‘The Idea of You’ dreams up a romance built around very familiar ideas
CNN
If “Notting Hill” and “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” had a baby, it would look something like “The Idea of You.”
If “Notting Hill” and “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” had a baby, it would look something like “The Idea of You,” a May-August romantic pairing of Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine. Nicely played by the leads, this tale of a 40-year-old woman swept off her feet by a 20-something boy-band star amounts to playing the genre’s hits while following all the same old steps. Destined for Amazon, it’s a competent date-night or gals’-night movie for those who don’t want to leave the house – Chardonnay optional, but recommended – which makes practical sense, landing as it does in a middle ground that has struggled at the box office. Cheated on and left by her husband, Soléne (Hathaway) is a successful art-gallery owner who gets roped at the last-minute into squiring her teenage daughter and the kid’s friends to Coachella, where her ex has purchased a meet-and-greet experience with the members of August Moon, whose following might lean more toward the tween crowd. A reluctant attendee, Soléne has the ultimate meet-cute moment with band member Hayes (Galitzine, of “Mary & George” and “Red, White & Royal Blue” renown), stumbling into his trailer thinking it’s the restroom. After some awkward banter and obvious chemistry – which with the benefit of hindsight is about as good as the movie gets – Hayes shows up unexpectedly (by her, that is) at Soléne’s gallery, telling her shyly, “I feel like I don’t meet people like you very often.” For a pop star, he’s an endearingly sensitive soul, which doesn’t do much to quell her reticence, due both to their age gap and his fame.
“Seinfeld” premiered 35 years ago on NBC, becoming one of the most popular sitcoms ever and making Jerry Seinfeld and creator Larry David insanely rich. In promoting his directing debut “Unfrosted,” Seinfeld has lamented the current state of TV comedy, in a way that identifies some modern challenges while ignoring the complexity of how times have changed.