Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Bea and Ben meet at a coffee shop, and are immediately attracted to each other, but after an amazing day-and-night together, they go their own ways over a misunderstanding, until they cross paths again at a wedding in Australia. The two immediately cross swords and start bickering, so when their friends and family try to set them up so they won’t spoil the wedding celebrations, Bea and Ben attempt to outsmart others by pretending to be a couple.
Directed by Will Gluck, who co-wrote “Anyone But You” with Ilana Wolpert, this romantic comedy is inspired by Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” So, just like the play, there’s a lot of deliberate whispering and gossiping by the characters in the movie to trick Bea and Ben into falling for each other. Also, a lot of quotes from the play cleverly appear like Easter eggs throughout the runtime, from being on sign posts, to appearing as book covers.
Actors Sydney Sweeney and Glenn Powell make a good-looking onscreen pair as Bea and Ben in the film. Their characters often fight like bratty little kids, which is supposed to be funny but unfortunately comes off as more annoying than comedic. It’s a shame because “Anyone But You” gets a lot of elements right: a fantastic-looking lead couple—Sydney Sweeney and Glenn Powell are like Barbie and Ken; even the supporting cast is chockablock with attractive faces; the cinematography is a visual treat, and the background music is pretty catchy. However, many dialogues are cringe-inducing, and the characters of Ben and Bea are exceedingly self-centered.
It’s pretty hard to like two people who are so caught up in their own petty hatred that almost everybody, including the soon-to-be-married couple, is more concerned about Ben and Bea’s behavior than their own celebration. And it’s Bea’s sister who is getting married, not just a friend, it’s family. Yes, this is a comedy film that’s not supposed to be taken seriously, but how difficult is it to write a funny romantic script without awful childish leads? Things might’ve been more entertaining if there was more spotlight on Bea’s sister Halle (Hadley Robinson) and her fiance Claudia (Alexandra Shipp), who barely get any screen-time, even though it’s their wedding.
There’s, of course, a clichéd subplot about both Ben and Bea’s former partners also attending the wedding, which is why they decide to play fake lovers: Ben to make his ex jealous, and Bea to repel hers. The funniest scene in the film has nothing to do with the leads; it’s when the wedding party goes on a hike (a day or two before the wedding), and Bea and Ben try to make a whole show of their intimacy, but everybody else is busy watching an adorable koala bear on a tree. The koala bear was basically the showstopper of “Anyone But You.”
All that said, the film does have a decent amount of funny scenes, but it’s far too derivative, chaotic and ends with a cheesy predictable climax typical of the genre. If you are looking for a no-brainer romantic comedy with attractive leads, it’s probably worth a watch.
Rating: 5.5 on 10. You can stream “Anyone But You” on Netflix.
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