Review: ‘Anyone But You’ Blu-ray Enhances Sydney Sweeney And Glen Powell’s Onscreen Chemistry
by David Lewis
As a big screen genre, the studio romantic comedy hasn’t been in vogue of late, but films like Marry Me, No Hard Feelings and Anyone But You are valiantly trying to bring it back to its late 1990s heyday. The latter has just been released on Blu-ray and underscores the fact that casting is the main ingredient in this type of trifle.
After a quick meet cute at a coffee shop, two young Bostonians (Top Gun Maverick‘s Glen Powell and Euphoria‘s Sydney Sweeney) experience a romantic, montage-driven first date that fully reveals their mutual attraction. The next day, a double-misunderstanding brings their burgeoning romance to an icy halt. But they’re reunited when a mutual friend sets a destination wedding in Australia. Per rom-com rules, they must pretend to be a couple even though they don’t get along … but are actually pining for one another in secret?
Seemingly influenced in equal measure by William Shakespeare‘s Much Ado About Nothing and Natasha Bedingfield‘s 2004 hit Unwritten, Anyone But You is an easy-going romp in which Powell and Sweeney’s chemistry makes up for some awkward plotting and uninspired dialogue.
Director Will Gluck previously helmed Easy A and Friends With Benefits, so he’s able to balance predictable, light romance and sporadically amusing physical comedy well.
The supporting cast adds some flavor, but this is really Powell and Sweeney’s movie all the way. Rapper-actor GaTa (FX’s Dave) provides some stilted comic relief, while the parental generation is represented by Michelle Hurd, Bryan Brown, Dermot Mulroney, and Rachel Griffiths. Brown, in particular, seems to be having a ball in a small but charming role.
The Blu-ray’s bonus features are thin but help enhance the purchase. Some canned featurettes and brief deleted scenes don’t add a whole lot of value, but the infectiously funny outtakes and blooper reel help underscore Powell and Sweeney’s chemistry and make it clear they were having a blast on set. They likewise ham it up in a promotional bit where they swap steamy pick-up lines that are far raunchier than anything in the actual film. Finally, supporting players Hadley Robinson and Alexandra Shipp get to shine in a brief concoction called “Aussie Snacks,” in which they sample Australian eats.
Anyone but You is available now on Blu-ray.
