This is really the difference between high art big brain romance plots vs. wattpad writing turning around to movie quickly. I guess cause it was a harry styles fanfic not long ago? like there is a continental divide between the two. Julia sees the vision😊
Sydney Sweeney is a good actress, but she can't do the breezy, lighthearted roles nearly as well as the more dramatic and intense ones. She's great in Euphoria and Handmaid's Tale, but for some reason she can't seem to nail the romcom-lead-actress energy that a role like this requires. She's not Julia Roberts, but she can sure cry and scream like Jessica Lange when she needs to. If I was her, I would stick to my strong suits.
i think horror is definitely her wheelhouse, or a more dramatic role that breaks her out of the blonde bombshell archetype that hollywood is trying to shove her into.
I think she *can* do more comedic lighthearted roles, she just needs a good script with actual *good* comedic writing instead of this garbage. Will Gluck is a good comedic director, the problem is that the plot itself and the dialogue are kinda awful. Sydney goes in with the physical comedy, which is good, but the problem is that the physical comedy itself just wasn't funny at all.
Pointless opening and terribly stilted dialogue aside, I don't know why we were supposed to root for two characters who were so unwilling to put their "dislike" of one another aside long enough to celebrate a wedding for two people they supposedly love.
Not defending the movie itself, but I mean... it's an adaptation of "Much Ado About Nothing." It's not like this premise hasn't done well for several hundred years.
@@roris1717 Like I said, not defending the movie itself. But two acrimonious former lovers making someone else's wedding entirely about them and their drama resulted in one of the most beloved plays of all time, so I find the original comment amusing.
And the thing is that Glen Powell WAS in a fantastic romcom with plenty of chemistry...in 2018. "Set It Up" is my favorite rom-com of all time. I know there are some flaws in the movie but the chemistry is great, the writing has lots of truly funny & well-fleshed out moments, and it has my long time sapphic crush Lucy Liu in it
I love Set it Up. It was hackneyed and recycled but it understood and updated the tropes much better than most modern romcoms. Plus, you actually like the characters.
It may be cliche but I have rewatched Set It Up way too many times to pretend I don’t love it anyway. This was the exact thought I had when I heard this was a different glen Powell movie that was going to ‘revive the genre’.
I follow Sydney on instagram and when this movie came out she posted this highlight reel of her and the whole cast behind-the-scenes. They had more chemistry in that insta post and in their press interviews than in the entire movie. All that PR and for what??
I mean that’s what romcoms were in the 2000s. romcoms didnt have to be special to get time slots in theaters. Now every film has to reinvent cinema or be remake of something with an established fanbase to be released. I think she meant she wants more comfort romcoms to be made
Agree with this!! Also the entire timing of the movie felt off somehow? Like jokes, dramatic moments, "sexy" moments -- it was all either incredibly rushed or drawn out into several lifetimes
The freaking scenes of them on the cliff and touching each other’s butts and stuff took fooooorrrreverrrr And the Black dude’s jokes or at least delivery were so bland/didn’t roll off the tongue yk This also made me realize I dont have anyone’s name in my head! I sat there not knowing anyone’s name 😂
I think you really nailed the main issue of the movie. Ben's insults to Bea made no sense to me and tbh he was just giving me incel vibes. Like, he says she uses her sexuality to take advantage of men, except we didn't see her "take advantage." They didn't even have sex. They talked and cuddled and fell asleep and she left...for some reason, and two seconds after she leaves he gets so incredibly butthurt by it that he feels the need to start talking shit to his friend, and by that time she of course comes in at the exact moment to hear him talking shit, and then they both stay mad for six months. Honestly, if they weren't going to cut out those 11 minutes, why not just actually have Bea have sex with Ben, and then leave because she feels embarrassed because "she doesn't usually do this" or something, then she comes back and overhears Ben. It'd still be cliche, but at least her leaving after sex would make more sense (instead of her literally saying "idk why i left!"), Ben feeling taken advantage of would make more sense, and his animosity towards her, while still uncalled for, would again make more sense. Otherwise, omit that scene entirely. It felt *so* rushed. And then they tried to do the fake dating plot which also made no sense. I actually was rooting for Bea's ex-boyfriend when he showed up. Not only was he cuter than Ben, he was much less annoying and they had better chemistry! Also, there was a distinct lack of lesbian's at that lesbian wedding, I'm just sayin. Such a waste of time. The one scene I actually liked was Bea singing Unwritten to Ben to calm him down, that actually was kinda funny and sweet, and the singalong with the whole cast at the end was very cute, kinda felt like a homage to Easy A. Throw the rest of the movie away tho.
Much Ado About Nothing is my favorite play, it could've led to a great adaptation if the people involved in this movie were clever enough to understand why it works so well
i had no idea it was based on that play. there is this webseries on UA-cam - Nothing much to do by The Candle Wasters, created also based on that play, it was my absolute favorite thing ever when I was 18
my biggest problem is kind of an extension of this, which is basically that conflict doesn’t exist because the writers couldn’t come up with clever ways for them to get out of it. like how quickly the family moves on from the main couples lies like it never happened. a nonsensical miscommunication where even /she/ doesn’t know why she left😭 it just feels like watching little kids play dolls instead of an actual story
When you said that the verbal sparring between the two characters is virtually nonexistent, I’m reminded of the phrase, “characters can only be as smart as the writer” so either the writers did not have enough time to create meaningful dialogue or were not smart enough themselves to create it.
If anyone's looking to watch a genuinely charming 2023 romcom that's effortlessly funny with compelling leads I'd recommend watching Rye Lane instead. It's not second chance enemies-to-lovers but it's definitely a fun time!
Yes, and it felt like the relationship was given enough time to develop and grow into something I want to root for as the audience. And the costuming and locations were lovely
I still haven’t seen it (tbh the stated goal of ‘making a BIG romcom and reviving the genre’ made me wary before the trailer even dropped, I never trust when movies promise that) so I will skip the first 11 minutes and report back on my experience.
