On December 22, Anyone But You was released to the big screen. Within the first few weeks, it grossed 35 million dollars.
The film follows Bea (Sydney Sweeny) and Ben (Glenn Powell) as they give their relationship a second chance, but the first time ends horribly. The pair spend the film in Australia as they prepare for a wedding they are both invited to. Their friends and family try to mend Bea and Ben’s relationship to ease the tension within the wedding party, and being annoyed by their friends’ incessant attempts, the pair agree to pretend to be in a relationship for the sake of the wedding.
The film is based loosely on Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing but flips the play’s narrative for a modern audience. Rather than Bea and Ben being the butt of the joke after being tricked into a relationship, the pair trick everyone else by faking their relationship. As Bea and Ben grapple with their feelings for each other and their ex-lovers, the stakes of their situation slowly rise. Their disagreements cause several events to go awry, or they end up ruining the wedding decorations before the big day.
Not only does Anyone But You focus on the relationship between Bea and Ben, the film analyzes the personal turmoil of either character, as well as creating 3-dimensional side characters to make the film more cohesive and compelling. In the film, Bea is struggling to find meaning in her life after ending a years-long relationship with her high school sweetheart, as well as grappling with the fact that she does not enjoy the career she chose. Junior Kaitlyn Truong noted that Bea’s self-discovery “created a more likable character, and her struggles outside of her relationship with Ben made it easier to root for her.”
Many people also believe that the side characters were some of the better characters in the movie. Senior Nora Schulze highlighted Ben’s ex-girlfriend’s new lover as one of the best characters in the film by saying, “Beau is fun comedic relief that eases the tension from the main relationship.” Beau is an amalgamation of Australian stereotypes meant to juxtapose the serious demeanor of Ben. Characters like Beau are only side characters; however, they are still well-developed and help move the plot forward thoughtfully. Overall, Anyone But You offers a revival of the romantic comedy and opens the door for many lighthearted yet thoughtful films to follow.
