Jeri Jacquin
Currently streaming on Prime Video from writer/director Michael Showafter and Amazon MGM Studios is a film about love, age and love found with THE IDEA OF YOU.
Solene (Anne Hathaway) is celebrating her 40th birthday and trying to understand what that means in her ever-changing life. Recently divorced from Daniel (Reid Scott) who left her for a young woman, Solene has been focusing on raising daughter Izzy (Ella Rubin). Deciding to take a camping trip alone to figure things out, her plans abruptly change.
When Daniel can’t take Izzy to Cochella, Solene has to step in and make it happen. This includes a lot of VIP events and one of those is a meet and greet with the popular boy-band August Moon. Gathering up Izzy and friends, off they all go to the big event. While the kids take off to explore, Solene finds a bathroom and surprised to see a 24-year-old Hayes (Nicholas Galitzine) from August Moon.
Not realizing who he is, she is caught off guard but Hayes quickly makes it a laughable meet. They see each other again later in the concert as he learns that Solene has an art gallery. Surprising her again, he comes to the gallery and what starts out as a sale turns into time spent together with a bit of texting. When Izzy goes off to camp, Hayes invites Solene to go on a bit of a European holiday as things begin to heat up between the two.
Solene is enjoying herself so much but, there comes a moment where she realizes that problems are headed their way. They say age is nothing but a number but unfortunately, that is not always true.
Hathaway as Solene plays a woman who is dealing with a divorce based on age and all that comes with it. Raising a teenage daughter, she is focusing on that and her work so love, let alone love with a younger man doesn’t seem possible. Of course, once it becomes possible, so does the world we now live in with judgements and social media as well as home life. Hathaway gets a chance to be a sexy older woman to a young man and that’s about it. I’m not sure if this is Hathaway’s attempt at navigating into “older” characters and good on her but it seems a bit of a reach.
Galitzine as Hayes is a young man in a boy band who finds Solene attractive. Having deeper feelings, he also doesn’t realize what he is about to put her through. The life he lives is not exactly her style. Galitzine is charming and plays well opposite Hathaway but, to be honest, this isn’t a stretch of a character to play. I know that doesn’t seem fair but it’s the truth, he sings a little, talks a little and kisses a lot. That’s the extent of it.
Rubin as Izzy and Scott as Daniel both have their reasons for being difficult about their characters but I’m not buying it from either. Scott gives us a dysfunctional ex-husband who clearly doesn’t know what he wants expect he doesn’t want Solene to be happy. Rubin gives us a teenage girl who is sort of thrilled to be meeting the boy-band but doesn’t want her mother to be happy because she can’t handle the pressure at school? Not sure any of this is actually bringing me into the story.
Other cast include Jordan Aaron Hall as Zeke, Jaiden Anthony as Adrian, Raymond Cham Jr. as Oliver, Viktor White as Simon, Dakota Adan as Rory, Annie Mumolo as Tracy and Perry Mattfeld as Eva.
Amazon Prime offers television shows and original content included in its Amazon Prime subscription. Original programs such as CARNIVAL ROW, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, and THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL are hit shows. Coming soon is the next series with GOLIATH starring Billy Bob Thornton and it promises to another successful and intense series. For more information, please visit www.amazon.com/Amazon-Video.
The film is based on the novel by Robinne Lee The Idea of You with the screen adaptation by Jennifer Westfeldt.
Look, I see where THE IDEA OF YOU is coming from in the sense that the character Solene is a woman who doesn’t know what she’s looking for and now gets a chance to go out and have some fun. It’s all great, it’s all good – the problem is the waffling between the “I’m too old for you” and “I want to be with you” to “I’m too old for you” gave me whiplash. The story is pretty predictable but I wasn’t expecting Oscar performances either.
This is a nice rainy-day Saturday let’s-get-cuddly-on-the-sofa kind of film. There is nothing horrible about the film, it’s just that there isn’t any glue that holds it together. The film is basically a quick run through about staying away from younger men if you’re an older woman but the same doesn’t apply to older men and younger women. Same story different day. The ending is quite charming albeit, again, looking to reign in the hearts.
Just enjoy it for what it is and don’t listen to this older woman who would never consider dating a 24-year-old in a boy band – but hey, that’s just me.
In the end – when the last thing you expect becomes the only thing you want!
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