@@juliacudney lol I’m back and can confirm, without the first 11 minutes, there’s enough intrigue about their relationship history to make their fights more interesting. Things like “is that story about your mother true?” and the callback to the grilled cheese, when left unelaborated, implied a much deeper (or at least longer) connection than the beginning of the movie showed. (I didn’t like the movie anyway but that’s more about my personal taste in comedy.) The real issue I had was when Ben used a metal spatula on a nonstick pan?! And it wasn’t even his own. Does he have no respect for other people’s cookware???
Haven’t even seen the movie but I so admire you ability to pinpoint issues like these. I can’t always put into words why a movie sucked, I just know it did. Also pride and prejudice is a great example of that “merry war” kind of playful bickering, and part of what makes their chemistry so palpable. Who hasn’t had a good bicker with someone and felt a spark?
I felt like after the spider scene the movie had a level of silliness and levity which was fun and enjoyable to watch, but I wish they would have embraced that from the beginning and really committed to it. Particularly Glen Powell’s character is pretty consistently funny through the latter half of the film. But yes I agree, my main problem with the movie is that I didn’t buy their hatred towards one another at all. It felt very artificial over what was a simple miscommunication, and made their relationship dynamic feel forced and unbelievable.
i am not one to write off a movie completely, i can usually see it’s merits and understand why people might love it, but this movie was so joyless it’s insane. i am wracking my brain trying to think of a worse movie and im coming up blank. i am a romcom defender, but this was neither funny or romantic😭
i literally had the same gripe. anything else that I didn't enjoy would be on me, as a matter of personal taste. But the opening doesn't set up any particular chemistry of them as a couple that I'm rooting for. And so when they "hurt" each other, it doesn't have any impact and doesn't really convincingly set up their mutual hatred (which is the premise of everything else and so everything falls flat from thereon). And yeah, specifically on their "mutual hatred" there isn't any real need for it. Let the banter be a part of the romance not an obstacle in its way. It feels like it was made by people who don't fully understand the tropes and devices they're playing with, and so they don't get what makes them work.
Looks like another day of sitting alone on my empty hill screaming to the heavens “Remember Ticket to Paradise!? It was pretty good!”. Ticket to Paradise felt like the proper return to form to the movies this wanted to be.
Ticket to paradise is amazing bc it actually had 2 people who are great at romcoms and who ace this genre (Julia and George) and also it was hella relatable for me as a child of divorced parents
I thought this movie would be the best plane movie, but about 5 minutes into it I was like "Nah I can't" and went back to watching Bride Wars for the umptieth time. No ragrets.
Same. I almost saw it in theaters, forgot/ran out of time, so I threw it on on an 10 hour flight. I tried multiple times to go back to it and give it another shot, but I ended up watching 3 other movies and couldn’t get past the halfway mark with this one
Julia I love when you put my vague feelings about something into intelligent thoughts thank you!! I also didn’t care for this movie much even though I really wanted to
What killed me was how clear it was they didn’t have a single Aussie in that writers’ room. Aus characters were using slang totally out of context and it was so painful 🥹
Glen Powell's appearance (I can't explain it...) and Sydney Sweeney's voice both make me some kind of uncomfortable so I never wanted to watch this movie, definitely interested in your opinion so thanks for posting this! I woke up 30 minutes ago in a lot of pain and now it's too bright out to go back to sleep again - at 5 am 😭 Oh my god, the dialogue is horrible?!
@@livpond5346 I saw someone say something, I'd never heard her voice to I put the sound on on that specific video and was *shocked*, and I agree with you!
THANK YOU! You just explained exactly what i was feeling. Also another issue I had was Sydney Sweeny being cast. Listen I love Sydney, I know she's a great actress, but i don't think comedy is her strong suit YET* Her line delivery at times came off as awkward and stiff to me, which affected their on-screen chemistry imo.
I love this video! thank you for sharing your insights! Strangely enough, this take reminds me of a lot of takes about Passengers (the Jennifer Lawerance/ Chris Pratt movie), in which the take was: why not hide the reveal of Chris Pratt's character's selfishness from the audience, so we find out when Jennifer Lawerance's character does? And this feels similar here. It's so common now for films to give too much information, or not allow information to be revealed slowly. We can have flashbacks any time (though they seem unnecessary with Anyone But You), but once the audience knows something, there's no unknowing. My take is that intrigue and 'leaving up to interpretation' is dying because there's such concern about the audience getting confused/bored and turning the film off, and/or general oversaturation and the end of media literacy. It all just means as audiences we're not getting interesting stories, characters, and motives. We're still getting all of those, but it's less nuanced and up to interpretation, while also being less interesting and thrilling to watch. But again, fabulous video - thank you!
Ah thanks for bringing up the Passengers point! It’s been years but every once in a while I remember about it, and am reminder how much more interesting of a film it would’ve been for the audience to get a twist!
props for highlighting Lady Jenevia! she's amazing, persistent and detailed and even if i too didn't like this movie that much, i enjoyed her video more
this is why it's important you actually fully understand the source material instead of just taking the plot of it, modernizing it, and proceeding to throw it on screen. and i mean reading it, analyzing it, thinking about it, up and down left and right, switching it up like nintendo. if you're going to adapt classic literature like shakespeare, jane austen, brontes, and everything in between, you have to understand what the author was trying to go for or you could end up butchering the whole thing.
I saw this movie in theaters and I honestly really enjoyed it. I don't think it's a movie I'll make a point to rewatch and I don't think it will be regarded among ~the greats~ but it was funny enough for a fun afternoon at the cinema. I do think it makes a difference watching it with other people - mid jokes can be much funnier when everyone else is laughing. All in all, an okay movie. However, even as I was watching it I thought the beginning was weird, I thought the whole schtick was going to be that they *didn't* hit it off at all that night and later got to know each other better, etc etc. But that's where being at a theater works in its favor, I was getting settled, putting my little table up with my soda and the popcorn and all that and it was almost like the movie didn't really start until the six months later part.
