As far as adaptations of mommy wish fulfillment novels go, The Idea of You is among the best and surprisingly universal. The Prime Video release could’ve been a low-key hit for Amazon if given a theatrical run, but the confident, alluring turn by Anne Hathaway and the unexpected charisma of her co-star Nicholas Galitzine (of Amazon’s other fanciful adaptation Red, White & Royal Blue) is sure to draw as many viewers who will get sucked into this surreal romance between a 40-year-old mom and a Harry Styles-esque pop star.
Author Robinne Lee took some inspiration from the former One Direction frontman, but also took some tips from Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James in crafting The Idea of You. The movie strikes an interesting balance between erotic and innocent, mature and girlishly silly. But then, we should expect the film to have a bit more heft behind it considering the talent involved. Director and co-writer Michael Showalter made The Big Sick, a beautiful and funny rom-com centered around a serious illness. He’s joined by co-writer Jennifer Westfeldt, who years ago wrote and directed the insightful comedy Friends with Kids.
But it’s Hathaway who draws us in, and it’s incredible the way she can rope us into buying any role she settles into. Radiant as ever, Hathaway plays Solène, a bruised divorcee and Los Angeles gallery owner, one of those beautiful, clueless Hollywood stereotypes who has no idea how uniquely gorgeous they are. She’s been burned by her ex, Daniel(Reid Scott), and his infidelity, but the impact is just as bad on their daughter Izzy (Ella Rubin), who has learned not to rely on her father to be where he’s supposed to be. When he messes up once again, it’s Solène who ends up at Coachella with Izzy, and somehow wanders into the trailer belonging to boy band member Hayes Campbell (Galitzine), who is instantly taken with her. She barely seems to know what the heck is going on and why this kid is suddenly so hot for her, going so far as to follow her back to California.
What’s unexpected are frank discussions of sex and a woman’s sexual freedom (pretty timely stuff at the moment), not to mention the significant age gap between Solène and Hayes. The press are eating it up, but the public perception comes with consequences. Solène also has to contend with what her teenage daughter thinks of mom galivanting with Hayes, who is much closer to her in age.
I’m only familiar with Galitzine from his hilarious performance as a dufus quarterback in the raunch comedy, Bottoms. In The Idea of You he’s less Harry Styles than Prince Harry, which gives me an idea how he probably was in Red, White & Royale Blue. Galitzine and Hathaway make for a steamy pair, hot enough that you can almost overlook when it sinks into the trite rhythms we expect from the genre. They still don’t always feel like real people, but characters ripped from a fan-fiction blog. Let’s be honest, it’s not a very high bar to clear, but The Idea of You is good enough that you don’t mind indulging in the fairy tale for a little while.
The Idea of You is streaming now on Prime Video.
