At some point, we have all experienced that magical moment when we see someone and instantly find ourselves smitten. There’s nothing quite like love at first sight, to the point where entire artistic careers have been built on the pursuit of some understanding of this elusive concept that is somehow both universal and impossible to fully comprehend. For some, this experience comes from someone ordinary that we encounter in our daily lives, while for others it can form from an interest in someone famous, which can be an even more challenging scenario, considering how very rarely these people are in finding their feelings even acknowledged by the subject of their affection, let alone reciprocated. This is the foundation of The Idea of You, in which director Michael Showalter, in collaboration with screenwriter Jennifer Wesfeldt, adapts the novel of the same title by Robinne Lee, which follows a mild-mannered suburban mother who finds herself hopelessly falling in love with a world-famous pop star after a chance encounter at Coachella, and to her immense surprise, the young man returns her feelings, sending them into a whirlwind romance where they find themselves battling scrutiny from both the general public and those closest to them, discovering that the rallying cry of “age is just a number” isn’t quite the defence they imagine it to be, which leads to a series of unexpected challenges for this couple. A film formed very much within the canon of over-the-top but deeply lovable romantic comedies that don’t adhere to any sense of rational thought, The Idea of You is a terrific and endearing film that doesn’t take itself too seriously and knows how to navigate some tricky narrative challenges to become a wonderfully eccentric, offbeat work that may not be particularly realistic, but makes up for it in sheer charm, which is something many modern entries into this genre have seemingly lost, and which we are ready to welcome back without any hesitation, especially in such a lovely, upbeat form that keeps us engaged and invested in all the ways that matter.

The challenge with a film like The Idea of You is that it is difficult to separate fact from fiction and view it as anything more than a piece of fan fiction that the author wrote in response to what we can only assume was a festering attraction to a particular pop star (which is widely speculated to be Harry Styles, although there hasn’t ever been confirmation as to who inspired the secondary protagonist of Lee’s novel), which does not come across as being particularly artistically resonant or meaningful. However, this only proved to be a challenge that Showalter easily overcomes, since he turns the novel into quite an endearing film, particularly in removing the more cliched elements found in the novel (which is undeniably lovely, it just reads as sometimes too overly simplistic, which is perhaps the purpose but not something that always translates well to film), and repurposing the story to be far more compelling in terms of how it looks at certain ideas. We’ve seen several films in recent years that directly address to proverbial concept of the “May December” romance, some looking at it more positively than others. This film doesn’t quite venture that far into the discourse, especially since it makes sure to place the two main characters at a slightly closer age, to avoid making it too overly controversial, while still infusing the story with some depth that comes about in discussing the concept of age gaps in relationships, and how society views those from different generations finding themselves falling in love. Those expecting The Idea of You to be a hard-hitting, insightful examination of this kind of relationship are not going to find what they’re looking for, since this is unquestionably a film that celebrates the concept of love not knowing any boundaries (granted it is consensual and legal, an important distinction this film makes throughout), which is encouraging and motivating in a way, even through its most implausible moments.

Considering how narrow the boundary between delightfully quaint and outright hackneyed is when it comes to this kind of film, The Idea of You certainly had a lot of work ahead of it when it came to telling this story, and it mostly succeeds in all areas, even with some slightly tenuous leaps of logic. One of the most important elements of such a film is the actors cast to bring the characters to life, and it is something that Showalter (who has shown himself to have an incredible knack for extracting terrific performances from his actors) does exceptionally well. This film features Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, who are an unlikely pairing in theory, but prove to be an exceptional set of protagonists. In recent years, Hathaway has found a secondary niche as a character actor, taking on more unconventional roles in films that challenge her as an actor, which has proven to be quite successful in projects like Eileen and The Witches, which feature tremendous performances from one of the most gifted actors of her generation. Yet, it would be wrong to imply that she’s not thoroughly enchanting in this film, precisely because she returns to her roots, which were firmly planted in the romantic comedy genre. One of the qualities that made her such a popular performer at the beginning was her undeniable charisma – she could light up even the most dismal of projects through the sheer power of her magnetism, which made her one of the most endearing movie stars of the past few decades. The Idea of You allows her to play into her natural charms yet again, and as a result, we find ourselves entirely drawn to her from the beginning. However, we can’t dismiss the solid work being done by Galitzine, who has steadily been evolving into one of the most versatile actors working today, emerging as a breakout star of several films that don’t necessarily centre on him, but do make good use of his unique talents. The two are a terrific pairing, and while there are some delightful supporting performances scattered throughout the film, The Idea of You is solely based on exploring their undeniable chemistry, which essentially propels the entire film and makes it so thoroughly entertaining.

The most important element of The Idea of You that needs to be consistently kept in mind is that this is not a film aspiring towards being realistic. We have reached a point where authenticity has become almost alluring for many filmmakers, with the idea of presenting a realistic depiction of a certain subject being mostly very appealing, even within genres that don’t necessarily need to adhere to such constraints. As a result, it feels like quite a stark change to see a romantic comedy that is this committed to the absurdity of its premise, to the point where it becomes endearing. It isn’t too bizarre, but some elements are so delightfully off-the-wall and peculiar, that it only makes the film more charming – the first encounter between the two protagonists is so deeply unrealistic, that it becomes hilarious, which is the entire purpose of the film, which exists within a dreamlike, fantastical version of reality, one where an ordinary person can simply walk into a world-renowned singer’s caravan and not be swarmed by an army of security, and one where such a relationship can exist without any obstacles other than some off-handed comments about the age difference between the characters, or where such a relationship can exist for nearly six months without the public becoming aware. Logic may seem to be an important aspect of a story, but it doesn’t always need to factor into every film, and The Idea of You is the kind of project in which the lack of dense rationality is a merit since it allows for some sense of freedom. Had this film been a more sobering, realistic film, it may have been more insightful and intelligent, but it would lose the charm quite quickly, and probably be far less entertaining, since the time spent exploring this relationship with instead be used to justify the reasons behind this romance, without actually contributing anything of value to the overall story. It may be cliched and rife with inconsistencies, but it compensates through the sheer charm that exudes from every frame, and The Idea of You proves to be a reminder of the importance of just surrendering to the foolishness that comes with a well-made romantic comedy, and how truly entertaining it can be when done well.

There’s a reason why we all adore fairytales when we are younger – the simple structure of the story that takes place in versions of reality that are easy enough for everyone to understand, but where anything is possible is very appealing. We lose this sense of wonder as we grow older, but it is sometimes revived when we encounter films like The Idea of You, which is essentially the very definition of a fairytale romance targeted at older viewers. This is not the kind of romantic comedy that will convert those who are not already enamoured with this kind of dreamlike, offbeat story in which logic is sacrificed in favour of giddy romance that is more likely to elicit giggles than it is to provoke thought, so this is something that should be taken into account when entering into this film, which is otherwise a very charming endeavour that will be most appealing to those who are already aligned with this kind of quaint style of romantic storytelling. The Idea of You is worth it for the devil-may-care approach to romance, as well as the delightful humour and wonderful performances that anchor the film and make it seem somewhat realistic, albeit only marginally and enough to maintain our focus. Not revolutionary by any means, but firmly reliable and charming in all the ways that matter, this film is entertaining and often quite touching, and if we can overlook the frequent cliches and sometimes predictable story, it becomes a lot of fun – but even factoring in these more traditional elements, The Idea of You is still a good time, and offers us exactly what it promises on the surface, which is a reliable and meaningful romp that is as romantic as it is heartwarming, both of which existing in an abundance throughout this lovely film.