This film made me want to smack my head into a brick wall I have never felt such distain for something forcing itself to exist. This is not a romcom. It is a stealer of joy. If this film was a person I would battle it until the world’s end. Dare I say, Shakespeare I am so sorry. I wish I could look into the eyes of the crew on set and tell them it’s not their fault. Thinking about the fact that I watched this movie from start to finish brings a sense of dread to the point where I am nauseous. What happened? Why? How is this a romcom if the chemistry is that of a nuclear meltdown? What the fuck?
julia, have you ever considered going into screenwriting?? you truly have such an amazing knowledge of what works/what doesn't in movies and TV and cover so much of what is taught in basic-intermediate screenwriting courses in just your 10 min videos. you have such a way with words and you would be so good !! you could fr write the romcom to ACTUALLY save all romcoms
Hate to say it, but the thing that broke Anyone But You was the dialogue and line deliveries. It literally sounded like they read the script immediately before the director called action and then they just took the first take. It’s so bad
I totally agree with your points. The entire conflict felt dragged down by the fact that their entire rivalry came from quite literally a few seconds of miscommunication. And while crude comedy can work in a film it felt unnecessary in most bits (which I guess all comedy could be seen this way) Usually comedy seems to have a basis in a character arc or plot to push forward the story and the jokes surrounding nudity or simply a crude nature distracted from the main story. So in all it personal opinion it was more of a frustrating than sweet movie for me.
This movie was definitely flawed, some of the jokes were cringey, a few the actors really left something to be desired by their performances etc etc. I think you also made some great points in your video as well, especially with the redundancy. And yet I can't help but to find it charming and endearing. I love Glen Powell, and Sydney Sweeney was surprisingly good in this role (at least imo). So much of the story, the (good) jokes, and the character dynamics remind me of my favorite romcoms of the 2000s, in a way that a lot of the other newer releases haven't.
I didn’t get why they hated each other/the insults most of the time. It wasn’t that deep. However, I was like “ok,” and went with it. The movie was fine! I love a romcom, so it’s hard for me to hate them cause I know what I’m signing up for: miscommunication, a soft moment, they rethink their hatred or whatever, still some time to go before admitting things, then a kiss
My biggest issue was how mad they were at each other over this insanely small thing. At least a year had passed between their meet cute and the wedding, possibly more, yet both characters couldn't let it go. I also wasn't a fan of the slapstick, I usually love a silly visual gag but I didn't feel like Sydney Sweeney was the best for this kind of role. Bea and Ben just felt like really flat characters and their family felt even more two dimensional. There were plenty of cute scenes and I liked the coast guard bit, I just think it needed a little something more.
Ok I haven’t watched the video yet but my main issue with anyone but you was that Sydney Sweeney didn’t achieve any career goal, which is a classic second priority in modern rom coms
you could view dropping out of law school as a career milestone the same way in how to lose a guy in 10 days, andy quitting her job is framed as a career milestone. the issue is that it’s not a decision she makes IN this movie. it’s just the story of how her parents found out about it?
I couldn't articulate what bothered me about the opening sequence, and you just opened my eyes to exactly what it is. Making the bickering plot based instead of character based.
I definitely agree with you. The initial sequence was seemingly endless and could've been kept much simpler and shorter. To me the biggest problem with the movie was pacing. There were a lot of interesting ideas, but the scenes just took forever to get to the point and then kept going for way too long, both for the plot exposition and for the jokes.They should've edited the hell out of that script and made it simple and to the point.
Omg I’m happy I found this video! I thought I was going crazy when I saw people online saying this movie was a solid romcom. It was honestly unwatchable for me. I couldn’t even finish it because I thought the writing and acting was noticeably awful. Glenn and Sydney had no chemistry, the line deliveries were very off, and I could’ve ignored the contrived plot if it was at least fun to watch. But everything about the movie was so sloppy and boring. I wasn’t invested in the story at all. This movie had no business being a part of the legacy of Shakespeare romcom adaptations. It makes She’s the Man look like an Oscar worthy film. (Which in my personal opinion it is lol).
i get all the criticism of this movie but i DID love all the much ado about nothing references, i thought it was cute how blatant and silly they were. but im sure others hated that lol
Omg thank you! I finally know what my problem is bc you are so right! Its not that I didn’t enjoy it at all but I couldn’t pin point what bothers me amd it’s that freaking first scene! I even told my sister in law that I just don’t get why they fell in love bc that first scene was so mid and zero heat 😂
I was genuinely thinking of just walking out of the theatre during those first 11 minutes. I ended up sticking it out, and I enjoyed the rest of the movie a lot more. I wouldn't say I thought it was a good movie, but not "walking out of the theatre" bad.
So I read about the plot synopsis when the project first came out and it was marketed as former college nemeses fake dating for a destination wedding and I was so stoked! But when the trailer came out, it was very obvious that they cut out the whole academic rivals portion for... whatever we got, which was why I knew right away I wouldn't care for it as much. I was a BIG fan of Set it Up (2018), but their chemistry fell flat for me. The blocked-out dialogue from the first 11 minutes is useless and boring and sets the tone for the rest of the movie, which disappointed me. It wasn't a romcom hit for me, but it caught the public's attention!
