Solène, a 40-year-old single mom, begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet.Solène, a 40-year-old single mom, begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet.Solène, a 40-year-old single mom, begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
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- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Anne Hathaway on Nicholas Galitzine's Heartthrob Status
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFans believe Harry Styles inspired the romance novel 'The Idea of You' because Hayes Campbell is a young British musician who is the lead singer of the fictional band August Moon, much like the former One Direction singer. Styles and Campbell also share similar taste in women, as the "Watermelon Sugar" singer dated Olivia Wilde, who is ten years older than he is.
- GoofsWhen Solène is sneaking Hayes out of her gallery, he sits in the passenger seat. Before he puts the seat back to hide from the paparazzi he lays his head on the head rest. When he puts the seat back up, the head rest is gone.
- Quotes
Solène: [Hays has just agreed to purchase all the art in the gallery] This is real art, and these are real artists. They take their work very seriously, as do I. They made it with a great deal of care, and you're coming in here like--I don't know--like you're buying apples or something.
Hayes: Honestly, I've been looking for art like this for so long, and-and I genuinely connect with it, and so... I-I would really like to buy it, if it's okay with you.
Solène: [sighs] Okay. Okay.
Hayes: And for the record, you have never seen me buy apples before.
- SoundtracksLight On
Written by Maggie Rogers and Kid Harpoon (as Thomas Edward Percy Hull)
Performed by Maggie Rogers
Courtesy of Capitol Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises
The best part of this movie is the fact that it shows something we rarely see on screen: the idea of a woman in her 40s being found intriguing, sexy, and desirable, and the object of pursuit by a younger, attractive man. The way that it achieves this is nothing new to movies - love at first sight, Solene being the only woman he can think about, and that she stirred something in him that no one else can. This is a common mechanism in female fanastical romances (see also: Fifty Shades of Grey) because, well, it's one of the biggest fantasies we all have, especially for heterosexual women. (Let's hope that it doesn't spawn an epidemic of middle-aged women "accidentally" breaking into band trailers at music festivals.) But it does, at its core, speak to a fantasy that anyone who wants to be loved has: that we will be seen for who we are, not for our familial or life situation, the wrinkles on our face, or the birthdate on our driver's license.
The other unique thing that the movie portrays is the idea of men being emotionally vulnerable. The way that you see Hayes falling for Solene and expressing his feelings about her is not something you see very often with male leads. Again, this may be a bit of a heterosexual female fantasy, but I think it comes at a time when society is beginning to be more accepting and understanding of the need for men to be able to express their emotions. If you want to know why so many women love The Notebook (another fantastical romance), think about how you see Ryan Gosling's character show just how emotionally attached he is to Rachel McAdams's character. You don't see this in that many movies, but when you do, there's a very good chance that women love it.
The film also makes good points about the hypocrisy of society with how Hayes and Solene's relationship is treated, how no one bats an eyelash when male celebrities date women 10, 20, even 50 years younger than they are (ahem, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino), but the idea of a woman dating a younger man is scandalous. This is a point made by Annie Mumolo, who I always love to see on screen, but who is regrettably underutilized here as the best friend character. There is definitely a feminist undercurrent to the movie, including some really cute lines made by Solene's daughter, but it's doesn't hit you over the head with it.
Although there are some areas I would've liked to have been handled better, such as the scene where there's tension with the other band members, overall it's a sweet and emotional movie that gives us something I think all women would agree that we want: recognition that we are more than just our age.
- TananaKo
- Apr 27, 2024
May 2024 TV and Streaming Premiere Dates
May 2024 TV and Streaming Premiere Dates
- How long is The Idea of You?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 55 minutes
- Color