Over time, the romantic comedy has undergone some severe changes, and it seems like every recent entry into the genre is aiming to be some high-concept work that is filled with twists and turns, since there is an assumption that audiences only want to experience these films if there is some sense of surprise embedded in them, which is a logical approach but one that does mean that the very traditional, standard version of these films are gradually going extinct. It’s not too concerning, since some exceptions prove the genre hasn’t entirely disappeared from view. We find one of the more compelling recent examples being Anyone But You, in which director Will Gluck crafts a narrative ostensibly based on Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (although only extracting the most surface-level premise rather than structuring itself as a modern-day retelling of this remarkable play), telling the story of two individuals who harbour feelings of resentment for one another after a previous encounter that ended quite badly, but who are forced to work through these emotions when they find themselves sharing the same space while attending a destination wedding. They attempt to set aside their differences for the sake of the soon-to-be married couple, but discover that its impossible to move past this tension without directly addressing it, and in the process they discover that they have more in common than they initially thought, especially since this conflict is built on nothing more than their initial meeting, in which they barely got to know one another, something that is not a problem when they are now forced to spend nearly every moment together. A very simple comedy, but one that is extremely effective in what it set out to do, Anyone But You is a charming film that delivers what it promises, but not an ounce more than what was required. Slightly inconsistent in terms of tone and motivation, but one that easily overcomes these elements through the sheer charisma of its stars and its generally strong sense of humour, this proves to be a relatively entertaining excursion, albeit not one that is particularly daring or unique, which is perhaps exactly what was intended.

When it comes to contemporary attempts to make romantic comedies, it’s clear that filmmakers have to decide between two approaches: the first is to attempt to be original and run the risk of being too ambitious and having the work fail, or to follow conventions to the smallest detail, which ensures that it will be reliable, but perhaps not particularly exciting. Anyone But You falls squarely into the latter, and there is an argument to be made that this is a film that cobbles together the best components of existing works and attempts to pass them off as a bespoke work, even though anyone with even the vaguest knowledge of the genre can tell exactly what the points of inspiration for this film were, which can be an entertaining way to pass the time in itself. Will Gluck is a director who has traded originality for consistency – he’s the person who is hired to helm very simple films that meet all the criteria, not offering anything particularly revolutionary but being solidly crafted and entertaining enough to hold our attention, and this film is not an exception. It may not be quite as interesting as Easy A (which remains the only clear demonstration of his authorial vision), but it is a vast improvement on a number of the films he has made recently, primarily because it sets out its intentions from the start, and makes sure that it adheres to each one of them, deviating minimally and instead focusing on hitting all the required narrative targets. Consistency is a rare quality in a lot of mainstream films in recent years, and we can admire Anyone But You for offering something much simpler. It doesn’t quite live up to the supposed source material, at least in terms of the wit and candour present in more direct adaptations – but these are all minor flaws in an otherwise solid film that promotes itself as being more entertaining than it is insightful, which makes perfect sense given the overall intentions of the film.