Yeah, I think the kind of guy that wrote romcom in the 90s and 2000s those guys don’t exist anymore because they’re not teaching in school to write around
this movie has been on my list of things to watch eventually and i need to know ur take on it but i dont want spoilers so im pausing ur video at 3min and watching the movie now - and im skipping the 6 months prior segment since you said cutting it would better the story. Then I'll go back and watch those 11 at the end and finish ur video. Hope ur having a nice day
Maybe it’s relative because everyone is saying that the movie is a romcom rebirth but i have seen clips,all the humor is just lazy “actor gets naked or finds themselves into a sexual situation” with no good punchline. Also, I can’t put my finger on why Sydney despite being a good actress and a funny person just doesn’t click for me as a romcom lead, while Glen Powell just proved that Set it up was a lucky hit because he seems just generic here. Like,he had one good romcom and people already were giving him king title
I watched it and had some problems too. The weird dialogue being the biggest. It felt rushed but also slow at points snd it was too short/they didn’t maximize their time correctly
It’s so funny that this was found and pushed for by Sydney Sweeney because I feel like you can smell the “We really wanted Zoey Deutch” vibes of off the script lmao
The writing was just terrible, the "physical comedy" was awkward and honestly embarrassing, plus the chemistry off-screen was way better than whatever was onscreen. Please please please give us good modern romcoms, film industries of the world!
i agree with the lack of character motivation, i think that it lacks that which is strongest in other shakespeare adaptions tbh. in 10 things, easy a, she’s the man, you know exactly what every character wants and why they’re doing what they’re doing even if it’s stupid. i think miscommunications are even more frustrating if you don’t understand why the character is doing the thing they’re doing.
Well, I arrived late to watch the movie, so i missed their first interaction and they were already in the airbnb of australia, and let me tell you… it doesn’t improve the movie. It was very shallow, and you couldn’t really see the appeal of the relationship because to me, it seemed like watching your conventionally attractive friend, start flirting with another conventionally attractive guy in a wedding and honestly, why wouldn’t they? It seems logical from both points of view. Not really a love story worthy of romcoms, you know?
I just watched this movie for the first time tonight, and I loved it. It’s an amazing adaptation of the original play, the references and imitation of the play’s humor were just 😫😫 so good. But I can fully see why it’s not everyone’s favorite
Haven’t seen this movie so make of my opinion what you will but I think the narrative would’ve been stronger if they were both lawyers competing for partner at the same firm and that’s where their rivalry stems from.
Took me some time to realized that this movie was meant to be an adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Except unlike Anyone But You, there was never this much level of miscommunication that occurred throughout the plot. And even when there was, there was a sense of why the characters acted the way they did. Seriously, did anyone even read or watch anything Shakespeare before making this film? WHY IS HOLLYWOOD ALWAYS GETTING SHAKESPEARE WRONG!?!?!?
To be honest, I haven't seen the movie, but I didn't want to watch it purely because of the casting. It's not that I hate the actors (I haven't seen them in anything to form any opinion). It's the fact that they're both stereotypically attractive. I don't like that he's got loads of abs and she's gorgeous all the time. It doesn't feel realistic, and from what I've seen they don't seem to have that much chemistry. It feels like a classic type where you cast two very attractive people and assume that will give them chemistry. And I do really hate that when there are couples on TV or film, it feels so lazy. Like, okay we're not gonna put much effort into making your relationship, you're both pretty so that will be enough.
not done watching but the fact that 11 minutes remain after your title card is AMAZING!!!!!!! very excited for this video.
omg i’m so happy to hear that because i tried and failed to get the entire video to be eleven minutes, but i guess it worked out anyway!
"their relationship dynamic is plotbased when it could have been character based" your brain is HUGE
This is really the difference between high art big brain romance plots vs. wattpad writing turning around to movie quickly. I guess cause it was a harry styles fanfic not long ago? like there is a continental divide between the two. Julia sees the vision😊
@@withcharmtospare ...at this point everything is either Twilight fanfiction or Harry Styles fanfiction
Sydney Sweeney is a good actress, but she can't do the breezy, lighthearted roles nearly as well as the more dramatic and intense ones. She's great in Euphoria and Handmaid's Tale, but for some reason she can't seem to nail the romcom-lead-actress energy that a role like this requires. She's not Julia Roberts, but she can sure cry and scream like Jessica Lange when she needs to. If I was her, I would stick to my strong suits.
i think horror is definitely her wheelhouse, or a more dramatic role that breaks her out of the blonde bombshell archetype that hollywood is trying to shove her into.
I think she *can* do more comedic lighthearted roles, she just needs a good script with actual *good* comedic writing instead of this garbage. Will Gluck is a good comedic director, the problem is that the plot itself and the dialogue are kinda awful. Sydney goes in with the physical comedy, which is good, but the problem is that the physical comedy itself just wasn't funny at all.
@@anishinaabaeshe was phenomenal in Immaculate, would loooove to see her in more horror movies
I think she doesn’t want to be typecasted
Yeah she was so flipping good in Reality
“we’re making romcoms big again!” feels like the “disney’s first gay character!” of the 2020s
LMAO THIS
Pointless opening and terribly stilted dialogue aside, I don't know why we were supposed to root for two characters who were so unwilling to put their "dislike" of one another aside long enough to celebrate a wedding for two people they supposedly love.
Ikr they spend the entire time making the wedding of the 2 bride's about them not to mention they set one of them on fire
Not defending the movie itself, but I mean... it's an adaptation of "Much Ado About Nothing." It's not like this premise hasn't done well for several hundred years.
@@KL-uv3tsyeah, but it's a bad adaptation. It misses the point.
@@roris1717 Like I said, not defending the movie itself. But two acrimonious former lovers making someone else's wedding entirely about them and their drama resulted in one of the most beloved plays of all time, so I find the original comment amusing.
@@roris1717 Does it though? Or is it just a boring adaptation?
And the thing is that Glen Powell WAS in a fantastic romcom with plenty of chemistry...in 2018. "Set It Up" is my favorite rom-com of all time. I know there are some flaws in the movie but the chemistry is great, the writing has lots of truly funny & well-fleshed out moments, and it has my long time sapphic crush Lucy Liu in it
I was excited for anyone but you because of how good the chemistry was in set it up!!! I thought glen could be our romcom king but alas maybe no
I love Set it Up. It was hackneyed and recycled but it understood and updated the tropes much better than most modern romcoms. Plus, you actually like the characters.
YES HES SO GOOD IN THAT I LOVE SET IT UP
yes, I LOVE set it up!! I feel like it doesn’t get the recognition it deserves!
