Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell 'Anyone But You' movie review: Lean into the fun

The highly anticipated rom-com Anyone But You, starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, is a fresh, fun and flirty addition to the holiday box office lineup.

Anyone But Your release date: Dec. 22
Director: Will Gluck
Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, Dermot Mulroney, Rachel Griffiths, Gata, Darren Barnet, Hadley Robinson, Michelle Hurd, Charlee Fraser, Bryan Brown
Runtime: 103 minutes

What is 'Anyone But You' about?

Directed by Will Gluck, written by Gluck and Ilana Wolpert, Anyone But You starts by introducing us to Bea (Sweeney) and Ben (Powell).

The pair have a meet-cute moment when Bea goes into a cafe to ask to use the bathroom, but is met by a cashier who insists she has to buy something to get the bathroom key. That's when Ben seemingly comes to the rescue, and buys her a drink.

As you may expect, Bea goes back to Ben's place, which results in a hookup and a tasty grilled cheese sandwich (a detail that returns later in the movie).

But the next morning, Ben's friend Pete (Gata) appears, and Bea hears Ben say some pretty nasty things about her. While she avoids his future attempts to contact her, calling it a fling with a f—k boy, things change when they realize they not only have mutual friends, but they're both going to the same wedding in Australia. Pete's sister Claudia (Alexandra Shipp) is marrying Bea's sister Halle (Hadley Robinson).

Things get even more complicated because Bea's parents, played by Dermot Mulroney and Rachel Griffiths, are really pushing for her to find love, and decided to take matters into their own hands by inviting Bea's ex-boyfriend, played by Darren Barnet, to Australia.

Wanting to get out of this situation, Bea and Ben decide to pretend to be a couple, to get Bea's parents off her back and to make Ben's ex-girlfriend, Claudia's cousin Margaret (Charlee Fraser), jealous.

Let loose and have some fun with 'Anyone But You'

Anyone But You leans into being wild and over-the-top. The comedy in the film is that kind of big gag funny, paired with physical comedy, that you just can't help but laugh. Even the most serious person will let out a chuckle or two here and there.

While it has similar beats to Gluck's previous work, Easy A and Friends with Benefits, we'd describe Anyone But You as an amped-up version of those stories, but very much with its own unique style.

In terms of the cast, Sweeney and Powell's comedic sensibilities compliment each other well, we could have just watched them spewing insults at each other for hours. In rom-com history, they're more Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, maybe less Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

Something that's refreshing about Anyone But You is that it's unapologetically sexy. It's filmed in beautiful Australia, meaning a lot of people in swimwear near clear blue water, while Bea and Ben are "faking" sexy interactions, paired with the actual sexual tension between the two characters.

While there's certainly an argument to be made about Anyone But You being too much to stomach, it works because Anyone But You doesn't take itself too seriously, and needs you to do the same. The plot is simple, some of the scenes are incredibly unlikely to happen in the real world, but we'll be the first to admit that sometimes it's nice to live in a world of fantasy. If you're expecting real tension and emotional connections, look elsewhere.

The film ends with the whole cast singing along to Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten," which will melt the heart of every Millennial who watched MTV's The Hills, but also exemplifies how Gluck really just wants you to let loose and have some fun watching this movie.

Pair that with a My Best Friend’s Wedding reunion with Dermot Mulroney and Rachel Griffiths, and we're in for the ride.

Anyone But You is in theatres Dec. 22