ANYONE BUT YOU (2023)
4K Ultra HD + Digital
Label: Sony Pictures
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: R
Duration: 103 Minutes 43 Seconds
Audio: English, French, Spanish DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles, English Descriptive Audio Service
Video: 2160p 4K Ultra HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Will Gluck
Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Hadley Robinson, Michelle Hurd, Dermot Mulroney, Darren Barnet and Rachel Griffiths
As a horror fan I do not take in rom-coms on a regular basis, though I will occasionally take in something sweet and romantic every once in a while, to appease by non-horror loving wifey, it's only fair. When I first saw this I had just watched the star-studded Ticket To Paradise and had a solid time watching it, so I was feeling good, and willing watch another, that other was the rom-com Anyone But You (2023) with next-gen Hollywood hotties Sydney Sweeney (Immaculate) and Glen Powell (The Running Man), and gave it a spin with the wife. Again, not my usual cup o' tea, but still a solidly entertaining and well-made flick, that actually managed to warm my two-sizes-too-small jaded heart and actually made me laugh quite a bit, so I have to say, it's a solid rom-com, because I am usually rolling my eyes when I watch these things. In it law-student Bea (Sweeney, HBO's Euphoria) and finance-bro Ben (Powell, TV's Scream Queens) have a meet-cute at a coffee shop where Bea needs to use the restroom, but as she is not a paying customer they won't let her do her business, corporate asshats, so in steps nice guy Ben who has been observing the whole thing while he is buying a coffee, and of his own volition steps in and pretends to be her husband, so she can take a proper piss without being hassled by corporate asshats, he even buys here a tea. It's a sweet little meet-cute, and of course there's some ridiculous shenanigans with Bea accidentally spraying her groin area with water from the bathroom faucet, which leads to her doing some bathroom gymnastics to dry her crotch area off using a hand dryer. Afterward they hit it off big-time and head back to his place for a wicked-buttery grilled cheese and a night of pleasant chat - but no sex, but the chemistry is thick between them. In the morning Bea wakes up in his arms, but decides to sneak out without saying goodbye. It's while walking home she realizes she's possibly made a mistake and heads back to his place to keep the flame alive. She shows up just in time to hear Ben, who is irate that she left without a goodbye when he thought they had something special, making a half-hearted insulting comment about her to his best pal Peter (GaTa, House Party), and that pretty much closes the door on any romance blossoming between them - but they were so good together!
But wait, it's a small world after all, and a mere six months later Bea's sister Halle (Hadley Robinson, X-Men: Apocalypse) announces that she is marrying Claudia (Alexandra Shipp, Tragedy Girls), who just so happens to be the sister of Ben's best pal Pete, woah. They are both invited to the destination wedding in Australia, once they get there they mix like sexually repressed battery acid and Evian water, but their insult-trading shenanigans threaten to derail the whole wedding. Everyone attending the wedding getaway clearly see's the repressed chemistry between them and attempt to intervene to make them reconnect romantically, but they both realize what's afoot and for the sake of their friend's marital bliss both secretly agree to pretend to me attracted to each other to soothe the situation. Of course, all this romantic pretending leads to them actually starting to fall for each other again, only for it to be derailed by their own insecurities, which are exacerbated by the arrival of both of their exes, played by Darren Barnet (Godzilla Minus One) and Charlee Fraser (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), who bring some unique charms tot he proceedings.
As rom-coms go this does not exactly re-write they playbook by any means, and the main characters come off pretty shallow, but I still found it quite charming and funny, and both stars are veery easy on the eyes. Their onscreen chemistry is pretty decent as well, it's not the stuff of legendary romances, but it was good enough to keep me interested. Probably my favorite aspect of the whole shebang were the scenes of them machine-gunning mutual insults at one another; that and the scene of them reenacting the "I'm King of the World" scene from Titanic, resulting in Bea falling into Sydney Harbor and Ben diving in after her, both bonding while stranded on a buoy awaiting rescue, that was good stuff.
It also gets bonus points for the gorgeous Australian locations which look stunning, and for the excellent supporting cast which includes Rachel Griffiths (HBO's Six Feet Under) and Bryan Brown (F/X) as Claudia's parents, and and Michelle Hurd (Picard) and Dermot Mulroney (Career Opportunities) as Bea's parents, who add more flavor to the argumentative destination wedding proceedings, with Bea's parents described as overbearing "Black Hawk helicopter parents", while Claudia's folks are a bit more easy going.
Not a top ten rom-com for me by any means but a totally fun and heartwarming love-story as we follow the adventures of star-crossed, would-be perfect couple dead-set on not ending up with each other after a mutual misunderstanding. If you know anything about rom-coms I will say that this goes exactly where you thought it might, but it's fun getting there, and it's R-rated so there a bit of nudity for the guys, bawdy humor, and plenty of chiseled abs to gawk at for the ladies.
Audio/Video: Anyone But You (2023) gets a 4K Ultra HD upgrade from Sony, following the 2023 Blu-ray. The film is presented in 2160p 4K Ultra HD widescreen (1.85:1) with Dolby Vision/Atmos upgrades. The DV/HDR color grade looks terrific, bright, vivid colors and natural looking skin tones throughout with solid depth and clarity. The 4K resolution offers crisp details in the close-ups, you can see the individual beads of sweat on the ample amounts of bare skin, if you're here to oggle Sweeney or Powell you will not be disappointed. The gorgeous tropical locations and white sand beaches look fantastic, too. The Atmos (TrueHD 7.1) the track is strong and well-balanced, the supportive score is full-bodied, including several showings of Ben's serenity-song "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield, and dialogue is always crisp.
Sony have added a new extra in addition to the previously released extras from the 2023 Blu-ray, and that extras is a new Audio Commentary with director Will Gluck and actors Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney, which I appreciated.
The archival extras include a handful of brief featurettes, these include bloopers and outtakes, EPK style cast and crew interviews, deleted scenes, a fun ASMR Pickup Lines promo for the film, plus Robinson and Shipp sampling some Aussie-centric sweets and offering their opinions.
The single disc release arrives in a standard black keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork and a slipcover, plus we get a digital copy of the film.
Special Features:
- NEW! Audio Commentary with director Will Gluck and actors Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney
- He Said She Said (4:01)
- Everyone Down Under (3:54).
- Outtakes & Bloopers (3:10)
- Deleted Scenes (1:37)
- ASMR Pickup Lines (1:11)
- Aussie Snacks (2:15)
- Slipcover
- Digital
Buy it!
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