Anyone But You - Review: A Bizarre, AI-Adjacent Jumble of Rom-Com Cliches

Anyone But You (2023)

A Bizarre, AI-Adjacent Jumble of Rom-Com Cliches

★★☆☆☆

Watched 09 Feb 2024 — Beautiful locales and an affable cast can't save a film that lacks the heart and chemistry to be truly touching.

Directed by Will Gluck, Anyone But You attempts to be a throwback to the golden age of 90s and early 2000s romantic comedies. However, the result feels more like a clumsy reassembly of genre stereotypes than a cohesive story. While the production design is beautiful and the cast is undeniably "easy on the eyes," the film is missing that special, undefinable element that makes the best rom-coms effective. Despite being loosely inspired by Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, the tributes are limited to obscure callbacks that fail to ground the "ludicrous and forced" physical comedy.

"The movie feels like it was written by Artificial Intelligence. A bunch of classic romantic comedy cliches and genre stereotypes from other films have been jumbled up, reworked and clumsily reassembled into this film."

— Ray Manukay

🎬 Cast & Crew

• Director: Will Gluck
• Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell
• Supporting: Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Hadley Robinson, Dermot Mulroney
• Studio: Sony Pictures / Columbia

The Vision

Gluck’s vision seems unabashedly focused on checking the boxes of a romantic comedy rather than simply telling a good story. By forcing silly physical jokes into a narrative that lacks genuine chemistry between its leads, the film feels synthetic. The attempt to modernize the Bard’s wit is lost in a sea of "unrecognizable easter eggs," making the proceedings feel ineffective for fans of the source material. It is a movie designed for a younger generation who might not have seen the classics, relying on "beautiful locales" to mask its lack of sincerity and believable romance.

🎬 Cinephile Fun Facts

• Shakespearean Ties: The character names Bea and Ben are direct references to Beatrice and Benedick] from *Much Ado About Nothing*.
• Viral Success: Despite mixed reviews, the film became a massive [box office sleeper hit, fueled by a viral TikTok trend involving the song "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield.
• Dermot’s Return: The inclusion of Dermot Mulroney is a meta-nod to his status as a rom-com icon from 1997's *My Best Friend's Wedding*.

✅ Pros

• Affable, attractive cast that is "easy on the eyes."
• Beautiful Australian locales and high production design.
• A successful return of the genre's commercial viability.

❌ Cons

• Lack of palpable chemistry between Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell.
• Ludicrous and forced physical comedy.
• Narrative feels like an "AI-written" jumble of cliches.

The Full Analysis

Marketed as a throwback to the romantic comedies of the 1990s and early 2000s, Anyone But You is a bizarre experience to take in. At times, the movie feels as though it was written by artificial intelligence, with a collection of classic genre cliches and stereotypes jumbled together and clumsily reassembled. While the cast is affable and easy on the eyes, and the coastal Australian locales are beautiful, the production fails to find the heart and sincerity required to be truly believable or touching. Theoretically, these elements should work, yet the film is missing that special, undefinable spark that makes the best rom-coms effective.

One theory as to why the film struggles is that the filmmakers were so focused on the mechanics of making a "romantic comedy" that they forgot to simply tell a good story. The physical comedy feels particularly ludicrous and forced, appearing to be added solely because silly slapstick is a traditional requirement of the genre. Furthermore, despite being a fan of leading stars Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, there appears to be a noticeable lack of genuine chemistry between them. This is especially disappointing considering the film attempts to adapt Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, yet the tributes to the Bard’s work are limited to obscure callbacks and practically unrecognizable easter eggs.

The experience leads to a somber reflection on whether the golden age of the romantic comedy has simply passed. While the cast seems invested and the visual style is handsome, the narrative follows a cardboard storybook structure that prizes tropes over genuine human connection. It provides a sharp, satirical edge to the modern "fake dating" chronicle, but the execution remains unwieldy and superficial. Perhaps the film is intended for a younger generation that hasn't experienced the landmark entries of the 1990s, or perhaps the genre itself is struggling to find a different prism through which to view modern romance.

Anyone But You stands as a curious, if not entirely successful, attempt to revitalize a beloved cinematic category. While it serves as an easy, breezy diversion for some, it ultimately feels like a visceral, runaway train of spontaneity that never quite reaches its destination. The film reminds us that star power and beautiful production design are insufficient to hide a weak and fragmented script. Whether this marks a significant milestone for the genre or just another uninteresting entry is up to the viewer, but for those seeking a riveting and sincere romantic achievement, the search likely continues elsewhere.

🏆 Final Verdict

A disappointing attempt to recapture the magic of the 90s rom-com. Unless you're looking for purely "harmless" fluff or are a die-hard fan of the leads, this AI-adjacent assembly of tropes may leave you cold. Up to the viewer to decide.

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