The Idea Of You review: Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine’s romance is candid and honest 

Amid thrillers, biopics, and dramas that release each week on the big screen and OTT, the heart yearns to watch a feel-good love story. The good old fashion story where the boy meets a girl, falls in love, separates briefly due to some misunderstanding and eventually reunites for eternity. Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine'sThe Idea Of You ticks most boxes of a quintessential rom-com but then takes it a notch higher addressing middle-aged women and their desires in the most effective way possible.

Helmed by Michael Showalter, The Idea Of You is breezy enough for you to enjoy the leads falling in love but also deep dives into the dangerous side effects of the paparazzi culture, societal prejudices and more which makes the film slightly different and not as casual as a romantic comedy perceives to be.

Anne Hathaway plays Solene, an LA-based art gallery owner who reluctantly takes her 16-year-old daughter and her pals to Coachella for a meet-and-greet event with popular band August Moon. Solene's ex-husband has paid for the meet-and-greet but has bailed out. At Coachella, Solene meets Hayes (Galitzine), unaware that he is the lead singer of August Moon. Hayes is enamoured by Solene. She finds herself being drawn to himbut hesitates initially because he is 24 and she is 40 and he is the crush of millions of teenagers.

Hayes, an emotionally complex but kind and gentle man, is unassuming about his celebrity status. He pursues and charms his way to Solene's heart and the two embark on what seems like a summer romance initially with Solene travelling with Hayes as his 'Art Consultant' as he and his band tour Europe.

As the paparazzi get to know, the couple is followed and photos of their romance are splashed across various tabloids.Solene gets labelled not Hayes. From being called a cougar to being targeted for her age and looks, the internet and society at large come down harshly on the woman while calling the man the victim. As one of Solene's friend rightly points out, "People hate happy women," the society is quick to make judgements about her integrity and character, Solene initially makes peace with it and puts her happiness first. And Hayes gives her happiness but later the dynamics change when Solene's daughter Izzy starts getting affected.

Based on a novel of the same name by Robinne Lee, The Idea Of You has 40-year-old single mother taking the centre stage where she lives an unapologetic life. Even though bitter about her ex-husband cheating on her, Solene is someone who has moved on and made her teenage daughter her best friend whilefinding solace in her work. Love happens by chance for her and she fights back thinking of society and its norms. But as she finds herself drawn deeply to a much younger man, she realises the hypocritical nature of the society that she has been afraid of all this while.

Romantic comedies or love stories have that feel-good factor. But not too many make you think deeper, which fortunately The Idea Of You does. It helps that Hathaway and Galitzine share incredible onscreen chemistry and makes their pairing look very relatable. The songs, composed by Siddhartha Khosla and performed by Galitzine are nice and breezy adding freshness to the story.

The Idea Of You is a feel-good romance and despite its predictability, it manages to put a smile on your face. Hathaway and Galitzine make for a good-looking couple on screen. A modern-day fairy tale romance, The Idea Of You is candid and honest, and throws light on the double standards that exist in our society without being too preachy. The film is not meant for teenagers but for their parents, and talks of finding love and giving it a second chance.

The Idea Of You is releasing on Amazon Prime Video on May 2.