It may be cliche but I have rewatched Set It Up way too many times to pretend I don’t love it anyway. This was the exact thought I had when I heard this was a different glen Powell movie that was going to ‘revive the genre’.
glen powell and sydney sweeney are literally a chemistry vacuum
I follow Sydney on instagram and when this movie came out she posted this highlight reel of her and the whole cast behind-the-scenes. They had more chemistry in that insta post and in their press interviews than in the entire movie. All that PR and for what??
It’s like watching 2 tubes of toothpaste kiss
@@tatehildyard5332this is oddly accurate
“I want to bring back rom coms” proceeds to make the worst most basic formulaic exhausted rom com ever
I mean that’s what romcoms were in the 2000s. romcoms didnt have to be special to get time slots in theaters. Now every film has to reinvent cinema or be remake of something with an established fanbase to be released. I think she meant she wants more comfort romcoms to be made
@@dotcom3015Omg exactly. You worded this so perfectly 😭
Agree with this!! Also the entire timing of the movie felt off somehow? Like jokes, dramatic moments, "sexy" moments -- it was all either incredibly rushed or drawn out into several lifetimes
The freaking scenes of them on the cliff and touching each other’s butts and stuff took fooooorrrreverrrr
And the Black dude’s jokes or at least delivery were so bland/didn’t roll off the tongue yk
This also made me realize I dont have anyone’s name in my head! I sat there not knowing anyone’s name 😂
I think you really nailed the main issue of the movie. Ben's insults to Bea made no sense to me and tbh he was just giving me incel vibes. Like, he says she uses her sexuality to take advantage of men, except we didn't see her "take advantage." They didn't even have sex. They talked and cuddled and fell asleep and she left...for some reason, and two seconds after she leaves he gets so incredibly butthurt by it that he feels the need to start talking shit to his friend, and by that time she of course comes in at the exact moment to hear him talking shit, and then they both stay mad for six months. Honestly, if they weren't going to cut out those 11 minutes, why not just actually have Bea have sex with Ben, and then leave because she feels embarrassed because "she doesn't usually do this" or something, then she comes back and overhears Ben. It'd still be cliche, but at least her leaving after sex would make more sense (instead of her literally saying "idk why i left!"), Ben feeling taken advantage of would make more sense, and his animosity towards her, while still uncalled for, would again make more sense. Otherwise, omit that scene entirely. It felt *so* rushed. And then they tried to do the fake dating plot which also made no sense. I actually was rooting for Bea's ex-boyfriend when he showed up. Not only was he cuter than Ben, he was much less annoying and they had better chemistry! Also, there was a distinct lack of lesbian's at that lesbian wedding, I'm just sayin. Such a waste of time.
The one scene I actually liked was Bea singing Unwritten to Ben to calm him down, that actually was kinda funny and sweet, and the singalong with the whole cast at the end was very cute, kinda felt like a homage to Easy A. Throw the rest of the movie away tho.
Yes, girl! Slay! 🎉
Much Ado About Nothing is my favorite play, it could've led to a great adaptation if the people involved in this movie were clever enough to understand why it works so well
i had no idea it was based on that play. there is this webseries on UA-cam - Nothing much to do by The Candle Wasters, created also based on that play, it was my absolute favorite thing ever when I was 18
@@zuzanna6468 i never see people talk about that series but I was also obsessed haha
my biggest problem is kind of an extension of this, which is basically that conflict doesn’t exist because the writers couldn’t come up with clever ways for them to get out of it. like how quickly the family moves on from the main couples lies like it never happened. a nonsensical miscommunication where even /she/ doesn’t know why she left😭 it just feels like watching little kids play dolls instead of an actual story
When you said that the verbal sparring between the two characters is virtually nonexistent, I’m reminded of the phrase, “characters can only be as smart as the writer” so either the writers did not have enough time to create meaningful dialogue or were not smart enough themselves to create it.
If anyone's looking to watch a genuinely charming 2023 romcom that's effortlessly funny with compelling leads I'd recommend watching Rye Lane instead. It's not second chance enemies-to-lovers but it's definitely a fun time!
Yes, and it felt like the relationship was given enough time to develop and grow into something I want to root for as the audience. And the costuming and locations were lovely
Or Ticket to Paradise
As a former theatre kid nerd (played Beatrice when I was 16 and everything) and a current screenwriting student: Julia, as always, you are SPOT. ON. 👌
Babe turn off the stove new julia cudney video just dropped
No leave the stove on and let's just see what happens...idk I'm Feeling wacky rn
Oh my God @@Aimi-nh6td, you're so crazy!!! Love that!!!
@@-Desire She's quirky, she doesn't fit in, she's Not Like Other Girls! she's an arsonist
100% agree. I was watching it and turned it off right after she said “Why DID I leave?” because I was asking myself the exact same thing
The montage at the end was better and more endearing than the entire film
I still haven’t seen it (tbh the stated goal of ‘making a BIG romcom and reviving the genre’ made me wary before the trailer even dropped, I never trust when movies promise that) so I will skip the first 11 minutes and report back on my experience.
do report back! i'm curious
@@juliacudney lol I’m back and can confirm, without the first 11 minutes, there’s enough intrigue about their relationship history to make their fights more interesting. Things like “is that story about your mother true?” and the callback to the grilled cheese, when left unelaborated, implied a much deeper (or at least longer) connection than the beginning of the movie showed.
(I didn’t like the movie anyway but that’s more about my personal taste in comedy.)
The real issue I had was when Ben used a metal spatula on a nonstick pan?! And it wasn’t even his own. Does he have no respect for other people’s cookware???
Haven’t even seen the movie but I so admire you ability to pinpoint issues like these. I can’t always put into words why a movie sucked, I just know it did.
