Oscar winner Anne Hathaway returns to her romance movie roots with “The Idea of You.” She stars opposite “Mary & George” and “Red, White, and Royal Blue” actor Nicholas Galitzine in the adaptation of Robinne Lee’s viral 2017 novel of the same name. The book “The Idea of You” is generally believed to be inspired by Harry Styles.
Hathaway stars as 40-something single mother Solène, who crosses paths with 24-year-old international rock star/boy band alum Hayes Campbell (Galitzine) while bringing her teenage daughter to Coachella. As the couple begins a whirlwind romance, it isn’t long before Hayes’ superstar status poses unavoidable challenges to their relationship, and Solène is forced to grapple with balancing motherhood, instant fame, and her ex. Ella Rubin, Reid Scott, Annie Mumolo, Viktor White, Raymond Cham, Jaiden Anthony, and Dakota Adan co-star.
“The Idea of You” is directed by “The Big Sick” and “Wet Hot American Summer” and “Search Party” co-creator Michael Showalter. He co-wrote the script alongside fellow filmmaker Jennifer Westfeldt. The film is produced by Oscar-winner Cathy Schulman, along with Hathaway, Showalter, Gabrielle Union, author Lee, Eric Hayes, and Jordana Mollick. The project hails from Amazon MGM Studios.
“The Idea of You” will close the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival. The earworm-y debut single from the soundtrack, “Dance Before We Walk,” is now available through Arista Records.
While this isn’t Hathaway’s first onscreen tryst with a musician (“Princess Diaries” co-starred Rooney frontman Robert Schwartzman), “The Idea of You” is also far from “Les Misérables” star Hathaway’s last musical venture. The actress will next appear in David Lowery’s “Mother Mary,” billed as an “epic pop melodrama” from A24. Hathaway will play a pop star opposite Michaela Coel’s fashion designer character, and the film will feature original songs written and produced by Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX. She is also set to lead buzzy drama “Mother’s Instinct” opposite Jessica Chastain.
The recent “Eileen” and “She Came to Me” star told IndieWire that she “just went through” a creative block prior to her latest slate of films. “I was shown an enormous amount of grace from people right around me. There wasn’t a magic bullet, an ‘a-ha moment,’ and now it’s all pouring out of me,” Hathaway said. “It was every day one foot in front of the other day, living in defiance of the gravity of what it felt like.”
“The Idea of You” premieres May 2 exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. Check out the trailer below.
