All You Need to Know About The Rom Com “The Idea Of You”

It’s all about love

A billionaire rockstar, chance encounter and forbidden love — what more could you ask for? Generating a ton of buzz, the new romantic comedy, The Idea of You, has been blazing like wildfire since its big release on 2 May.

 Based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Robinne Lee, the work of fiction bears a close resemblance to the film, despite its removal of certain supporting characters, a shift in characterisation, changes in location and more. If you’ve read the book, you’ll definitely see the noticeable differences from words to screen, but if this is a guilty pleasure binge-watch to scratch an itch, then you might find yourself taking it for what it is — a  cliché romance film.

What is it About?

The Idea Of You

If you haven’t read the book, and need a little scoop on what to look out for then here it is. After being burned by love by her cheating ex-husband, Soléne, who is played by Oscar-winning actress Anne Hathaway, finds herself in a mid-life crisis. The plot follows with her taking her 16-year-old daughter to Coachella to see August Moon, one of the hottest bands in the world. 

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It’s there at the festival where she locks eyes with 24-year-old boy band heartthrob, Hayes Campbell, who she eventually starts an epic romance with. While entirely a work of fiction, the book is loosely inspired by Harry Styles, yes one of the members of One Direction. So, you can see some resemblance between the iconic star in the film and the book, but it isn’t what’s spotlighted

So, being in bliss, Soléne starts embracing this new peak in her life, discovering her sexuality and learning more about who she is as a person with the help of her “dream guy”. However, because of their age differences, it turns out that Soléne isn’t living out every girl’s dream and that perhaps, their romance is too good to be true. 

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The Idea of You

What can you expect?

Adapted from Wattpad — the place where young teens go for their romance fix, this film is what it is meant to be, which is a romance film. It was a fanfiction turned into a film, so should you expect a lot? Absolutely, not. Will you have fun? Yes. 

Dotted with an endearing “meet cute”, slightly steamy scenes and great chemistry, The Idea of You is a typical, cliche love story. Made for the hopeless romantic, the Wattpad lovers and just someone who needs a bit of fluff in their life, this film will scratch the itch. 

Despite it being a young romance type of ordeal, the film does still dive into heavy topics such as reclaiming your sexuality, managing adulthood, embracing significant milestones and more. 

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Our advice? Don’t go into watching the film with a huge expectation. Remember, this is a romance story with fluff. 

Who is in the film?

The leading stars of the film are Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine. And, joining them would be Ella Rubin, Annie Mumolo, Reid Scott, Perry Mattfeld, Jordan Aaron Hall, Mathilda Gianopoulos, Raymond Cham Jr., Jaiden Anthony, Viktor White and Dakota Adan.

Where to Watch it?

You can watch it now on Prime Videos

A lover of steamy romance books and all things green, Syameen Salehaldin is the Senior Content Producer for Harper's BAZAAR Malaysia. She spends most of her time immersed in books, and food and doing anything that makes her happy. Expect to see her diving into lifestyle, fashion and beauty trends on this platform.