The Idea of You - Review

Rating: 2 out of 5

HYPED as a Notting Hill-inspired romantic comedy for the X Factor generation, The Idea of You struggles to attain the sweetness of that Hugh Grant-Julia Roberts crowd-pleaser, while simultaneously sounding out of tune with what it's trying to say.

It's also, curiously, not so much a rom-com as a star vehicle for leading lady Anne Hathaway - which also detracts from the romance at play.

Adapted from Robinne Lee’s best-selling novel, the story follows 40-year-old single mum, turned successful art gallery owner Soléne (Hathaway) as she embarks on an unlikely affair with 24-year-old boy-band cutie Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine) following a chance encounter at Coachella.

The ensuing romance takes on a global sprawl as Soléne follows Hayes on tour, keeping things as secret as she can, until the media gets a hold of their story and adds extra challenges.

Taken at face value, The Idea of You would seem to offer a combination of breezy what if? meet wish fulfilment fantasy (a la Richard Curtis) with something more serious in regards to its commentary on feminism, age and the toxicity inherent in modern media (whether journalism led or fan based).

But while there are some moments that get this mix right, the overall tone of the movie feels strangely false - and many of the problems lie with Hathaway (no matter how strong a performer she remains).

Anything the movie has to say about forty-something love (whether in terms of appearance or from a female perspective) is over-shadowed by the overly glamorous nature of Soléne as a character. She's almost too well presented and confident - to the point where Hayes, for all of his celebrity status, feels in awe of her.

It's a switching of the dynamic that made Notting Hill so appealing - the everyday book shop owner, played with clumsy charm by Grant, caught in the headlights of the glare of an A-list celebrity (Roberts), who is also struggling with her own place in the scheme of things.

Here, however, we have an ultra successful gallery owner, supposedly still wounded by past relationship failures, who presents as a chic, physically attractive go-getter, who seems to have Hayes in awe of her.

A scene in which she prepares to join a pool party and frets over appearance - when, in fact, possessing a figure equally as good as the young girls she's comparing herself to - is one of a number that rings utterly false.

It doesn't help, either, that she also hogs all the big moments, performing most of the film's big emotional moments. Hayes doesn't really have much to do and therefore struggles to build a rounded character, even though he acquits himself well with what he does do.

If anything, The Idea of You inadvertently feels more like Hathaway hero worship, with another of the cringe-inducing scenes coming when she has been outed by social media, goes to pick up her daughter from summer camp, and is greeted by several swooning mums (all with appearances more commonly associated with being 40).

The expected confrontation between mother and daughter also gets cut short, with said daughter pushing aside her own hurt to console her fragile mum.

Again, even secondary characters struggle to get a look in, thereby denying the film a broader perspective and greater possibility for debate afterwards.

The overall result is a film that struggles to have anything worthwhile to say, while simultaneously feeling forced and false.

The chemistry between the pair is decent enough to spare it from complete disaster - but only just when you start to unpick its many flaws.