Anne Hathaway in Michael Showalter Rom-Com

Anne Hathaway (right) and Nicholas Galitzine in The Idea of ​​You.

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The idea of ​​youThe new romantic comedy from Michael Showalter (The big patient), starts out like many of the best games in the genre: a very cute meet-and-greet.

This happens in a trailer where Solenn (a delightful Anne Hathaway) gets mixed up with pigeons during Coachella. The nearly 40-year-old divorcee was not supposed to be out in the desert surrounded by neon-clad teenagers screaming at the top of their lungs. If Solene had succeeded, she would have been on a solo camping trip somewhere in the woods with only her thoughts. But her ex-husband Daniel (Reed Scott) agrees to his plan to take their 16-year-old daughter Izzy (Ella Robyn) and her friends to see old favorite August Moon, an international group modeled after One Direction. Now, Solen is stuck in a sea of ​​youthful energy and looking for a place to pee.

With bladder comfort comes company. Suleen, still oblivious to her surroundings, meets Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine of… Red, white and royal blue), lead singer of August Moon. She wonders if he’s ASMR and he tells her she’s in his personal trailer. After some banter and a few jokes, Solen smiles to herself as she leaves the infatuated Hayes with his wizard team.

It is the beginning of an incredible love story, inspired by the romantic novel of the same name by Robin Lee. in The idea of ​​youwhich will undoubtedly draw comparisons with Notting HillSolenn and Hayes begin an affair that changes the life of Silver Lake’s mother, and briefly her relationship with her daughter. As she accompanies Hayes on the European leg of his tour, Solenn must confront her attraction to a man nearly twenty years her junior and the ensuing online vitriol from his rabid fanbase. She should also think about her happiness: what does she want her life to look like after 40? Showalter’s film is a bit like cotton candy, an airy confection consumed with the knowledge of fleeting enjoyment.

Most of the film’s charm comes from Hathaway. The Oscar-winning actress’s character is a mother torn between the established order of her life — running her art gallery, fostering a relationship with her daughter, and recovering from Daniel’s infidelity — and the danger of a relationship with Hayes. Hathaway brings engaging humor and surprising depth to Solenn as she leaps into the uncharted territory of a new romance.

Hathaway’s character (and the film in general) becomes much stronger in the first part, as Sullen and Hayes get to know each other. These scenes in the show, where he visits her after the Coachella encounter, and later during lunch at her house, contain a level of detail that gives the relationship a real lived-in feel. Here Galitzine’s portrayal of the pop star feels more like a person than a vessel for Solen’s questions about coming of age. (In an impressive touch, the actor sings most of the songs in the film, which were written by Savan Kotecha.) These moments also benefit from the chemistry between the two leads, which, despite Showalter’s more energetic efforts, often plays more subtle than making you blush sexy.

In Showalter’s film adaptation, Izzie, Sullen’s daughter, is older. At the age of sixteen, his teenage obsession with August Moon was tempered by an interest in powerful female singer-songwriters. This adjusts the stakes of the narrative, which no longer has to be about a mother trying to protect her daughter. But Showalter’s screenplay, written with Jennifer Westfeldt, doesn’t take full advantage of the space to explore Solen’s depths further. The more time the pop star and the single mother spend together, the less details there are about who they are as individuals. Their conversations begin to stagnate, become more tender, and often revolve around the “we should” or “we shouldn’t” nature of their romantic relationship.

The idea of ​​you It works best as carefree fun – a feel-good romantic comedy that delivers some laughs and bursts with bullet-proof cuteness. That he manages to wiggle in some lessons about self-discovery is just a bonus.