By Mr. Will Wong
Writer/Director Will Gluck has proven he can bring a crowd to the Box Office with an accomplished résumé, including EASY A, ANNIE, FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS, PETER RABBIT and PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY under his belt. He’s back with ANYONE BUT YOU, based loosely on Shakespeare‘s Much Ado About Nothing and certainly many eyes are on the Rom-Com’s two leads Glen Powell (Hidden Figures, Top Gun: Maverick) and Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria), both burgeoning stars in Hollywood.
The story centers on Ben (Powell) and Bea (Sweeney) having a chance encounter at a coffee shop one day. They hit it off well, leading to a date, but a misunderstanding between them both sets them apart. That is, till they are brought back together again by chance as Bea’s sister Halle (Hadley Robinson) is about to wed Ben’s best friend Pete’s (Gata) sister Claudia (Alexandra Shipp) in gorgeous Australia. With tons of unfinished business between our two leads, things get complicated when their exes show up and to avoid having to get back together with them, Ben and Bea stage their own romance… only to get a little too comfortable with one another. All the while, Bea isn’t sure if she wants to continue studying to be a Lawyer, keeping this secret from her parents.
There are many things to love about ANYONE BUT YOU, which is seasoned with equal dashes of lighthearted charm and raunchy humour. For one, Cinematographer Danny Ruhlmann captures Sydney so beautifully that even if the romance in this Rom-Com were to fall apart, at least we fell in love with the beauty of Sydney Harbour.
The other Sydney – Sweeney that is – is a magnetic presence on-screen, as is Powell. It is in fact very challenging to keep our eyes off them, alone or apart. But that being said, we yearn to go a bit deeper and see them really get pushed to fight for their love when every supporting character here feels like an intentional plot device to make them Ben and Bea fall in love with one another. It all feels inevitable and at times really reaching for laughs in the silliest ways possible, and deliberate in its attempts for us to feel something. We’d rather have had chemistry just breathe and the audience be allowed to do the rooting-for. On that same token, a talented Supporting Cast is relegated to being cheerleaders for our two leads, rather than thoughtful characters. The Film finds its footing late as Sweeney and Powell balance the dramatic turns with grace. We can’t help but wish this all felt more rewarding.
Sony Pictures Canada release ANYONE BUT YOU in theatres Friday, December 22, 2023.
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