Grade: B
The “Build Me Up Buttercup” singalong at the end of There’s Something About Mary put that beloved oldie back on the map, and was used creatively, with clips of actors and extras rocking out to it from many scenes throughout the movie. This was also employed in Spirited (with a reprise of the opening number) and Champions (to Chumbawumba’s “Tubthumping”). The end of Anyone But You has the cast doing this to Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten.” It’s one of the technique’s more effective uses. I can imagine it wearing thin pretty soon (and this might be one of the last times it will go over this well) – but for now, it’s a hell of a lot of fun.
You could say that Shakespeare helped invent the romantic comedy. Anyone But You is loosely based on Much Ado About Nothing. If the situations seem outlandish and the numerous characters are overwhelming to keep track of – and seem too conveniently coincidentally connected – well, that’s how so many of Shakespeare’s plays are. Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell are Bea and Ben, who have a meet cute followed by a one night stand. She slips out quietly the next morning, and briefly overhears him making insulting, dismissive comments about her to his friend Pete.
Their worlds collide six months later when Bea’s sister Halle becomes engaged to Pete’s sister Claudia. Everyone is going to the wedding in Sydney, Australia. Hearing Bea and Ben’s constant verbal sparring becomes annoying for everyone else, so through a series of deceptions, they conspire to get the two of them to reconcile, and maybe even fall in love.
The family must be doing pretty well to own that ridiculous property in Sydney, and I haven’t even gotten into the subplot involving Bea’s ex-fiancé Jonathan, who Bea’s parents fly to Australia as a surprise. There is so much eavesdropping happening; people misunderstand what they overhear, and/or characters have “private” conversations that they hope somebody listens in on. Everyone acts as if they are supporting characters in The Ben and Bea Show. For a couple about to get married, Halle and Claudia are awfully preoccupied with what’s going on with Ben and Bea.
But this is par for the course for your typical wacky romantic comedy. It’s nice to see Dermot Mulroney and Rachel Griffiths again, as Bea and Halle’s parents. From my first viewing of the trailer right up until I was watching the movie, I thought Kirsten Dunst was in the cast. But no, it’s Hadley Robinson as Halle, who looks uncannily like Dunst, at least when she is a blonde. Robinson is a show-stealer with great line deliveries and facial expressions – and as you’ll see from the singalong at the end, she is one of the few real vocalists in the ensemble. Your mileage may vary with the jokes, but I laughed very hard in the scene involving a surfer, an outdoor shower, and a perfectly timed shot that brought back memories of the “beans above the frank” scene in There’s Something About Mary.
Anyone But You has something and someone for all audiences to enjoy looking at. It’s an unapologetic, shameless screwball romcom that emerges as a success due to the beautiful Australia locations and the attractive cast. This is not the worst film to come out in the Christmas rush this week, so I say release your inhibitions. Feel the rain on your skin.
Grade: B
Film Reviews by Mark 
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