Samantha Sollitto Journalism Portfolio

After a disappointingly dramatic trailer that lacked chemistry and relied heavily on appealing to the younger masses with an Olivia Rodrigo song, I will admit that I had low expectations heading into this movie. In fact, the only driving force for me to see it was the alleged cheating scandal happening behind the scenes because obviously I needed to see the work that had pushed two people to (ALLEGEDLY) have an affair. 

However, a popcorn bucket, half a soda and an hour and 43 minutes later, my life was completely changed. It was as though God had personally come and opened my eyes, transporting me back to the 2000s where rom-coms were unapologetically inappropriate and hilarious and cheesy. 

Bad acting and tasteful bits of nudity galore, Anyone But You was a relief to watch. Instead of trying too hard to be dramatic or deep, it knew exactly what it was supposed to be.

Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, contrary to popular belief (or perhaps just mine), had an insane amount of chemistry. I can completely understand if they were to allegedly cheat on their partners with each other. How could you not? 

A modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” the film follows Powell’s “Ben” and Sweeney’s “Bea” as they navigate the consequences of their hate-fueled yet obsessive relationship, becoming a burden to everyone else as they embark on a beautiful wedding weekend in Australia. 

The pair begins “fake-dating” as a way to help get their friends, who believe they need to hook up in order to stop hating one another,  to back off. The film hilariously captures the very realistic idea that “fake-dating” is not as easy as the movies make it seem and the two, although struggling to make their relationship look real, do end up falling for one another (a spoiler I’m sure you could have seen coming). 

The movie also very strategically plants Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” at the beginning, the song becoming an integral part of Ben and Bea’s story later on and, in turn, becoming an important part of my mind the following day (I haven’t stopped singing it; it may be a problem). 

My only gripe with the film was the acting from some of the side characters. GaTa’s “Pete,” although a hilarious addition, sounded like he was reading most of his lines straight from a teleprompter with a gun to his head. Very forced, even if it was funny for the most part. 

Anyone But You has exceeded my expectations and was a pleasant surprise. While it may just be “recency bias,” I feel like the film definitely has the potential to become part of the classics like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and 10 Things I Hate About You with Powell cementing himself as this generation’s rom-com leading man. 

If there’s one thing you do this holiday season, go see Anyone But You.