"Anyone But You" is a tortured adaptation of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." If there were truth in advertising, they'd have kept the original title.
In this tale, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) meets Ben (Glen Powell) in a coffee shop. After an intense, but chaste, day and night together, each misinterprets the situation and assumes the other isn't interested. Recriminations ensue. But wait! Bea's sister is marrying Ben's close friend. So they are thrown together at a destination wedding in Sydney. Banter, confusion and obligatory shots of the Sydney Opera House ensue.
Why did Sony make this picture? If you're looking for snide comments from a bickering lead couple, a destination wedding, lush scenery at an exotic destination, frolicking in the ocean and a clichéd ending, check out 2022's "Ticket to Paradise" with Julia Roberts and George Clooney. In comparison to "Anyone But You," it's Shakespearean.
Despite a script that would have to be reworked and improved to be considered vapid, this could be a breakout role for Sydney Sweeney. After coming to prominence for playing a sullen teenager in Season One of "The White Lotus" and a young woman who makes consistently terrible decisions about men in "Euphoria," she's given a lot more to work with in this film. There are even opportunities to display some surprising skills at physical comedy. Glen Powell contributes a brooding manliness, washboard abs and an opportunity to demonstrate conclusively that he has no tan lines whatsoever.
Then there's the regular disrobing. The creative team describes their effort as "bawdy" and "sexy." Kinda. I'll go with "ludicrous." What's the solution to discovering a large spider on Ben? Have him remove all his clothes and throw them off a cliff. And when a wedding centerpiece is hit by exploding fireworks and catches fire? Of course you have an Australian model strip down to her underwear and beat the flames to death with her cocktail dress. Plausibility, nuance and subtlety are not descriptors that leap to mind.
If you decide to attend this movie, despite my best efforts, make sure to stay for the closing credits. Apparently, the cast sang lyrics from Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" at the end of each day's filming. The resulting montage at the end of the film is the most spontaneous, enthusiastic, fun and interesting segment of the film.
In Director Will Gluck's initial foray into rom-com territory, he introduced us to Emma Stone in a smart, well-acted film called "Easy A." The film, based on "The Scarlet Letter'" was a thoughtfully crafted send-up of high school culture. Here, he's regressed. "Anyone But You" just doesn't make the grade.
In this tale, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) meets Ben (Glen Powell) in a coffee shop. After an intense, but chaste, day and night together, each misinterprets the situation and assumes the other isn't interested. Recriminations ensue. But wait! Bea's sister is marrying Ben's close friend. So they are thrown together at a destination wedding in Sydney. Banter, confusion and obligatory shots of the Sydney Opera House ensue.
Why did Sony make this picture? If you're looking for snide comments from a bickering lead couple, a destination wedding, lush scenery at an exotic destination, frolicking in the ocean and a clichéd ending, check out 2022's "Ticket to Paradise" with Julia Roberts and George Clooney. In comparison to "Anyone But You," it's Shakespearean.
Despite a script that would have to be reworked and improved to be considered vapid, this could be a breakout role for Sydney Sweeney. After coming to prominence for playing a sullen teenager in Season One of "The White Lotus" and a young woman who makes consistently terrible decisions about men in "Euphoria," she's given a lot more to work with in this film. There are even opportunities to display some surprising skills at physical comedy. Glen Powell contributes a brooding manliness, washboard abs and an opportunity to demonstrate conclusively that he has no tan lines whatsoever.
Then there's the regular disrobing. The creative team describes their effort as "bawdy" and "sexy." Kinda. I'll go with "ludicrous." What's the solution to discovering a large spider on Ben? Have him remove all his clothes and throw them off a cliff. And when a wedding centerpiece is hit by exploding fireworks and catches fire? Of course you have an Australian model strip down to her underwear and beat the flames to death with her cocktail dress. Plausibility, nuance and subtlety are not descriptors that leap to mind.
If you decide to attend this movie, despite my best efforts, make sure to stay for the closing credits. Apparently, the cast sang lyrics from Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" at the end of each day's filming. The resulting montage at the end of the film is the most spontaneous, enthusiastic, fun and interesting segment of the film.
In Director Will Gluck's initial foray into rom-com territory, he introduced us to Emma Stone in a smart, well-acted film called "Easy A." The film, based on "The Scarlet Letter'" was a thoughtfully crafted send-up of high school culture. Here, he's regressed. "Anyone But You" just doesn't make the grade.