Rom-coms are back! After the new raunchy rom-com “Anyone But You” came out on Dec.22, the public and media have gone wild with approval. The film stars Sydney Sweeny and Glen Powell and is directed by Will Gluck.
“Anyone But You” is a modern take on the trope of enemies to lovers. It starts with a character named Beatrice (Sydney Sweeny) and a character named Ben (Glen Powell) unexpectedly meeting in a coffee shop. The characters then share a night of food and chatter, but when Ben thinks everything is going well, Bea randomly leaves in the morning. She then realizes that leaving was a mistake and immediately starts returning to Ben, but overhears Ben talking badly about her. This first encounter makes Ben and Bea hate each other for most of the movie.
Their next encounter reveals that Bea’s sister, Halle (Hadley Robinson) and Ben’s childhood best friend Claudia (Alexandra Shipp) are romantically involved. In a later encounter, the two become engaged and decide to have their wedding in Sydney, Australia. Ben and Bea are of course thrilled for their loved ones but get easily distracted as they bicker and constantly push each other’s buttons throughout the trip.
Although Ben and Bea strongly dislike each other, they end up faking that they’re in a relationship when Ben realizes his ex whom he wants back is in Australia for the wedding. Not only that, but Bea’s ex-fiance is also in Australia for the wedding because of her controlling parents who want them back together. The rest of the movie takes the audience on a hilarious and romantic journey as we watch Bea and Ben slowly go from enemies to lovers.
My favorite scene in the movie is when Bea and Ben get rescued by a helicopter after they both jump into the ocean to save one another. As they go up into the helicopter, Bea sees that Ben is surprisingly scared and starts singing what is ironically his serenity song, “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. The whole scene is simply hysterical and adorable at the same time. It gives the audience the first hint of Bea and Ben starting to like each other.
I would describe “Anyone But You” as a feel-good movie. The entire time watching, I could not stop laughing and smiling. The public has been buzzing that this has been one of the best rom-coms in a while, and I couldn’t agree more. Trust me, by the movie’s end, it will have you leaving the theater living life with arms wide open, and releasing your inhibitions.