Anyone But You

Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney charm their way through this sexy but formulaic rom-com.

It feels like Sony’s marketing campaign for “Anyone But You” was simple: it’s a movie that stars two very attractive individuals who will presumedly do the deed at least once. Alas, it didn’t seem like the studio knew how to advertise the film outside of that gimmick.

You can’t fully blame them. Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeny are very hot, and not only that, but they've both been part of some high-profile projects that took pop culture by storm, namely “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Euphoria.” Their names have also been everywhere for the last two years, getting cast in high-profile projects left and right. It just makes sense that you would want to stick them in a romantic comedy together, and the tabloid headlines of an alleged affair on set only add to the zest of the project.

Stick them with a veteran rom-com director like Will Gluck, who gave us the highly underrated films “Easy A” and “Friends With Benefits,” and it should be a recipe for success. Although those trailers for the movie didn’t instill much confidence.

“Anyone But You” opens with Bea (Sydney Sweeney) a law student who has a meet-cute with stockbroker Ben (Glen Powell) at a coffee shop, all while trying to use the bathroom. Sparks fly instantly between the two of them, Bea has just gotten out of a relationship with her seemingly perfect boyfriend Jonathan (Darren Barnet) and Ben is getting over his relationship with his girlfriend Margaret (Charlee Fraser). Things just happened to work out. But things come to a very bitter conclusion and to put it simply, the two are no longer on good terms.

Months later, the two cross paths once more when Bea’s sister Halle (Hadley Robinson) and Ben’s childhood friend Claudia (Alexandra Shipp) get engaged, and invite them both to a destination wedding in Australia, where they’ll be forced to stay in the same house. Fed up with their constant bickering, their friends and family attempt to rekindle the two’s flame, only for them both to see it through. Ben and Bea decide that to get everyone to shut up and for Ben to win back the heart of his ex (who also happens to be attending the wedding), they need to fake a romance.

Of course, as all romantic comedies like this go, the more they fake the relationship, their romance begins to blossom once more.

As far as romantic comedies go, “Anyone But You” doesn’t break the mold nor does it reinvent it. Following in line with other recent successful romcoms like “Set It Up” and “I Want You Back,” but maybe not as successful, “Anyone But You” feels like the perfect kind of cinematic comfort food, especially for rom-com connoisseurs. You can even tell how the movie is going to end just by looking at the tagline “They only look like the perfect couple.” You’ve even seen the movie’s end credits before, just watch “There’s Something About Mary” and you’ll know exactly what is up.

With all that being said, it still works, and that’s mainly because of Powell’s undeniable charisma and leading man quality, and, Sweeney, whose sex appeal and snarkiness are perfect for this kind of movie. While there is a good argument to be made that Powell’s “Set It Up” co-star Zoey Deutch may have been an even better choice for this kind of role (and I would agree to an extent), Sweeney still proves to be a very good fit. Their chemistry works because of the will-they-or-won’t-they nature of the movie, their characters are bitter enemies who are pretending to be in love, but by the time the true sparks fly, you can buy into it.

They’re also backed by an amusing supporting cast, but it’s “Dave” alum GaTa who is the film’s big stand-out as Ben’s best friend and Claudia’s big brother Pete, who is constantly delivering hilarious one-liners and has an incredible bromance with Bryan Brown, who plays his step-father. Newcomer Joe Davidson also has a few bold stand-out moments as Margaret’s himbo surfer boyfriend Beau, who serves as Powell’s romantic rival, although he is completely unaware of that fact.

Much of this movie does feel like it might feel better suited for a streaming service rather than a theater, especially nowadays, but we also need more movies like this on the big screen. While the film does earn its R-rating, it still plays things relatively safe, it doesn’t get as raunchy as something like other R-rated comedies that came out this year (“No Hard Feelings” and “Joy Ride” come to mind), but it does give these characters a sex scene that actually feels sexy and tasteful, and not just played for laughs. This is the kind of film that truly believes that two characters in a romantic comedy should make love on screen, and that’s a good thing.

There are moments when the jokes don’t hit the mark or just feel completely absent and instead, the film feels like it is just relying on “vibes” rather than actual laughs. It’s entertaining, but it starts to get a bit repetitive and feels like it’s missing the point of the movie.

“Anyone But You” will not convert any non-believers of the romcom, but for those who devour them, this will be one you’ll find yourself wanting to revisit, even with its imperfections.