Movie Review: Anyone But You

Anyone But You (2023) is a visually appealing movie with surface-level jokes. Although marketed as the revival of the romcom genre, it lacked in refining its lead characters and plot. 

The film follows Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) and their enemies-to-lovers relationship. Loosely based on Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing, the ex-lovers reunite at a wedding. So the wedding goes smoothly, they fake their relationship.

Director Will Gluck, who also directed Friends with Benefits (2011) and Easy A (2010), was seemingly more focused on the setting and cast over the plot, despite having experience with recognized romcoms. 

The marketing for this film is what initially drew me to it. Powell and Sweeney are both famous, with Powell’s role in Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and Sweeney’s performance in Euphoria (2019). As well, both actors are conventionally attractive, which the film’s marketing team used to their advantage. 

The marketing focused on teasers of Powell and Sweeney that subtly implied a raunchy and spicy film. No one knew that it was based on Much Ado About Nothing until a few days before the film’s release. Even then, this wasn’t publicized nearly enough for it to be the attracting factor. Because many iconic romcoms are based on Shakespeare’s plays, many believed Anyone But You would bring back the golden-age of romcoms.

I watched Anyone But You with these high expectations in mind. But, as much as I enjoyed the film, it didn’t hit the spot. Although entertaining, it was clear that the focus is on the two lead actors’ looks. The film constantly finds ways to have the actors wear minimal clothing in scenes. The setting of Sydney, Australia is also visually appealing with beautiful sets and locations, including the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour. Shooting on location paid-off, as the entire film’s aesthetic is gorgeous.

Admittedly, I am the target-audience for a film like this. It indeed was a fun watch, enough for me to watch it twice in theatres. There were surface-level jokes that I found myself laughing out loud to, making it more enjoyable. Seeing Powell on the big screen as a male lead after his performance in Set It Up (2018) was nicely nostalgic. However, it wasn’t enough to save the film’s very superficial plot.

Bea’s character development is minimal, even though she arguably has the more leading role. Ben’s character is developed even less. It’s shown that Bea’s family expects her to get a law degree and marry before her sister. Both of these didn’t happen, and the films suggests that Bea is the struggling character in the film. However, her struggles appear only during the climax of the film. Otherwise, she is simply the female lead in cahoots with the male lead.

But, Ben and Bea do have good chemistry. I’d even go as far as to say they have better chemistry when they argue. They play off of each other’s comments quickly and with great delivery. Sweeney’s facial expressions when looking at Ben during these moments show pride, adding to her character quirks. Their back-and-forths were truly enjoyable to watch.

It is evident that the film took inspiration from the original Shakespeare play. Quotes from Much Ado About Nothing are hidden in plain sight throughout, which is exciting to catch on the first-watch. There could have been more integration of the play within the film, but with the minimal marketing of it being an adaptation, there wasn’t necessarily a need to add more.

The music in the film is very addicting. Although pop-culture heavy, I’ve had the film’s soundtrack on repeat since it came out, with “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield as a constant earworm. The callbacks to “Unwritten” — Ben’s serenity song — made his character more approachable. It was a good song to use to tie the whole movie together, especially using it as the song for the credits.

Overall, I don’t think Anyone But You marks the dawn of a new age of romcoms. Although myself and many others had high-hopes for it to be, the film doesn’t do itself justice. It relies on its visual appeal in more ways than one, with a very superficial storyline on the side. However, I did enjoy the film. I can see it becoming an airplane staple for many.