Also pride and prejudice is a great example of that “merry war” kind of playful bickering, and part of what makes their chemistry so palpable. Who hasn’t had a good bicker with someone and felt a spark?
a romcom with glen powell i did enjoy was called “set it up” very sweet and kinda cringey. perfect storm
Ty for a Recommendation
I felt like after the spider scene the movie had a level of silliness and levity which was fun and enjoyable to watch, but I wish they would have embraced that from the beginning and really committed to it. Particularly Glen Powell’s character is pretty consistently funny through the latter half of the film.
But yes I agree, my main problem with the movie is that I didn’t buy their hatred towards one another at all. It felt very artificial over what was a simple miscommunication, and made their relationship dynamic feel forced and unbelievable.
i am not one to write off a movie completely, i can usually see it’s merits and understand why people might love it, but this movie was so joyless it’s insane. i am wracking my brain trying to think of a worse movie and im coming up blank. i am a romcom defender, but this was neither funny or romantic😭
i literally had the same gripe. anything else that I didn't enjoy would be on me, as a matter of personal taste. But the opening doesn't set up any particular chemistry of them as a couple that I'm rooting for. And so when they "hurt" each other, it doesn't have any impact and doesn't really convincingly set up their mutual hatred (which is the premise of everything else and so everything falls flat from thereon).
And yeah, specifically on their "mutual hatred" there isn't any real need for it. Let the banter be a part of the romance not an obstacle in its way. It feels like it was made by people who don't fully understand the tropes and devices they're playing with, and so they don't get what makes them work.
"A dear happiness to women" 😭😭
Looks like another day of sitting alone on my empty hill screaming to the heavens “Remember Ticket to Paradise!? It was pretty good!”. Ticket to Paradise felt like the proper return to form to the movies this wanted to be.
I couldn’t agree more!
Ticket to paradise is amazing bc it actually had 2 people who are great at romcoms and who ace this genre (Julia and George) and also it was hella relatable for me as a child of divorced parents
I thought this movie would be the best plane movie, but about 5 minutes into it I was like "Nah I can't" and went back to watching Bride Wars for the umptieth time. No ragrets.
Same. I almost saw it in theaters, forgot/ran out of time, so I threw it on on an 10 hour flight. I tried multiple times to go back to it and give it another shot, but I ended up watching 3 other movies and couldn’t get past the halfway mark with this one
Julia I love when you put my vague feelings about something into intelligent thoughts thank you!! I also didn’t care for this movie much even though I really wanted to
What killed me was how clear it was they didn’t have a single Aussie in that writers’ room. Aus characters were using slang totally out of context and it was so painful 🥹
Had to switch from my phone to my laptop because a Julia Cudney deserves big screen internet and not little screen internet
Glen Powell's appearance (I can't explain it...) and Sydney Sweeney's voice both make me some kind of uncomfortable so I never wanted to watch this movie, definitely interested in your opinion so thanks for posting this! I woke up 30 minutes ago in a lot of pain and now it's too bright out to go back to sleep again - at 5 am 😭
Oh my god, the dialogue is horrible?!
Glen Powell looks AI generated, that’s the only way I can put it.
Oh my god I’ve never heard anyone say something about her voice. I’ve always found it to be like nails on chalk board I feel so validated.
@@lexismith8325 YES that's it!!
@@livpond5346 I saw someone say something, I'd never heard her voice to I put the sound on on that specific video and was *shocked*, and I agree with you!
@@lexismith8325 yes EXACTLY that's what I've been thinking, he looks fake like!! he looks like a robot. why does he look like that ??
THANK YOU! You just explained exactly what i was feeling. Also another issue I had was Sydney Sweeny being cast. Listen I love Sydney, I know she's a great actress, but i don't think comedy is her strong suit YET* Her line delivery at times came off as awkward and stiff to me, which affected their on-screen chemistry imo.
I love this video! thank you for sharing your insights! Strangely enough, this take reminds me of a lot of takes about Passengers (the Jennifer Lawerance/ Chris Pratt movie), in which the take was: why not hide the reveal of Chris Pratt's character's selfishness from the audience, so we find out when Jennifer Lawerance's character does? And this feels similar here. It's so common now for films to give too much information, or not allow information to be revealed slowly. We can have flashbacks any time (though they seem unnecessary with Anyone But You), but once the audience knows something, there's no unknowing. My take is that intrigue and 'leaving up to interpretation' is dying because there's such concern about the audience getting confused/bored and turning the film off, and/or general oversaturation and the end of media literacy. It all just means as audiences we're not getting interesting stories, characters, and motives. We're still getting all of those, but it's less nuanced and up to interpretation, while also being less interesting and thrilling to watch. But again, fabulous video - thank you!
Ah thanks for bringing up the Passengers point! It’s been years but every once in a while I remember about it, and am reminder how much more interesting of a film it would’ve been for the audience to get a twist!
pete and his family CARRIED this movies
The fact that their whole thing took away attention from the wedding really annoyed me.
props for highlighting Lady Jenevia! she's amazing, persistent and detailed and even if i too didn't like this movie that much, i enjoyed her video more
The theatrical version of Much Ado about nothing still hits. It's got an incredible cast!!!
this is why it's important you actually fully understand the source material instead of just taking the plot of it, modernizing it, and proceeding to throw it on screen. and i mean reading it, analyzing it, thinking about it, up and down left and right, switching it up like nintendo. if you're going to adapt classic literature like shakespeare, jane austen, brontes, and everything in between, you have to understand what the author was trying to go for or you could end up butchering the whole thing.
Fun fact this was the first movie I ever saw in a theatre with my grandma. I don’t know if that made the viewing experience better or worse.
