Anyone but You

Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney

Will Gluck's Anyone but You, the most conspicuous example of bourgeoise capitalist excess in the cinema since Crazy Rich Asians, will be chiefly remembered as the film that established Sydney Sweeney as a star and box office draw. Not much lurks under the film's surface, but that may have been part of its popular appeal. Anyone but You boasts two stunning Sydneys, an upbeat and chipper tone, a copious number of ripped and unclothed bodies, veteran actors cashing checks, upscale settings, food porn, and a plot that would have been old hat in 1923.

Like Wedding Crashers and Crazy Rich Asians, the film uses the setting of a wedding as a backdrop for the ebb and flow of a romance between the two leads. Brickbats fly, as do busses. The film chiefly depends on the chemistry of the two leads. Male lead Glen Powell is a physical presence, but lacks Sweeney's charisma. They both are adept at physical schtick, but Sweeney is superior at repartee despite a tendency to talk through her nose. Gluck wisely uses the supporting characters as a chorus arrayed around the central romance, but the stellar talent assembled (Bryan Brown, Rachel Griffiths, Dermot Mulroney, and a host of youngsters) is underused. That is because Gluck and Ilana Wolpert's script opts for a tone of featherweight satire. Despite the improbabilities of the narrative, the lunacy of a screwball romantic comedy is never unloosed.

Gluck has directed one comic success, Easy A, and a number of less rewarding ones, including Anyone but You. Gluck does succeed in honoring one of the tenets of comedy, he keeps the film moving along at a brisk pace. This and Ms. Sweeney's talents make the film almost watchable despite its second hand nature. Part of Ms. Sweeney's appeal is that she embodies a healthy female sexuality all too absent in the American cinema. She has her physical attributes, but also distinctive features, like her height and her hooded eyes, that could be taken as flaws. Because she is a first rate actress, though, she exudes a sensuality far beyond the capabilities of such pneumatic constructs as Megan Fox. Ms. Sweeney provides the only intimations of reality, albeit idealized, in Anyone but You.