- “Just Not You” is a new romantic comedy whose characters are played by the star of “Euphoria” Sydney Sweeney and known from “Top Gun: Maverick” GlenPowell.
- The film is a modern version of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”. The romantic comedy tells the story of school enemies who, years later, appear as guests at a wedding, where they are forced to pretend to be a couple. Over time, it turns out that real feelings develop between former enemies.
- The director of the movie is Will Gluck, known for producing “Easy Girl” and “It’s Just Sex.” The title debuts on Polish cinema screens March 1, 2024.
The creators didn’t really believe in the success of their film, so they turned to marketing people for help. And they proposed an idea to attract viewers. They decided to involve the main pair of actors, Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell (who were on a wave of enormous popularity), who – just like in the film – during the promotional tour began to pretend to be in a perfect relationship (which theoretically they are not).
Truth began to mix with fiction, and instead of honestly encouraging people to watch the film (Gluck’s comedy is a good thing – more on that in a moment), the two actors promoted “Just Not You” with gossipy interviews or videos on TikTok. This helped and also saved the premiere of the comedy – the production became a hit, but Polish viewers had to wait until March 1 to find out whether such intrusive marketing was necessary at all.
Fortunately – as it turns out during the screening of the film – “Only Not You” defends itself with its great timing and the fact that the whole thing is presented in an extremely accessible way. Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) are two young people who meet by chance in a cafe. The chemistry between them is palpable after just a few minutes, so it’s no surprise that they go on their first date together. Unfortunately, as a result of a certain (extremely stupid – these films have their own rules) misunderstanding, they break up in disagreement in the morning. What could have been the beginning of a valuable and healthy relationship suddenly turns into mutual hatred.
Our would-be lovers don’t like each other, but when it turns out that two people close to them are inviting them to their wedding, they decide to go to an Australian wedding in Sydney (which is supposed to be a meta-joke in itself, if we pay attention to how name of the main actress).
The script is based on the old-fashioned saying “whoever likes each other, likes each other” and it’s only a matter of time before Bea and Ben realize that they are actually made for each other. And nosy relatives and obnoxious ex-partners will force them to make a secret agreement: throughout the entire film, in order to rub the noses of the rest of the wedding guests, they will pretend to be a couple head over heels in love.
Stylistically, “Only Not You” is reminiscent of cult comedies from the 2000s, which were characterized by: fast pace, unsophisticated humor, pathological plot solutions and a pair of perfectly matched actors. As lofty as it may sound, such films are no longer made today. Producers (and filmmakers, by the way) have long moved away from concise “postcard” cinema, in which depth and dialogue are replaced by weak jokes, quarrels between lovers, kisses and very prolonged sex scenes. It’s a pity, because “Only Not You” proves that we need this type of films more than ever today.
After all, this is where sparks fly between Sweeney and Powell (brilliant casting, I’d like to watch the series with them), and the whole film, styled to resemble the perfect image from a summer postcard, turns out to be very, very sexy. Each scene with their participation is a sweet treat for the viewer’s heart, and it is also a rare example of a romantic comedy in which we actually feel like rooting for the film’s couple. Of course, most of the jokes will turn out to be inaccurate (which was predictable from the very beginning), and the paperless and too nice secondary characters will irritate us a bit with how bland they are and do not add much to the plot. But if we forgive this comedy a few – to quote the Polish classic – “shortcomings”, it will turn out that in the end we have a chance to spend quite a pleasant time in Sydney (and Sydney).
It seems that at the moment we will not find a better title in the cinema that could serve as a soothing balm, introducing us to the holiday prelude, which in Poland is called early spring. “Just Not You” is a simple comedy with a punch, but its greatest advantage is the fact that it doesn’t try to be anything more. So how can you convince me to go to a wedding in Australia with Sydney and Glen?
6/10
“Just Not You” (“Anyone But You”, director: Will Gluck, USA 2024, distributor: UIP, cinema premiere: March 1, 2024.