Anyone But You (2023) – Cinema Review

Y/N? Yes

Director: Will Gluck

Stars: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Hadley Robinson, Michelle Hurd, Bryan Brown, Rachel Griffiths & Dermot Mulroney.

Review by Damocles.

Short, Sharp, Slick & Sexy … Everything one could ask for in a romcom.

When was the last time a romcom did well? Recently it seems like there is a push from Sony to produce fun B-movies that will return decent profit on relatively cheap budgets. No Hard Feelings with Jennifer Lawrence, now Anyone But You are both raunchy, fun movies that are very clear about what they are.

This isn’t a complicated, Oscar-defining art film that will challenge the way how people view cinema. If anything, Anyone But You is extremely simple, with a focus on setting a romantic, tourist backdrop in Sydney, Australia and the way how the chemistry between two extremely attractive leads sizzle in the foreground of that backdrop.

Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell shine as the two leads. They are effortlessly charismatic, charming and fun together. It’s hard to not like the two actors who are clearly enjoying their working holiday in Australia. They are having fun, soaking up the gorgeous scenery and the light-hearted nature of the shoot and it’s infectious.

You can’t help but smile and laugh along with them, as they go through their will they, won’t they hijinks. After all, romantic comedies like this are a breath of fresh air. They aren’t pretentious, they just want to make you believe in love again, despite all the obstacles thrown in the characters’ way.

And the plot is exactly that … a series of obstacles, misunderstandings, complicated emotions and eventually the sweet endorphin rush of seeing our main leads share their final kiss on screen. Perhaps because I watched this film with my partner, I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would, but that aside, Anyone But You was genuinely a fun time, despite how predictable it was.

Cinematography wise, the film was essentially a tourism ad for Sydney. The shots throughout the film were showcasing the very best the town had to offer … gorgeous beaches, beautiful skylines, icons like the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and even nature walks. It made you want to travel there and that is definitely something to commend. It’s obvious that they really wanted to showcase how romantic Sydney is as a location and whilst I am a proud, stubborn Melburnian who will always say Sydney is a shithole, I am still happy to see an Australian location whenever I can.

The shots didn’t really push any artistic limits, but I did appreciate a lot of framing.

Score wise, the film is dominated by one catchy song and at the very least it was used well, to define a character moment than to enforce any scene. It was largely forgettable, typical soap music that is the same across all romcoms.

Costume wise though, I have to commend the stylist, as I really enjoyed seeing all the summer styles that both leads were in. From flowing dresses that Sydney Sweeney wore, to Glen’s slick cream suit, they perfectly suited the hot weather Australia is known for, without sacrificing style.

Overall, this is a movie that is about the two leads. The rest of the characters purely exist to draw out character moments from the leads. They encourage, tease, bully, guilt-trip and grow the characters throughout the entire film constantly. In fact, the whole reason why the two leads even reconcile, is because the brides who invited them to their wedding, wanted them to.

Anyone But You isn’t trying to be something it isn’t. It’s a fun, movie with very attractive people and gorgeous scenery. It’s a rip on Shakespeare’s play, Much Ado About Nothing, and it isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel.

Nor does it have to, because sometimes, it’s not about trying to create something new, it’s about executing something to perfection.

And Anyone But You, nails ell the things we want in a romcom.

Sexy leads, fun side characters, beautiful backdrops, a safe and fun story and mostly importantly … a genuine expression from everyone involved in the film-making process to say to us, as the audience … love is not dead, love is crazy and love always wins.

So if you want a short time but a good time, go check out Anyone But You.

A scene to recall: When Glen Powell’s character, Ben was arguing with his friend along the famous Goerge St in Sydney CBD, right in front of the very pretty Queen Victoria Building. It reminded me of the last time I was there, and I couldn’t help but go in the cinema … “Hey I know that place!”