Anyone But You is a modern twist on William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, focused solely on the characters of Benedick and Beatrice – played here as Ben and Bea(trice), two people who have a hilarious meet-cute in a coffee shop. They experience a fantastic one-day romance. But misunderstandings on both sides cause their would-be relationship to grow hostile, something they must overcome when Bea’s sister, Halle, is set to marry one of Ben’s closest friends, Claudia.
While not a direct adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, Anyone But You focuses solely on the love-to-hate relationship between Ben and Bea, which, if you ask me, is also the best part of Shakespeare’s play. Who doesn’t love an enemies-to-lovers romance?
Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney have palpable chemistry. I knew I already liked Powell from his role in Set It Up, but I had not yet seen Sweeney in anything. Like Powell, Sweeney is affable and has great comedic timing. I’m unsure how I feel about her as an actress yet, but I am excited to see her in something else. All I know is she and Powell were white hot on screen, and that’s what I love to see in a romantic comedy, especially one rated R.
I also want to rave about the supporting cast. My Best Friend’s Wedding co-stars, Dermot Mulroney and Rachel Griffiths, play Bea’s parents. Their expectations for Bea’s future are high, and they keep hoping that Bea will eventually reunite with her ex-fiancé, Jonathan (Darren Barnet). Alexandra Shipp and Hadley Robinson are the soon-to-be newlyweds, Claudia and Halle. They’re all fantastic, but much of the supporting comedy is supplied by GaTa, who steals his scenes as Pete, Claudia’s brother and Ben’s best friend.
Director Will Gluck is a director in the genre I’ve kept my eye on. I loved Easy A, liked Friends with Benefits a lot and… I can’t really remember Fired Up a lot, but I know my husband and I still quote it. With Anyone But You, he nails it again, managing to give us a charming rom-com with legit humor and romance. Perhaps it’s easier when you have a romantic, witty script to work with, not to mention two talented, good-looking leads who can do much more than just look pretty on screen.
Anyone But You is the kind of swoon-worthy romance we deserve to have more of, especially on the big screen. It embraces many of the genre’s tropes – fake dating, misunderstandings, the rom-com Bellamy, grand exclamations of love – and executes them perfectly. To say I left the theater smiling is an understatement, and I cannot wait to see it again.
