When Wattpad fanfic meets harsh reality…
The English-Irish pop boy band One Direction saw a lot of fame around the early 2010s. As a result of this, a plethora of fanfiction stories about the members of the boyband on platforms like Wattpad and Archives of Our Own popped up. Harry Styles was one of the most loved characters in many fanfiction stories.
The Idea of You, the 2017 novel by Robin Lee, reveals to have been loosely inspired by the life of Harry Styles. The novel has finally been turned into a movie and stars Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine in the lead roles. The Prime Video Original narrates the story of a single mother – Soléne – who gets involved with a pop star named Hayes Campbell after meeting him at Coachella during his band – August Moon’s fan meeting.
The two end up starting an on-again, off-again relationship that leads to chaos in Soléne’s otherwise private life. Realising that she is too old for Hayes, Soléne decides to end things with the singer as she prioritises her daughter Izzy. Will the two have their happy ending?
With actors like Anne Hathaway, who is considered ageless given her beauty, and Nicholas Galitzine, who is seeing immense popularity in recent times, the film is a sure hit. Fans of both actors are tuning in to see the chemistry between the two and The Idea of You does not fail to deliver what we’re promised in the trailer and other promotional material.
The Idea of You has a runtime of 1 hour and 55 minutes but there is very little to this plot. The story looks like a Wattpad novel turned into a movie which is not the case for the novel that the film is based on. The relationship between Soléne and Hayes takes far too long to develop and their romance is all mushed in one song montage.
I wish the makers would have taken some more time to show the progress of Soléne and Hayes’ relationship to make their break up impactful. The film opens with a very cringy meet-cute scene that is core Wattpad fanfiction. However, the story does progress to show viewers the harsh reality of dating a celebrity. As a consequence of dating Hayes, Soléne almost loses her chance at having a healthy relationship with her daughter.
The Idea of You presents a realistic take on the idea of dating a celebrity and how it would affect the personal life of someone who is not in the limelight. This is a great one-time watch with stellar performances from Anne and Nicholas that make up for the lacklustre story. The chemistry is the only thing that makes this film exciting to watch.
Read More: The Idea of You (2024) Ending Explained
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Verdict - 6/10
6/10