Anyone but You (2023)

Anyone but You made $220 million worldwide on a reported $25M budget, and the one thing critics said it was missing is the thing it was selling: chemistry. Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell are wildly watchable on their own. Together, the sparks come and go. Bea and Ben have one perfect day, one bad misunderstanding, and six months later they’re stuck on the same flight to Sydney for her sister’s wedding to his best friend’s sister. So they fake a romance, to dodge her meddling parents and make his ex jealous. It’s Much Ado About Nothing with a harbor view. The writing is pedestrian, but Will Gluck keeps things slick and sunny, and Bryan Brown and Michelle Hurd add able support. There’s a full Titanic reenactment at a boat party, and it ends in the harbor. It holds a 53% on Rotten Tomatoes. A 5.0 because two very watchable leads get stranded by a flat script. $49.34 says you hear the opening notes of Unwritten tomorrow and instantly picture the Sydney Opera House.

What works: Sweeney and Powell are easy to watch, the Sydney setting is gorgeous, and the Unwritten needle drop does a lot of heavy lifting.

What doesn’t: The banter is pedestrian, and the leads rarely spark as a couple, which is a real problem for a romantic comedy.

Who it’s for: Rom-com fans who want a sunny, low-effort night in and don’t need the jokes to be sharp.