Anyone But You is built on the very simple premise where the sole component driving this narrative is the enemy-to-lovers trope, which envelopes the entire story. As a result, casting was key, and it was very important to find two actors who are not only able to deliver good performances but also have terrific chemistry. In fact, we can make a case for the fact that this specific kind of romantic comedy is one of the only categories of film where a performance itself can be lacklustre but still effective if there is a decent amount of chemistry between the actors, which is a fickle concept but one that we’ve seen done quite well on occasion. Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell have been steadily rising for a few years now, and are finally starting to receive the offers and attention they deserve. The impetus for this film was arguably based around the hackneyed but unfortunately common trend of placing two exceptionally beautiful actors in a film with a simple story, in the hopes that a spark will develop between them and they will therefore be able to sell the often quite limited storyline. This has backfired many times, but it actually tends to be quite decent in the context of this film, primarily because both Sweeney and Powell are entirely committed to the premise, which shows in their unusually strong work together. Whereas Sweeney sometimes does tend to strain when it comes to dramatic material, or essentially anything that doesn’t require her to riff off the same kind of cosmopolitan, droll character, Powell is the very definition of interminable charisma, so much that they make a symbiotic pairing. It’s also interesting to find a romantic comedy where the male lead is actually the eccentric, unstable one and its the female lead is the voice of reason and depiction of sanity in the bizarre world being constructed around them (one of the many tropes of the genre that need to be reworked to be less steeped in sexist views), and the two actors play off each other very well. The banter between the leads is fantastic, and they are truly convincing, proving that genuine chemistry still exists in an industry that is gradually moving towards more puritanical values. It’s perhaps not quite as strong as previous pairings in more iconic entries into this genre, but it remains strong enough to be entirely convincing. Neither actor will be defined by their work here, but it will instead be pivotal to their continued growth (which feels like they’re both on the precipice of an eruption in popularity), and a worthy early entry into their careers when we look back at their origins.

Considering how much of Anyone But You is defined by its actors, if we set them aside and instead focus on the actual execution, we find quite a few elements that could have been improved, but unfortunately were overlooked as a result of this being a slightly rushed production, one that didn’t take the time to develop a number of its central ideas. To be fair, these are only clear to those who actually look beyond the more obvious elements, and as we often discover in efforts to search for meaning in these relatively conventional films, this isn’t always the wisest decision. Anyone But You is a glossy, overly simplistic romantic comedy that hits the obvious targets and in that regard can be considered a success. Much of the humour relies on the feeling of discomfort and intentional sense of secondhand embarrassment we get when seeing these characters interact, so prospective viewers should be warned that there is an abundance of awkwardness present throughout the film. The only way to truly enjoy this film, particularly if you are not consistently enamoured with these overly sanitised romantic comedies, is to simply surrender to their madness. The era of whip-smart screwball comedies is unfortunately in the past, with only a few recent films managing to live up to that impossibly high standard, so expecting this from a film like Anyone But You is bound to result in disappointment. This doesn’t disqualify it from being a reasonably compelling film when it hits it stride, and we discover that certain elements do earn our respect, particularly in its dedication to simply being entertaining, rather than conveying the false sense of being more complex than it actually is, which indicates a sincerity that is increasingly rare to find in a lot of modern romantic comedies, which usually masquerade as being more complex and daring than they are in reality. Gluck is aware of how to tell such a story that it becomes compelling on its own merits, and we eventually discover that it works best when it is allowed to be simple, an underrated quality that doesn’t receive as much acclaim as it perhaps should when it comes to this genre.

Attempting to rework any discussion about Anyone But You into some under-appreciated masterpiece or an unheralded work that didn’t receive its due seems bizarre, since this is a film that relishes in its ability to be simple and effective, finding its best elements emerge when it is not trying to be too overly dense or original. Originality is always something that should be celebrated, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that conventional films deserve our ire. Instead, it’s entirely possible that a film like this can exist without needing to be overly complicated or by straining itself to offer something we haven’t seen previously. It draws from a lot of popular works in the genre, and there is actually very little contained within this film that can be considered unique – but as we often find, it’s not so much what a film does, but rather the manner in which it is done that can make a difference. Anyone But You offers a solid, heartfelt and very funny story that is genuinely entertaining, and while it may not be entirely insightful or daring, it does manage to be mostly very charming, which is more than sufficient for such a simple premise. The main attraction (no pun intended) is the two leads, whose wonderful chemistry anchors the film and makes it such a delightfully compelling comedy. The humour isn’t as original as it could be, and a lot of the storyline is beyond obvious – but once we abandon the expectation that we’re going to get something unique with the film, the sooner we can simply embrace the off-the-wall eccentricity and appreciate it for what it is, which is a well-crafted and lovable comedy that delivers exactly what it says at the outset, and which proves that simplicity is sometimes a work of art’s greatest merit.