Movie Review # 648: Anyone But You (2023)

Well, everyone, today, we are going to be reviewing what may likely be classified as a romantic comedy, and was just released around Christmas time this past year. Before we get started on this review, I thought you all should know that I’m not normally one to see films of this type. Well, at least not ones that are rated R, and would therefore have more cussing, potentially too many inappropriate scenes, and things like that. However, after seeing trailers for this film, Anyone But You, this one did still look like a cute film. So, I went ahead, and saw it at the theater recently, and gave it a chance. So now, without further ado, let’s discuss Anyone But You, which stars Glen Powell, and Sydney Sweeney!

Plot: Six months after having a one time date, and breaking up, Ben (Glen Powell), and ex-girlfriend Bea (Sydney Sweeney) end up traveling together, along with their friends, and family, to a wedding in Sydney, Australia. Now, to prevent her parents from making her get back together with her older ex-boyfriend, Jonathan (Darren Barney), Ben, and Bea agree to pose as a couple. Now, will they succeed in faking the whole time, or will their scheme be discovered?

Okay, first off, for the next couple reviews, I will go ahead, and say the negatives for each film. With that said, let’s talk about the issues with Anyone But You, shall we? First of all, there were a couple unnecessary inappropriate moments in this film. Okay, I understand that this movie is supposed to be for a more mature audience. Still, does it need to be thrown in our face that this movie is rated R? Quite honestly, if it weren’t for those particular inappropriate moments, this film could have probably gotten away with a PG-13 rating. Also, did we really need to have a lesbian couple in this film? And why in the world did Hollywood decide to have a rule that in order for a movie to get awards like Oscars, or Golden Globes, most of them had to have either the majority of characters be of a different race, have a lesbian, or gay couple, or some other bull crap like that? Yeah, after seeing films like this one, and Booksmart, for instance, it comes to show that Hollywood needs to go back to just making fun stories, and not be so far on the political end of things, you know? The film also had quite a few cliches in it, most notably one of the main characters feeling insecure after making decision that may not have been the best ones. Oh, and there were points where the writing was most likely a little dumb for this movie, particularly when it came to certain characters being pushed to achieving certain goals by others in one of the most stupid ways that one could think of.

With all that said, is this movie bad? Well, no! Sure, Anyone But You could have improved in the ways that I mentioned just moments ago. Even so this film is still fun, due to, well, not having quite as many cuss words as most R-rated films of this type seem to have. I mean to have an R-rated film, where there isn’t a whole lot of foul language, that’s not heard of, is it? If anyone here can name other R-rated films where there were fewer scenes with foul language, please let me know! In addition to this, there were some rather, cute, and clever moments that helped make Anyone But You more memorable than it probably would have been otherwise. Also, who doesn’t like the chemistry that Glen Powell’s and Sydney Sweeney’s characters each have between each other? Just a thought! Also, seeing as Ben, and Bea have each been through similar situations, it makes sense that they end up in a relationship, and that the writers did well to develop the relationship. Not to mention the fact that Ben is likable because, if not for any other reason, then at least for the fact that he was willing risk anything, both really dangerous, and not as dangerous situations, to help either Bea, or even other people in his life. Sure, he would make stupid decisions at points throughout points in the film. But hey, at least he realized what he did wrong in those situations, and would learn from them. And yeah, Bea is also likable due to how well developed she is, how much she cares for others, and more. She also makes a couple interesting comments that also help make this film even more good, most notably a comment to someone at one point about that person having misguided views about marriage. Well said, Bea, well said! As for the story itself, though it has some convoluted things in it at different points, is still very well developed, likable, pleasant to watch, and an overall fun experience, especially for a film that’s rated R, and has come out in this day, and age. So, how about that?

And that concludes my review for Anyone But You. Yeah, this film may be rated R, and may have a few inappropriate scenes at points. However, considering that other R-rated films, specifically ones that have released in more recent years, have been worse, at least this one seems to pale in comparison to most of those. I mean not having as much foul language, not inserting as many inappropriate scenes, or things like those, that was very impressive for that to not be the case as much this time around. Even so, I would say that if parents were to allow kids in their teen years to watch Anyone But You, I will just advise parents to wait until their kids are around their mid to maybe later teen years. All to say, depending on how old you are, definitely give this film at some point. Though some people will take issues with some of the mini inappropriate content, at least this film will feel more like a family friendly film in comparison to other R-rated movies, especially ones released in more recent years. So, if not now, still Anyone But You at some point, and see what you think!

Final Grade: B