- “Just thinking about you” is a new melodrama, available on Prime Video from May 2. It is an adaptation of the novel by Robinne Lee titled “The Idea of You”.
- Sophie (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mother, begins a hot affair with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the main vocalist of the most popular boy band in the world – August Moon.
- The film “Just Thinking About You” is not one of the most successful melodramas of recent years. For Nicholas Galitzine it's another same role, while Anne Hathaway doesn't seem to fit her character. I recommend watching the new Prime Video, abandoning all hopes for an ambitious cinema that objectively presents contemporary relationships.
The film “Just the Thought of You” was based on the best-selling book by Robinne Lee titled “The Idea of You”. Sophie (listed as Solene in the cast) is a 40-year-old divorcee. Her husband left her for a younger lover. By accident, the main character ends up at a popular music festival with her teenage daughter. There, Sophie (also accidentally) meets 24-year-old Hayes, frontman of the band August Moon. From the first minutes of their acquaintance, infatuation takes over, but the couple encounters many obstacles on their way, mainly related to the large age difference.
Before I review the film, I think I should give some background to the story. Well, a large number of readers are convinced that the character of Hayes was inspired by the popular British singer, Harry Styles, and August Moon was inspired by the band One Direction. Sophie in this case would be the equivalent Olivia Wilde, with whom Styles had an affair. The author of the novel herself distanced herself from speculation. “It was never supposed to be a book about Harry Styles. It was supposed to be a story about a woman approaching forty who is reclaiming her sexuality and rediscovering herself, right when society has traditionally written women off the list of desirable, viable and full,” she said in an interview with Vogue.
However, fans have no doubts about their theories, and they watch the film knowing that it could have been a story inspired by Harry's life’Styles' ego… Well, the number of similarities is suspicious to say the least. The hero's name alone… Hayes? Harry? Perhaps it's a coincidence.
The character of Sophie is played by Anne Hathaway, who needs no introduction. As Hayes, we watch Nicholas Galitzine, known for his appearances in films such as “Purple Hearts” and “Red, White & Royal Blue”. In these two titles, he plays the role of a handsome guy who makes everyone go weak in the knees. It is no different in the case of the film “Just Thinking About You”. Hayes is a teen idol. And another same role of Nicholas Galitzine, who shows nothing more on the screen than big eyes and a sad face.
The same cannot be said for Anne Hathaway. No matter what role I see her in, I will always be delighted. The actress naturally plays a character that may not necessarily suit her. She tries to get any false impression of chemistry between her character and Hayes. Unfortunately, in this case it was in vain. The love between the two characters is unbelievable. This relationship is built superficially. There is no shortage of patterns. They fall in love, Hayes' friends tease Sophie because of the age difference, they break up, they break up, the woman's ex-husband and her daughter get involved, they break up again, and so on.
A certain moral conflict arises in the heroine, but it seems to last for about five minutes. Hayes, on the other hand, does not consider the pros and cons of a relationship with a large age difference at all. He seems to be blindly in love with Sophie. I understand that it was probably the source material that let the story down, so I tried not to be so critical of this film. Although the scene where Hayes sits in the car and makes a sad face when the fans don't leave him alone… The feeling of embarrassment still haunts me to this day.
Watching “Just Thinking About You” gives the impression that the film is… ancient. I mean, it could have been made 10-15 years ago and it would probably be a hit. It's a story about “forbidden love”, which wouldn't have to look like this nowadays. Yes, the relationships of stars with such a large age difference are sometimes criticized in the media, but they definitely have many more supporters than a few years ago.
However, I think that despite all my criticisms, it is a melodrama that is quite watchable. Okay, the story isn't believable, but it is engaging. Nicholas Galitzine doesn't do well, but Anne Hathaway shines. I recommend watching the movie “Just Thinking About You”, abandoning all expectations. It was never intended to be an ambitious film, but as a typical love story it does quite well.
5/10
“Just Thinking About You”, dir. Michael Showalter. Premiere date on Prime Video: May 2, 2024.