Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney are having a moment right now. Watch them together in Anyone But You, a sizzling enemies-to-lovers R-rated rom-com.
The R-rated romantic comedy Anyone But You, came out in late 2023 becoming a major box-office success proving there is still an audience for romantic comedies. The fact that it’s a sub-standard movie makes that point all the more vivid. Will Gluck who directed the movie, previously ventured into this genre with movies like Easy A and Friends with Benefits with reasonable success. Using the same formula of updating a classic for modern audiences like with Easy A, Gluck has injected some much-needed fuel into the dying genre.
Adapted from Shakespeare’s classic, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, Anyone But You stars Sydney Sweeney as Bea and Glen Powell as Ben, who after a meet-cute spend a wonderful night together. But, a misunderstanding put a blanket over the fire that sparked between them so much so that they start hating each other.
 Fate brings them back together as Bea’s sister Halle (Hadley Robinson) and Ben’s close friend Claudia (Alexandra Shipp) are getting married leaving our foes with the agitation of spending time together. In a pre-wedding dinner, a game of charades turns into an insult comic’s fantasy as Bea and Ben spit acid-laced remarks at each other resulting in Halle’s hair catching fire.
In fear that the best day of their lives will be ruined, Halle and Claudia devise a plan to bring Bea and Ben closer together. What follows is a tale older than the Elizabethan era when Shakespeare wrote his play and is remarkably resonant today as well.
The wedding conveniently takes place on an Australian beach so the entire cast can flaunt their beach bods. It adds to the cinematographer Danny Ruhlmann’s effective work as the movie has an easygoing feel with its muted grey and green-blue texture. The selected soundtrack is just as pleasing to the ear. The picturesque locations in Australia succeed in distinguishing Anyone But You from other romantic comedies, making the popcorn go down easier.
As the lead, Glen Powell has everything one can ask from a leading man except the required charisma. Or so Anyone But You will have you believe. He’s like a great, shiny shell with a rotten egg within. Sydney Sweeney is sweet and attractive, but the slapstick comedy doesn’t suit her. Besides that, she is fine as a romantic lead. The dialogues written by Gluck and Ilana Wolpert take care of the heavy lifting as there are quite a few witty bantery moments in the movie.
Its commercial success should encourage filmmakers to revive the romantic-comedy genre, which is great. Anyone But You is a date movie since there will be plenty to discuss after, whether you liked the movie or not. If you don’t have a date, don’t watch it. You won’t miss much.
Bea – ‘Why are you so out of breath?’
Ben – ‘I’m fine!’
Bea – ‘You have like a 10-pack!’
Ben – ‘I’m not out of shape! I bench 295, I just don’t do cardio.’
Bea – ‘Oh my God, you’re hot girl fit!’
Ben – ‘I’m not hot girl fit!’