Anyone But You is the best rom-com since the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You. The original 1999 film starring Julia Stiles as Kat tells the story of fake love, which later becomes a real connection with the so-called Australian bad boy Patrick, played by Heath Ledger. This was known as one of the most iconic enemies to lovers rom-com: defining the actors as the “it” couple of the time.
Anyone But You, released on December 22, 2023, created a new rom-com that people believe will be this generation’s “it” couple. The main characters Bea and Ben, played by Sydney Sweeny and Glen Powell, are enemies who pretend to be in love so their family gets off their back at a destination wedding. During all this pretending, Bea and Ben realize that they do not need to act like they are in love because now it is reality.
Through the film the storyline is one many would call predictable, but that is the definition of a rom-com. The acting between Sweeny and Powell left viewers wanting more, not only because of the chemistry but also because of their naturally funny relationship. People believed what was shown on the screen, even a real relationship away from the camera. Soon after the release of the movie rumors spread that there was a real relationship between the actors. Although this rumor has been confirmed as not true, viewers saw a connection between them that many rom-coms have not been able to grasp in years.
The rom-com uses small hints to the movie’s ending as Powell jumps out of a helicopter after hearing Bea’s father tell him he would jump out of a moving train for love. The love between the two was easily carried off the screen and on the media. The song “Unwritten” took over the TikTok app because people fell in love with Ben’s serenity song from the film and how it brought the two characters together. Although 10 Things I Hate About You will never be forgotten, Anyone But You is the next movie that will be watched over and over for decades.