By Daniela Chamarro Angeles ’27
Staff Writer
Warning: this story contains spoilers for the movie “Anyone But You.”
The immense popularity of the new romantic comedy “Anyone But You” has led some critics to hail the start of a rom-com renaissance. The film was a box office success, earning more than $200 million globally, and has begun trending on social media. It has even started a TikTok trend featuring the end credit song “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield, which has made the Billboard Top 20 in the U.K. for the first time in 19 years.
“Anyone But You” begins with a chance encounter between Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell), sparked by Bea’s quest for a restroom key at a local coffee shop. The two immediately connect and spend the day together, eventually drifting off to sleep on Ben's couch. In the morning, Bea quietly sneaks out, but later has a change of heart and returns to Ben’s apartment, only to inadvertently overhear him disparaging her by saying that she didn’t mean anything to him.
Six months later, fate brings them together again, this time for a wedding involving their respective family members in Sydney, Australia. Bea, fresh out of a relationship and having just dropped out of law school, is shocked to find out that not only is Ben on the same flight as her, but they'll also be staying at the same place for the wedding. Forced to spend time together due to their family and friends, they pretend to be a couple to appease the wedding guests.
Ben and Bea begin a fake relationship after Bea faces pressure from her parents, who want her to get back together with her ex. Ben wants to date his childhood friend, who is already in a relationship and uses his ruse with Bea to make her jealous. They come up with this plan to pretend to be a couple as it would work in both of their favor. However, their fake relationship slowly becomes real as the story evolves.
On its own, the film adds nothing new to the romance genre. It is full of clichés and tropes that already exist in older iconic rom-coms such as “The Proposal” and “Friends with Benefits,” making the movie quite predictable. The main characters are both superficial and one-dimensional, and we learn almost nothing about them besides the fact that they hate each other. Bea is a law school dropout, and Ben works in finance, but the audience never hears about their hobbies or interests. Their hatred for one another is also unrealistic since it’s based on a simple misunderstanding that could’ve been solved if the characters communicated their feelings with each other.
Ben and Bea act foolishly and childishly, which makes them unsympathetic to viewers. For a movie targeted toward adults, the characters act more like teenagers. Some situations in the film are also completely absurd and illogical to the point that the plot feels silly.
Despite these flaws, the film is captivating and fun to watch due to the actors. Regardless of the abundance of the fake dating trope in other media, “Anyone But You” knows how to entertain its audience, and despite the audience knowing how the film is going to end, it’s satisfying to see this fun and enjoyable plot evolve. The film prioritizes the actor pairing and chemistry rather than plot, which is essential to its success. Actor chemistry is an intangible factor of a film, but it is a key to its appeal. The spark and connection between the actors in this rom-com is its real charm.
Great pacing is also a part of why the film is enjoyable. The narrative is fast-paced and never bores the audience by adding unnecessary scenes. Every scene in this film has a purpose: to build the relationship between the protagonists and establish their dynamic.
Though the film doesn’t innovate nor tell an original story, Powell and Sweeney’s chemistry is what makes the movie the phenomenon it has become. The actors are the true essence and heart of this film, and I wonder what else they could have done if they had been given a better script. However, the film is charming and an amusing watch for a rom-com fan. The chemistry between Sweeney and Powell is unmatched, and they do an amazing job of portraying their characters and getting the audience invested in their love story.
“Anyone But You” is starting a rom-com renaissance. It’s one of the most recent box-office successes of the romance genre, and people haven’t stopped talking about it on social media. The romance genre, which has been criticized and diminished over the years due to unsuccessful movies in the genre, is finally having some success. This means that other filmmakers will probably try to copy this successful formula and create more appealing romantic comedies. Currently, there’s even a possibility of the film getting a sequel due to its success. Overall, I definitely agree with this take, “Anyone But You” is reviving the rom-com genre, and the film is a cute, entertaining story with talented actors. I think rom-com audiences may be presented with similar films soon.