LOOKING for honest reviews on new and old movies and series? we have you covered, in this new series, Odette Parfitt has you covered and lets us know if it’s worth the stream.
Worth the Stream? The Idea of You (2024)
Platform: Prime Video
Basic plot:
Right around the time she turns 40, Soléne’s useless ex-husband leaves it to her to take their teenage daughter to Coachella, where she ends up meeting a 20-something boy band star, and sparks fly – and continue to fly as they get together and face the challenges of their age gap and dating in the hell of public scrutiny that comes with his fame.
How it was probably pitched to the producers:
What if the fantasy of dating a celebrity came true – but it wasn’t a fairy tale?
Thoughts:
I’m definitely biased because this movie had been marketed really well so I’ve been looking forward to it for ages and then I watched it on the day it came out. (Then again, it’s a romance featuring a young celebrity and an older woman, starring Anne Hathaway and Prime’s boyfriend Nicholas Galitzine; the movie pretty much sells itself.) Also, can we talk about how offensive it is that Anne Hathaway is now the mom character and looks like THAT when playing 40-something?
Anyway. I loved the premise and I felt like the movie really delivered; whenever a question came up in my head (for example, what made their meeting so impressive that young Hayes seeks her out), the writers made sure to answer it. Galitzine does a surprisingly impressive job with his character: he seems to have a touch of naïve but at the same time, the emotional complexity peeks through from time to time. Of course, Hathaway is brilliant, but that surprises no one.
There is a part of me that 100% believes that the limelight can be as horrible as the film suggests, but also a part that reels at the idea of people being that cruel and invasive.
Seriously, who even cares about the difference in their ages? Literally all Hayes’s fans and Soléne’s acquaintances, apparently. Kudos to the writers of the film and the book though, for showing the ugly side of the celebrity fantasy even while it is playing out.
Bottom line – is it worth the stream?
Yes. Watch it twice.
Watch this if you like:
- The idea of dating a celebrity
- Boy bands
- Rich guys who still (inexplicably) only ever wear like two shirts and one hoodie over
and over - Anne Hathaway’s glorious hair and cheekbones
- Older women dating younger men
- The belief that you can still have a rich inner life after 40 and after children
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