, they get back together again, they split again. This ridiculous formula is so tedious and worn and it drives me nuts.

However there was a saving grace in that the story deals with an older woman and a younger man and what that can do to a family. Solene's ex husband is angry, her daughter is upset, the internet is in a frenzy and Solene cant cope with it all. It reminds me of the circus that came to town when Harry Styles started dating Olivia Wilde. It's as if as an intelligent species we cant cope with two people falling in love if there is a 10 year age difference. And yet there was Celine Dion... There's also a message in there about intrusive press. The press have to get a story to sell newspapers, but why do they pursue something as simple as two people dating? The celebrity mania in this world is insane and although the film is scripted, it is precisely how the internet and news outlets react when they sense something. Taking pictures of two people surreptitiously in order to sell papers should be illegal. It is often the press that drives anger and upset about things.

And that's a subtext of this film: the press. We are only scared of crime because the press alert us to each and every crime that happens, sensationalising it to make sure we read it. We are only terrorised by terrorists because the press bring us detailed stories of their atrocities and bombard us with pictures of horror. The press act indignant and shocked because 2 adults fell in love, and they drive people to jump on the bandwagon, ensuring that more papers are sold and more clicks registered. Perhaps it's time to take a long hard look at the press, and what they do, and how they negatively influence life and people.

There's all that and more in this film so although I am not a Hathaway fan, I did very much enjoy the story. I gave it a 7.

I really confessed more after this movie, a super interesting topic of an older woman entering into a relationship with a younger man. But the topic was treated very superficially. Unfortunately, the main actress didn't seem to handle the role well; there wasn't a sense of true chemistry or love between the characters. And the scene where she's supposed to go to the pool and feels ashamed of her body in front of twenty-year-olds, despite being a super sexy skinny woman in her forties and looking much better than them, is absurd!! It's sad that the film's story could have shown a deeper issue of stigma against women in relationships with younger men, but it portrayed it so superficially and emotionally flat.

Best new movie I've seen in years! Anne Hathaway is just incredible. She took what could have been a cheesy movie and made it something so nuanced. I swear I can tell what her character is thinking. I literally both laughed out loud at the little jokes (not over done at all) and cried tears of sadness and joy. I have never had a designated "feel good" movie but now I do. Also shout out to that detergent brand All or whatever for making the movie free without ads. THAT makes me want to buy. The world needs just HAPPY movies!

When I tell you the movie was so good I made this account just to write the review. I have NEVER reviewed a movie. It was just perfect.

The Idea of You is a long winded romantic drama that's exploration of the struggle to maintain a relationship that's constantly in the spotlight is its greatest strength. It doesn't shy away from the burden of fame in the social media age on everyone caught in it and the way relationships with an age gap are viewed. All of this combined with a genuinely sweet romance is enough to overcome the bloated run time.

Anne Hathaway is amazing as she single-handedly elevates this into something more thoughtful. The pain and happiness that comes with this relationship is portrayed beautifully in everything she does and says. Nicholas Galitzine has to work extra hard to make up for the awful boy band performances and pulls it off. He's able to make Hayes swoon worthy whilst dropping that persona when needed to give him some humanity.

Michael Showalter's direction is solid despite a couple of montages and title cards looking cheap. There's some pretty nice looking moments throughout and the palpable tension between its stars is employed effectively in a handful of fairly steamy scenes. There's not a shred of irony here, which was the right decision since it's only going through very predictable motions.

What was Anne H thinking when she accepted this project? She being a serious actress and done high quality movies, this seems like she went on a crisis. The concert scenes are extremely boring and except for the moment they met, the interactions between both are very forced and fake. The idea of the plot could have been a great one if they had taken out the pop star piece and ridiculous paparazzi scenes. They could have done a very deep emotional and smart story of romance between two normal people and it would have been worth watching or even recommended. Both actors are very good so is a pity they accepted this terrible bad movie. Don't waste your time.

LOVED THIS MOVE! This isn't getting the credit it deserves. I can't believe the ratings aren't higher, as I've watched it over and over. The chemistry between Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine is HOT! It's electric, and they did such an amazing job with this movie. The movie is tastefully done, but still sexy! No nudity at all. I loved every minute of it. I have literally been watching in repeat, and listening to the soundtrack over and over. Nicholas Galitzine sings beautifully, and some of the songs are really catchy. The story line is great, obviously a chick flick, but it's the fantasy for all us older women. It keeps hope alive that one day the fire can still be there for the rest of us! LOVE THIS! GIVE US MORE! I'm definitely a Nicholas Galitzine fan now.

40 y/o soccer mom goes to a festival, meets, pulls, and falls in love with a member of a top boy band. Sounds implausible, but "Implausible" is by no means a bad thing.

I should blame Amazon, as it was they who advertised this as a comedy-drama, but it's in reality (in part at least) a fairly standard and deja vu chick flick. There's a dearth of laugh out loud moments, and when an overdue story arc does hit a turning point, it makes sense, but there is a slight lack of oomph.

I've long thought of Anne Hathaway as being short of a top drawer actress, but sadly it looks as though this is her level these days. At times, her efforts to convey some emotion look a little constipated.

Overall, although I've given it as many marks as I honestly can, and they're not outstanding, this film is still a keeper. If it can hold my attention for the better part of 2 hours, it can do the same for you, but it suffers from being a film of two halves. Goofy at first, deeper and more meaningful later on, and ending a little anticlimactically.

And therein lines the issue. It doesn't matter what side this film picked, whether a goofy chick flick, or a Sunday afternoon Hallmark offering, or a serious critique of celebrity culture and online harassment, as long as it picked one. If it had planted its flag somewhere definite in the sand, it'd have potentially got a lot more marks.