Is Anne Hathaway's "The Idea of You" Cringe to Youth?

Are you a Haysolnut?

I didn’t know about Robinne Lee’s book “The Idea of You” when it came out in 2017, nor was I part of the movement that popularized the book for women “of a certain age” during the pandemic.

I have only recently learned there were women in 2020 basking in fanfic glory in “The Idea of You” facebook groups, in one giant swoon alone together. And they even have a cute name! They are known as Haysolnuts - based on the ship name between lead characters Hayes and Solene. I missed a whole movement? Sigh.

Author Robinne Lee, who is a total smoke show, claims she was inspired to write the book one day after coming across a cute boyband member on the internet and learned he liked to date older women. Of course there are so many similarities between her character Hayes Campbell and Harry Styles, that well, It feels like obviously Robinne had the same fantasy about one young Styles that so many women have had. She just expertly wrote it down for the masses. And we thank her for her service!

Much like a basic out of touch (overworked and tired) lady, I learned about the movie “The Idea of You” when suddenly Anne Hathaway’s face was all over my TVs homepage.

While I was intrigued, I didn’t immediately watch it. In fact, I opted to watch a couple other romcoms before actually hunting for this one. Why? I’m not sure. Maybe when I saw comedian Michael Showalter’s name attached the film I felt a deep romcom / comedy-com confusion? But, more likely, I have complicated feelings about both Anne Hathaway and my own aging.

I finally decided to watch the movie after reading Anne Helen Peterson’s substack about her own complicated feelings about Anne Hathaway, and I added the movie to my to-do list. (I will likely add the book to my to-do list as well!) And, on Friday evening I demanded my husband watch it with me.

Of course, I fell immediately in love with Solene who had been done dirty by her husband. And right off the bat, I was rooting for her and ready to throw popcorn at the screen every time her ex dared to show his dang face. Then! Her rude ex (🍿) asks her to take their daughter 16-year-old Izzy to Coachella - the trip he had promised to take her on! Typical, AMIRIGHT. And, beautiful Solene gives up her plans to do something for her daughter because she’s an amazing mother and probably deserves an award. Ugh, men! My husband was not sharing these feelings.

This paves the way for the meet-cute between 40-year-old Solene and 20-something boyband superstar Hayes Campbell, and unlike most romcom meet-cutes, this one felt a little fresh. Like you knew it was coming, and you even knew it was going to be cringe, but I didn’t expect to buy it.

Solene assumed she was waiting for the bathroom — but she had unknowingly entered Hayes private trailer — and then used his private bathroom. And, it all felt believable! (Had it not, the movie would have just failed for me from there.)

We are then taken on a journey of “pinch me” moments for a 40-something single mom who is trying to get her groove back, starting with the boyband beginning to play a song and then changing it up because Hayes, “met someone special tonight.” As I was viewing this as someone who was stan-ing Solene (and just in awe of Anne Hathaway’s physical everything - yes, including her bangs) I had to wonder, were the youths watching this more from the eyes of Hayes, and asking themselves what the eff is he thinking?! Stay tuned! I got this answered for all of us!