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Blu-ray Review: ANYONE BUT YOU

Home » Blu-ray Review: ANYONE BUT YOU

Mar 14 Posted by in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Anyone But You is a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic comedy Much Ado About Nothing as an adult rom-com film. Bea (Sydney Sweeney) doesn’t really know what she wants to do with her life. She’s contemplating dropping out of law school, and is currently on a break from the only boyfriend she’s every really had, her childhood best friend Jonathan (Darren Barnet). She has a meet-cute in a coffee shop with Ben (Glen Powell), and the two have an amazing first date, really hitting it off, and spending the night together. But Bea gets scared, and sneaks out in the morning. Meanwhile, Ben’s best friend, Pete (GaTa), can tell that Ben is in love. But, thinking he’s been ghosted and trying to protect his heart and ego, Ben denies it, telling Pete how annoying and awful Bea was. Bea, who had come back to tell Ben that she loved him, overhears the conversation and is devastated, thinking that’s the last she’ll see of Ben.

However, it turns out that Pete’s sister Claudia (Alexandra Shipp) has been dating Bea’s sister Halle (Hadley Robinson), and the two have announced they’re getting married in Australia. So now Bea and Ben come face-to-face again in Australia, where they’ll be stuck under the same roof for the weekend. It has been several months since they last saw one another, but the bitterness between them is as fresh as ever. Their constant animosity towards one another quickly becomes an issue, putting a damper on the wedding-related weekend activities. So the rest of the wedding party, along with Claudia and Pete’s parents (Bryan Brown & Michelle Hurd) decide to try to get Bea and Ben to fall for one another (or at least hook up) and get back to their happy place. At the same time, Bea’s parents (Dermot Mulroney & Rachel Griffiths) are busy with their own plan to try to get Bea back together with her ex-fiancé, Jonathan. Meanwhile, Ben runs into his own ex, Margaret (Charlee Fraser), and realizes he still has feelings for her, but she’s currently dating hunky Australian surfer Beau (Joe Davidson). Bea and Ben quickly realize what’s going on, and decide that they should just play along with the group’s deceptive plans to get them together—it would give Bea an excuse as to why she can’t be with Jonathan, and would also help Ben by making him look unavailable and thus more attractive to Margaret. Can Ben and Bea control their mutual dislike for another while they fake being in love? Or will faking it actually cause them to finally realize their true feelings for one another?

While I don’t recall every having read Shakespeare’s original Much Ado About Nothing, it’s still easy to identify its influences throughout this movie, which concentrates on the original’s characters of Beatrice and Benedick. There are also quotes from the source material subtly hidden throughout the film, sprawled out on walls, drawn in the sand, used as titles on book spines, etc. And some of the scenes definitely feel like they were inspired or ported directly from the play, while others have more of a modern twist.

Anyone But You is a hilarious, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy, with an amazing ensemble cast. Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell have wonderful chemistry with one another, and perfect comedic timing, especially as their characters get into these fast-paced verbal sparring matches, hurling witty insults at one another. The actors also really deliver on the physical humor, whether it’s the lengths their characters go to to try to fake that they are in love, Bea getting into a precarious position trying to steal Ben’s cookie while he sleeps on the plane, or Ben tremendously overreacting at the sight of a large spider, ending up naked in the wilderness. These two constantly had me in stitches, and despite all the bickering between Ben and Bea, you can still sense they are both trying to hide their true feelings for one another.

There are 12 main cast members in this film, and they work together perfectly as an ensemble cast. There are so many different romantic pairings, but the film does a nice job of weaving their stories together. It becomes more of a madcap romp, and each of the supporting cast members is given an opportunity to shine. Rachel Griffiths is one of the few cast members who are actually Australian, but here she once again plays an American. I can’t recall the last film I saw with Aussie Bryan Brown, let alone a comedy, but his antics here had me constantly laughing out loud. This is especially true in the moments where the various members of the wedding party are trying to trick Ben and Bea into falling in love. In one scene, we see Pete and his stepfather Roger (Bryan Brown) talking loudly to one another so that Ben can overhear them, stating how Bea told them that she is madly in love with Ben. Meanwhile, Bea’s sister Halle and her fiancée Claudia are attempting the same for Bea’s ears, stating loudly how Ben said he was still in love with Bea. The acting of the characters in these scenes is so perfectly and hilariously bad that I was smiling and laughing throughout. While Bea immediately realizes the purpose of the Razzie-level performances, the slightly dimmer Ben falls for it hook, line and sinker. It is this kind of dynamic that plays out throughout the film, to much comedic success. That said, the film does have some heartwarming moments sprinkled in among the broader comedy. It also showcases the beautiful Australian setting, showcasing the natural beauty of Sydney.

Sony’s has released Anyone But You on physical media on Blu-ray and DVD, but it is also available digitally in 4K. I was sent the Blu-ray release for review, which features solid picture and sound. The picture looks clean and clear throughout, with an excellent level of detail in faces and scenery, even during some of the darker nighttime scenes. The presentation really captures the bright, beautiful colors of the Sydney setting, from its lush greenery, to its sandy beaches, wildlife, ocean, and Opera House. The audio track provides clear dialogue throughout and a wonderful soundtrack—Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” will be stuck in your head for days after watching this film! The audio track also makes nice use of the stereo and surround channels to provide an immersive experience, whether it’s the ambiance of that recycled air on the plane to Sydney, the overhead sounds of a rescue helicopter, or just the general chaos in the house filled with a large wedding party.

The Blu-ray disc resides in standard HD keepcase (our review copy did not include a slipcover). An insert provides instructions on how to redeem an HD Movies Anywhere-compatible digital copy of the film. The disc contains a small but highly-entertaining assortment of bonus material—11 minutes of entertaining interviews/outtakes/bloopers with the director and cast, 3 short deleted scenes, and 2 fun promotional videos with some of the actors.


What’s Included:

Film: (1:43:34)

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