I saw this movie in theaters and I honestly really enjoyed it. I don't think it's a movie I'll make a point to rewatch and I don't think it will be regarded among ~the greats~ but it was funny enough for a fun afternoon at the cinema. I do think it makes a difference watching it with other people - mid jokes can be much funnier when everyone else is laughing. All in all, an okay movie. However, even as I was watching it I thought the beginning was weird, I thought the whole schtick was going to be that they *didn't* hit it off at all that night and later got to know each other better, etc etc. But that's where being at a theater works in its favor, I was getting settled, putting my little table up with my soda and the popcorn and all that and it was almost like the movie didn't really start until the six months later part.
yessssss the LadyJenevia shout outttt!!! she's an old time fav, we've all got such good taste here tonight haha
i haven't seen it because watching the trailer and any clips, it appears so dull and lifeless.
it is somehow both dull, lifeless, and doing too much
i’ve been watching your videos since 2018 and i haven’t see one in forever! this was so refreshing and such an interesting take
I really didn’t wanna watch the movie but I was curious whether it was actually good so ty for making this video 😭 The editing is absolutely gorgeous
I can't get over ur hair. It's perfect
GIRL YOUR COMMENTARY IS ELITE! Funny, Smart, Intuitive. Please make videos more often!! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK
This film made me want to smack my head into a brick wall I have never felt such distain for something forcing itself to exist. This is not a romcom. It is a stealer of joy. If this film was a person I would battle it until the world’s end. Dare I say, Shakespeare I am so sorry. I wish I could look into the eyes of the crew on set and tell them it’s not their fault. Thinking about the fact that I watched this movie from start to finish brings a sense of dread to the point where I am nauseous. What happened? Why? How is this a romcom if the chemistry is that of a nuclear meltdown? What the fuck?
julia, have you ever considered going into screenwriting?? you truly have such an amazing knowledge of what works/what doesn't in movies and TV and cover so much of what is taught in basic-intermediate screenwriting courses in just your 10 min videos. you have such a way with words and you would be so good !! you could fr write the romcom to ACTUALLY save all romcoms
Hate to say it, but the thing that broke Anyone But You was the dialogue and line deliveries. It literally sounded like they read the script immediately before the director called action and then they just took the first take. It’s so bad
I totally agree with your points. The entire conflict felt dragged down by the fact that their entire rivalry came from quite literally a few seconds of miscommunication.
And while crude comedy can work in a film it felt unnecessary in most bits (which I guess all comedy could be seen this way) Usually comedy seems to have a basis in a character arc or plot to push forward the story and the jokes surrounding nudity or simply a crude nature distracted from the main story.
So in all it personal opinion it was more of a frustrating than sweet movie for me.
ok i finished the video now and yep your points were 100% true i never even thought of any of that but you're so right
This movie was definitely flawed, some of the jokes were cringey, a few the actors really left something to be desired by their performances etc etc. I think you also made some great points in your video as well, especially with the redundancy.
And yet I can't help but to find it charming and endearing. I love Glen Powell, and Sydney Sweeney was surprisingly good in this role (at least imo). So much of the story, the (good) jokes, and the character dynamics remind me of my favorite romcoms of the 2000s, in a way that a lot of the other newer releases haven't.
I didn’t get why they hated each other/the insults most of the time. It wasn’t that deep. However, I was like “ok,” and went with it. The movie was fine! I love a romcom, so it’s hard for me to hate them cause I know what I’m signing up for: miscommunication, a soft moment, they rethink their hatred or whatever, still some time to go before admitting things, then a kiss
My biggest issue was how mad they were at each other over this insanely small thing. At least a year had passed between their meet cute and the wedding, possibly more, yet both characters couldn't let it go. I also wasn't a fan of the slapstick, I usually love a silly visual gag but I didn't feel like Sydney Sweeney was the best for this kind of role. Bea and Ben just felt like really flat characters and their family felt even more two dimensional. There were plenty of cute scenes and I liked the coast guard bit, I just think it needed a little something more.
this is the most confusing title for a yt video i've ever seen but i saw it was julia and you know i had to click on it
I wanted to like this movie.... but i felt the acting was sooo bad
Ok I haven’t watched the video yet but my main issue with anyone but you was that Sydney Sweeney didn’t achieve any career goal, which is a classic second priority in modern rom coms
Like she didn’t find anything she loved or wanted to do, she just dropped out of law school
you could view dropping out of law school as a career milestone the same way in how to lose a guy in 10 days, andy quitting her job is framed as a career milestone. the issue is that it’s not a decision she makes IN this movie. it’s just the story of how her parents found out about it?
I couldn't articulate what bothered me about the opening sequence, and you just opened my eyes to exactly what it is. Making the bickering plot based instead of character based.
i randomly was thinking about your channel and boom you uploaded yay!!!!
I definitely agree with you. The initial sequence was seemingly endless and could've been kept much simpler and shorter. To me the biggest problem with the movie was pacing. There were a lot of interesting ideas, but the scenes just took forever to get to the point and then kept going for way too long, both for the plot exposition and for the jokes.They should've edited the hell out of that script and made it simple and to the point.
I just wanna say I always think your hair is so pretty
I love the essay vocabulary here, if I ever get stuck on mine I'll just rewatch this, thanksss
(also lovely video... and horrid first 11 minutes)
it’s funny how the clashing of personalities were more organic in a disaster movie that he’s in recently that’s not meant to be a romance 😭
I enjoyed it and would watch it again, but absolutely agree with evert point you made. So well put!
Omg I’m happy I found this video! I thought I was going crazy when I saw people online saying this movie was a solid romcom. It was honestly unwatchable for me. I couldn’t even finish it because I thought the writing and acting was noticeably awful. Glenn and Sydney had no chemistry, the line deliveries were very off, and I could’ve ignored the contrived plot if it was at least fun to watch. But everything about the movie was so sloppy and boring. I wasn’t invested in the story at all. This movie had no business being a part of the legacy of Shakespeare romcom adaptations. It makes She’s the Man look like an Oscar worthy film. (Which in my personal opinion it is lol).
most certainly here for this video BUT queen i NEED your thoughts on TTPD!!!
i get all the criticism of this movie but i DID love all the much ado about nothing references, i thought it was cute how blatant and silly they were. but im sure others hated that lol
Omg thank you! I finally know what my problem is bc you are so right! Its not that I didn’t enjoy it at all but I couldn’t pin point what bothers me amd it’s that freaking first scene! I even told my sister in law that I just don’t get why they fell in love bc that first scene was so mid and zero heat 😂
10:30 “comfortable using legal jargon in everyday life” 💗 “I OBJECT!! “
I was genuinely thinking of just walking out of the theatre during those first 11 minutes. I ended up sticking it out, and I enjoyed the rest of the movie a lot more. I wouldn't say I thought it was a good movie, but not "walking out of the theatre" bad.
