Anyone But You: Everything We Know About Sydney Sweeney And Glen Powell's Romantic Comedy
Honestly, it's kind of hard to believe that it's only been 25 years since the R-rated romantic comedy "There's Something About Mary" ranked among the top five-grossing films of 1998. If you're a millennial or older, that probably feels like an actual lifetime ago. Meanwhile, the vast majority of Gen-Zers weren't even alive to be scandalized by Ben Stiller's "hair gel" in the Farrelly brothers' massively popular raunchfest.
Recent movies like "Blockers," "Good Boys," and "Booksmart" have done a fine job of keeping that film's mix of sweetness and debauchery going. Thankfully, they've also moved away from the misogyny, homophobia, and dubious handling of consent that too often marred otherwise enjoyable older entries in the bawdy comedy tradition. However, compared to the heyday of R-rated rom-coms and comedies in general that came after "Mary" — when the likes of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Wedding Crashers," and "Knocked Up" reigned triumphant at the box office — these movies have struggled to leave an equal-sized cultural footprint. But fear not! Some are taking steps to amend that, including "Good Boys" director Gene Stupnitsky via his new raunchy comedy "No Hard Feelings."
You can also add Will Gluck to that (fairly short) list thanks to his upcoming movie "Anyone But You," an R-rated rom-com that pairs "Euphoria" breakout Sydney Sweeney opposite "Top Gun: Maverick" charmer Glen Powell. Here's everything we know about the project so far.
Anyone But You release date and where you can watch it
Sony has scheduled "Anyone But You" to premiere exclusively in theaters on December 15, 2023. The studio, it seems, is hoping the film will thrive as counter-programming to the various four-quadrant films (that's movie nerd talk for films targeting people both over and under 25, in case you're not familiar) slated to make their way into theaters that month. Will it work? Movies aimed strictly at adults were already having a hard time of things at the box office prior to the pandemic and the situation has only gotten worse since then. Then again, with a little luck, the relative success of Ben Affleck's sports industry biopic "Air" earlier this year might just signal that things are starting to improve on that front.
In terms of the home market, "Anyone But You" will follow other Sony films in eventually making their way onto Premium Video On Demand (PVOD) before streaming on Netflix sometime after. Sony has been pretty consistent about releasing their movies on DVD and Blu-ray too, so those who are so inclined should also be able to pick up a hard copy of this one down the line.
What we know about the plot of Anyone But You
"Anyone But You" is described as a "modernization" of William Shakespeare's stage comedy "Much Ado About Nothing," which only makes its R-rating all the more fitting, given the innate horniness of its source material. The movie itself centers on a pair of "college arch-nemeses" — played by Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell — who are unexpectedly reunited years after graduating as part of a "destination wedding," prompting them to pretend they're a couple "for their own personal reasons." In other words, the plot is typical rom-com nonsense and a flimsy excuse to stick two annoyingly attractive people in farcical situations that will gradually lead to them falling in actual love. (Not that we'd have it any other way, of course!)
"Sydney plays a character [who's] a real nightmare," Powell explained, speaking during Sony's presentation at the 2023 CinemaCon in Las Vegas (via Variety). Commenting that Powell's character is a real "a**hole" himself, Sweeney added, "What better place to put a nightmare and an a**hole than on the other side of the world in the most romantic setting imaginable?" The pair continued to banter before presenting some brief footage from the film, which apparently didn't hold back on the nudity for comedic effect.
What we know about the cast and crew of Anyone But You
Sydney Sweeney has quickly come into her own as an actor thanks to her roles on HBO's "Euphoria" and "The White Lotus." Meanwhile, Glen Powell schmoozed his way through Richard Linklater's randy comedy "Everybody Wants Some!!" before proving his rom-com bona fides in Claire Scanlon's "Set It Up," all in the lead-up to his star-making turn as next-gen Top Gun pilot "Hangman" in "Top Gun: Maverick." Suffice it to say, it makes perfect sense to pair the duo in a film like "Anyone But You," giving them a chance to really put their collective screen charisma to the test.
As for Will Gluck, "Anyone But You" marks a welcome return to the director's older-skewing early career comedies like "Friends With Benefits" and especially his acclaimed high school flick "Easy A." Gluck is calling the shots from a script he wrote with "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" story editor and writer Ilana Wolpert, in addition to producing alongside Jeff Kirschenbaum, Joe Roth, and Sweeney. Other cast members include Alexandra Shipp, Dermot Mulroney, Michele Hurd, and Rachel Griffiths, as well as Darren Barnet, Bryan Brown, Hadley Robinson, Joe Davidson, and rapper/actor GaTa.
We'll update this page as more information is made available, so be sure and check back here in the future!