Anyone But You - A Movie Review

You are the last person I want to be stuck with.

Anyone But You is a 2023 film. Bea and Ben hit it off on the first date, but things turn south when feelings are misinterpreted. The pair have an unexpected reunion at a wedding in Australia. They decide to pretend to be a couple to avoid pending relationships.

I wasn’t sure if I would ever watch Anyone But You, but once it became available on Netflix I decided to check it out. Anyone But You has garnered criticism for the brash interactions between the leads and for occupying the usual rom-com tropes. On the upside, it encourages couples to bond and avoid sharp words.

Ben and Bea battle with one another with every insult they can think of. This bickering fills up the entire film. I was on Bea’s side most of the time with how unpleasant Ben was. He makes crude remarks about Bea’s impulses. I do like Ben’s hidden depths, like his fear of water and how it makes him self-conscious.

Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell did well together and were funny in their interactions. Viewers have been giving Sweeney unfair criticism about unrelated things to her performance. Sweeney does a good job, though she has a habit of elevating her voice when she finishes every sentence.

Thankfully, Anyone But You has a great supporting cast. Alexandra Shipp, Gata, Hadley Robinson, Dermot Mulroney, Rachel Griffiths, and Joe Davidson were remarkable. They got me through this film. You always need exciting side characters to have a break from the bickering couple.

I liked the supporting cast more than the main characters. Claudia and Halle were the best characters as the soon-to-be-married couple. The supporting characters had stronger dynamics. It was nice to have characters who were not hostile towards one another. As usual, they’re trying to pin Bea and Ben together but go about it in fun ways.

Director Will Gluck adapted the story from Williams Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. I was in this play one summer and it’s a fun time. In Anyone But You, viewers undergo the usual rom-com pathways; characters meet, have a falling out, bicker, briefly resolve matters, and have another argument before the final resolution.

Anyone But You suffers from a lack of a more profound storyline. This is a predictable story with most conversations we’ve heard. I went into the film expecting just this, but I was hoping for a twist.

The film fell flat a lot, repeating scenes, conversation, and, oh yes, a lot of arguments! Scenes like the Titanic moment went on longer than they should have. The bickering takes up too much focus when we could have been spared more intricate dynamics of the characters.

Okay, I’ll admit one scene had me laughing. The scene where Ben finds a spider in a private area had me howling. Not because of the reactions, but with the way this scene was dictated. As Bea and Ben attempt to get their attention, the other characters are distracted by a koala bear. We don’t have enough films that do background humor anymore.

Another upside is the gorgeous cinematography and location spots for the filming. I’d only go to Australia just for the opportunity to travel to Australia and avoid Bea and Ben’s wrath.

It’s time to give the bickering/pretending to be a couple trope a rest. There are more stories that rom-coms can incorporate. If you want to check it out, watch Anyone But You on Netflix. Fair warning one scene is nude (but it’s the funniest scene in the film).