So I read about the plot synopsis when the project first came out and it was marketed as former college nemeses fake dating for a destination wedding and I was so stoked! But when the trailer came out, it was very obvious that they cut out the whole academic rivals portion for... whatever we got, which was why I knew right away I wouldn't care for it as much. I was a BIG fan of Set it Up (2018), but their chemistry fell flat for me. The blocked-out dialogue from the first 11 minutes is useless and boring and sets the tone for the rest of the movie, which disappointed me. It wasn't a romcom hit for me, but it caught the public's attention!
clicked on your video because this was exactly what I was thinking the minuets were a waste!! Also, I did not think they had any chemistry
Yeah, I think the kind of guy that wrote romcom in the 90s and 2000s those guys don’t exist anymore because they’re not teaching in school to write around
I kept nodding along to your video, more truer words have never been said 👏
this movie has been on my list of things to watch eventually and i need to know ur take on it but i dont want spoilers so im pausing ur video at 3min and watching the movie now - and im skipping the 6 months prior segment since you said cutting it would better the story. Then I'll go back and watch those 11 at the end and finish ur video. Hope ur having a nice day
Maybe it’s relative because everyone is saying that the movie is a romcom rebirth but i have seen clips,all the humor is just lazy “actor gets naked or finds themselves into a sexual situation” with no good punchline. Also, I can’t put my finger on why Sydney despite being a good actress and a funny person just doesn’t click for me as a romcom lead, while Glen Powell just proved that Set it up was a lucky hit because he seems just generic here. Like,he had one good romcom and people already were giving him king title
Love your work Julie
I watched it and had some problems too.
The weird dialogue being the biggest.
It felt rushed but also slow at points snd it was too short/they didn’t maximize their time correctly
for a RomCom, it was sooo unfunny... the Pete character especially I found genuinely grating and obnoxious
This movie was broken immediately as the token black best friend popped up. And shattered any hope of “this could be a unique rom-com”
It’s so funny that this was found and pushed for by Sydney Sweeney because I feel like you can smell the “We really wanted Zoey Deutch” vibes of off the script lmao
Would have been better if they didn’t reveal why they hated each other at first then gradually revealed a backstory
The writing was just terrible, the "physical comedy" was awkward and honestly embarrassing, plus the chemistry off-screen was way better than whatever was onscreen. Please please please give us good modern romcoms, film industries of the world!
You're right, but I still enjoyed it cause it was funny and because I haven't found a decent rom-com in a decade. So this was pretty good
can we please get a ranked rom coms list, if not a video then maybe on letterboxd ??
i agree with the lack of character motivation, i think that it lacks that which is strongest in other shakespeare adaptions tbh. in 10 things, easy a, she’s the man, you know exactly what every character wants and why they’re doing what they’re doing even if it’s stupid. i think miscommunications are even more frustrating if you don’t understand why the character is doing the thing they’re doing.
also the sets and costumes are soulless. like its giving those sterile cringy p@rn ads that appear on illegal streaming websites.
YOU GET IT!! THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!!!
what a great video. thank you julia
Well, I arrived late to watch the movie, so i missed their first interaction and they were already in the airbnb of australia, and let me tell you… it doesn’t improve the movie. It was very shallow, and you couldn’t really see the appeal of the relationship because to me, it seemed like watching your conventionally attractive friend, start flirting with another conventionally attractive guy in a wedding and honestly, why wouldn’t they? It seems logical from both points of view. Not really a love story worthy of romcoms, you know?
a Bucky Barnes fanfic did this misunderstand trope/storyline 100x better than this movie (it was called heart on the line lol)
Every video from you is a gift
oh, i thought you said grift😭 but this is very nice, thank you
@@juliacudney you're welcome! Lol no don't worry I really like your channel. I'm always happy when you post
I just watched this movie for the first time tonight, and I loved it. It’s an amazing adaptation of the original play, the references and imitation of the play’s humor were just 😫😫 so good. But I can fully see why it’s not everyone’s favorite
Haven’t seen this movie so make of my opinion what you will but I think the narrative would’ve been stronger if they were both lawyers competing for partner at the same firm and that’s where their rivalry stems from.
If they had adapted much ado about nothing it would be soooo much better, the shakespeare play is so hilarious
Took me some time to realized that this movie was meant to be an adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Except unlike Anyone But You, there was never this much level of miscommunication that occurred throughout the plot. And even when there was, there was a sense of why the characters acted the way they did.
Seriously, did anyone even read or watch anything Shakespeare before making this film? WHY IS HOLLYWOOD ALWAYS GETTING SHAKESPEARE WRONG!?!?!?
To be honest, I haven't seen the movie, but I didn't want to watch it purely because of the casting. It's not that I hate the actors (I haven't seen them in anything to form any opinion). It's the fact that they're both stereotypically attractive. I don't like that he's got loads of abs and she's gorgeous all the time. It doesn't feel realistic, and from what I've seen they don't seem to have that much chemistry. It feels like a classic type where you cast two very attractive people and assume that will give them chemistry. And I do really hate that when there are couples on TV or film, it feels so lazy. Like, okay we're not gonna put much effort into making your relationship, you're both pretty so that will be enough.
weee, new Julia video!!! yaay, yippyyy!
It’s so funny because I attempted to watch this movie last night and those exact 11 mins is where I stopped
I had fun watching the movie, but i think this is a very fair critique. Great video!