Amazon’s new rom-com starring Anne Hathaway, The Idea of You, is not only a good movie in its own right, but it also serves as a reminder of a classic of the genre from 1999. 

Based on the book of the same name by Robinne Lee, The Idea of You sees Hathaway playing a single mother, Solène.

Who begins a relationship with the lead singer of a famous boyband. As well as being a great showcase for Hathaway.

The Idea of You is reminiscent of a 25-year-old film that’s widely considered to be one of the best rom-coms of all time.

Along with Hathaway, The Idea of You cast features Red, White & Royal Blue’s Nicholas Galitzine.

As the male romantic lead named Hayes and Ella Rubin as Hathaway’s character’s daughter, Izzy. 

Overall, the film has been garnering generally positive reviews from critics, with much of the praise being focused on the performances and chemistry of the two leads. 

However, The Idea of You’s similarity to a ’90s hit with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 84% is inescapable.

Like Notting Hill , The Idea of You revolves around a famous personality and a normal person falling for one another.

Directed by Roger Michell from a script by romantic comedy impresario Richard Curtis, 1999’s Notting Hill stars Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts as the two central characters, Will and Anna. Will is a London bookshop owner, while Anna is a glamorous Hollywood movie star. A chance encounter brings them together, and they begin a wild and complicated love affair. The theme of fame and the idea of a celebrity trying to have a normal relationship with a non-famous person are fundamental components of Notting Hill. Equally, these are key ingredients in The Idea of You.

Like Notting Hill, The Idea of You revolves around a famous personality and a normal person falling for one another. In the case of The Idea of You, the celebrity is Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of a One Direction-style boyband called August Moon. Hathaway, meanwhile, plays a regular single mother named Solène Marchand. As with Notting Hill, the couple soon find themselves attracting a lot of sudden negative attention, which puts a strain on their relationship.

While The Idea of You may share a lot in common with Notting Hill, it ultimately flips the premise of the Richard Curtis classic. In The Idea of You, the gender roles are reversed, with the lead female character being the one who is new to the world of celebrity and the male character being the well-known star. It’s a simple yet effective alteration that allows the film to explore its themes from a different angle. Though celebrities experience fame-associated pressures, particularly regarding their romantic lives, it’s interesting to see a reversal of Notting Hill’s focus through The Idea of You.

The Idea of You incorporates new aspects that weren’t previously explored in Notting Hill.

In Notting Hill, it is Julia Roberts’ character who struggles with fame the most. Essentially, she is an actress who loves what she does but hates the fame that accompanies it. In The Idea of You, on the other hand, Hayes doesn’t appear to feel the pressures of stardom quite so much, and it is Solène who finds it hard to cope with the sudden attention.

Additionally, The Idea of You incorporates new aspects that aren’t explored in Notting Hill. For instance, The Idea of You’s character age-gap provides the film with a wealth of substance. Hathaway’s character is a 40-year-old mother, while Galitzine’s Hayes Campbell is depicted as being just 24. The movie shows the pair’s initial hesitancy to begin a relationship, worrying that their age difference may be an issue. In fact, the difference in ages between the couple is almost as important to the film’s narrative as the fame aspect.

On top of that, the inclusion of Solène’s daughter, Izzy, means that The Idea of You cleverly portrays the impact the central love affair has on the mother/daughter dynamic. It’s because of Izzy that Solène first meets Hayes since Izzy is a fan of August Moon, and Solène accompanies her to the concert. Understandably, discovering that her mother is in a secret relationship with her celebrity crush hits Izzy hard, and it’s ultimately for this reason that Solène begins to question her relationship with Hayes. In Notting Hill, neither Will nor Anna is shown to have children.

The Idea of You currently holds a very respectable Rotten Tomatoes score of 82%, which just shy of Notting Hill’s 84%. Both movies are great, and The Idea of You is certainly a welcome addition to the romantic comedy genre. Notting Hill is, however, the better of the two. The 1999 movie has the advantage in that it came out first, meaning that, despite The Idea of You’s successful attempts to say something new, it can’t quite move out from under Notting Hill’s shadow. Furthermore, Notting Hill has an enduring popularity that The Idea of You is unlikely to replicate.

Though The Idea of You doesn’t quite hit in the same way as Notting Hill, it is, nevertheless, a solid movie. Fewer and fewer rom-coms are prepared to be earnest and to wear their hearts on their metaphorical sleeves, but The Idea of You offers a nice throwback to romantic films of the past while injecting some modern aspects into the formula. Add to that a pair of stunning performances by the two leads, whose chemistry is nothing short of electric, and The Idea of You might just be the best romantic comedy of the year.

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Source: The Wall Street Journal