Anyone But You and The Renaissance of the Rom-Com
Are Rom-Com’s back for good? Or was new-release Anyone But You missing ‘that’ spark?’
As pointed out by YouTube’s The Take, the romantic comedy is the cinematic equivalent of comfort food. People’s desire for feel-good entertainment is a historical inevitability. Before WWII, for example, film and literature alike propositioned gritty, tough societal and economic issues within their texts. While war-time films or novels still depict the hardships of that era (and the rom-com didn’t quite exist yet), audiences needed more stories with happy endings that bolstered morale. I suppose there’s a solid argument to be made that these idealistic films did work to covertly reinforce dominant social ideology. Still, they provided an ample distraction from the horrors of war. With the current state the world is in, God knows all of us need some of that cinematic comfort food right now.
The Rom-Com has had somewhat of a renaissance in the past six years. Netflix has made countless attempts to revive the genre – albeit rarely successfully (think The Kissing Booth or Sierra Burgess is a Loser). Though it had long since been established, the 90s and 2000s were truly the golden era of the Romantic Comedy. Their dreamy depiction of romance and quirky, relatable heroines almost always proved for a happy ever after. So why have more recent contributions to the genre’s formula felt so kitschy and lacklustre?
I am, of course, implicating Anyone But You in this mix. Thanks to an ambitious and purposeful marketing team, the film was anticipated as the resurgence of the genre. Branded as a classic ‘enemies to lovers’ story, and loosely based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, audiences were excited for a return to the indulgent and unabashed entertainment of the 2000s rom-com. I wanted so desperately to enjoy this film.
The movie begins with Bea and Ben, who spend an amazing first date together. Thanks to a few (completely nonsensical) misunderstandings the next morning, the pair become sworn enemies, only to be unexpectedly reunited a few months later at the wedding of Bea’s sister and Ben’s childhood best friend. It seems to tick all the boxes – adorkable relatable heroine, zany best friend and/or side characters, classic coffee shop meet cute – so why was I so deeply uninterested? The Guardian’s Benjamin Lee seems to sum up my issue perfectly: “The film is consistently, maddeningly unfunny.” It’s not for lack of trying, either – the whole cast (Glen Powell especially) does the best with what they are given – but the jokes are just terrible. Added to that, while Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney seem to have palpable chemistry themselves, the spark is nowhere to be found on the big screen.
There’s a great rule of thumb for the Romantic Comedy genre. If it’s not that funny, have some good romance. If there’s not much romance, make it funny! While Anyone But You is glossy – with its attractive leads and ridiculously picturesque setting – it is neither that romantic nor funny. As much as I wanted to be, I wasn’t really rooting for Bea and Ben, and the only time I laughed was when Powell joked about the inevitability of doing cocaine as a Goldman Sachs employee.
People seem to have forgotten that at the heart of this formulaic, idealistic (and sometimes problematic) genre is the totally human desire for love and connection. Compare Anyone But You to its predecessor, 2018’s Set It Up. A (surprisingly great) Netflix Original that went completely under the radar, Set It Up stars Zoey Deutch and, surprise, Glenn Powell. Just like Anyone But You, it has a star-studded cast – Lucy Liu, Tay Diggs, and Pete Davidson. The key difference is that they are given funny, imaginative dialogue to work with – and best friend Becca’s romantic “you like because, and you love despite” speech will leave you weeping. The film takes the Rom-Com blueprint and proves there’s still ample joy to be derived from its well-worn formula. Unfortunately, the genre has fallen victim to the same downfalls of so many other modern films – its writers have become lazy. Just because the Rom-Com is formulaic doesn’t mean you can just throw together attractive people and a bunch of eclectic side characters and expect a magical story to be borne out of it. It still needs to be witty (both in dialogue and plot), and have that intangible connection between its two leads.
Never fear, dear reader – not all hope is lost. The Romantic Comedy is not dead – though being updated for a new, more inclusive, post #MeToo generation. Recent gems are out there, you just might need to look a little harder to find them. If you loved the heartfelt-yet-awkward hilarity of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, try Apple TV+’s Cha Cha Real Smooth from director Cooper Raiff (one to watch, by the way). If you’re feeling nostalgic for the 80s and seeking a phenomenal soundtrack, give 2016’s Sing Street a go. Finally, if you were as disappointed as I was with Anyone But You, I urge you to go watch Set It Up on Netflix. You get Glenn Powell just the same, but with the added bonus of a lead actress who can articulate.
Words by Alice Patterson
