When 40-year-old Solène encounters 24-year-old Hayes, a member of a popular boy band, their meet-cute – in his trailer at Coachella of all places – soon escalates into a passionate romance. While this premise is utterly fantastical, the way that it unfolds makes for a surprisingly delightful watch. The Idea of You is, at its heart, a poignant love story about two people who long to be together even when the world seems dead set against it.
As May December relationships go, especially ones where the woman is older, this was never going to be the most acceptable scenario. But rooting for Solène is easy, as hers is a wonderful depiction of a woman journeying into her 40s – she’s self-aware, kind, successful, sophisticated, confident, and a devoted mother. She just happens to find love in an unlikely place. Similarly, there’s also more than meets the eye to Hayes as this young megastar who is disillusioned by his boy band career and yearns to be taken more seriously as a singer. And so meeting someone who doesn’t see just him for the celebrity that he is was naturally intriguing.
Where The Idea of You stands out is in how it allows both characters to be fully realized human beings. Which is something altogether rare in the genre. More often that not, rom-coms tend to reduce their characters into caricatures and cliches, but it’s telling how the ones that we deem timeless are in fact those that refuse to do so – Sleepless in Seattle, 10 Things I Hate About You, Something’s Gotta Give, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, etc.
Now don’t get me wrong, this is still very much a fantastical exercise. On the one hand, we have Solène, who is a gorgeous, chicly dressed mom who adapts well with her daughter’s Gen Z peers à la Lorelai Gilmore. And on the other, there’s Hayes, who, at the peak of his career remains devoutly faithful her from day one. But it is the vulnerabilities and depth of both characters, so brilliantly portrayed by Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, that make that these notions somewhat believable.
It is why we end up rooting for Solène and Hayes. Their care, attention, and attraction towards each other is apparent throughout the movie. Their chemistry is electrifying. And while the montages of jet-setting and secret dates are a little overworked, it is in the moments where Solène and Hayes sit down and talk that end up packing a real emotional punch. (Their first meaningful conversation at Solène’s dining table gives us a real tour de force performance by Hathaway.)
Now I should note that the ending of the movie is something of a departure from Robinne Lee’s novel. In the source material, Solène lies and claims to have only loved the “idea” of Hayes, in order to stop him from quitting his band to be with her. It is an arguably more realistic and bittersweet ending as she understood how the both of them were on different paths in life; ones that she felt couldn’t possibly intersect.
The movie, however, paints a more hopeful love story where Hayes chooses to pursue both his desires – a songwriting career as well as Solène. This is in line with his own wish to play music from his heart as well as to be appreciated beyond just the “idea” of who he is as a person. And what better way to embody the latter than by choosing for himself the particularly human experience of being in love. I suppose the main difference between the two endings is that in the movie, she lets him do so. Solène allows him to make that decision for himself.
At the end of the day, theirs is a relationship that offered a chance for self-discovery – for Solène it was to reevaluate her sense of self as she enters middle age, and for Hayes it was to lean to embrace who he is as he navigates an adulthood that goes beyond just being the member of a boy band.
With The Idea of You, director Michael Showalter has successfully adapted a tale that is, both too good to be true, and yet still seemingly grounded in reality. He does so by exploring the essence of being human through the two main characters as well as some supporting ones, in particular, Izzy, Daniel and Eva. Throw in some catchy tunes, subtle humour, and effortless charm, and what you get is a peculiarly intense romance that somehow felt like a rather easy-breezy watch. It’s no surprise that some fans of the novel have had their issues with the movie, but none of that negates the movie’s own distinctive appeal.
The Idea of You is a lovely little entry to the canon that brings us back to the heyday of romantic comedies. It makes you feel good and allows for a heartwarming escape, but also does more in providing some insight into the pitfalls of celebrity worship culture. It also gets bonus points for giving us an age-gap romance with a female gaze. So if you’re a sucker for a Hallmark-like ending, or daydream of one day being plucked out from the crowd by your celebrity crush, you’re in for a gratifying little ride.
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