You may recall the “scandal” that erupted around co-stars Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell back in the spring, when the pair sparked rumours of a real-life romance while kicking off the promotional tour for their upcoming rom-com, Anyone But You – a story that drew even more attention given that Powell had broken up with his girlfriend, Gigi Paris, around the same time. Who’s to say what really happened, but there’s no denying that the two actors have chemistry, as evidenced by the first trailer for the steamy new release which is due to land in cinemas on 22 December.
Opening with a shot of Sweeney strutting down a hallway with the same confidence as Euphoria’s Cassie Howard, it shows her bumping into a confused Powell. Cue immediate fireworks, as they are then shown cavorting on yachts, by the pool, at parties and, in an intense final shot, on the beach, as the camera sweeps over their stunning setting: sun-drenched south-eastern Australia. Helmed by Easy A’s Will Gluck, the film has been described as a loose modernisation of Much Ado About Nothing, with the log line reading: “When college arch-nemeses Bea and Ben reunite years after graduation for a destination wedding, they pretend to be a couple for their own personal reasons. But through pretending, they actually fall in love.” Formulaic though it may be, it’s a tried-and-tested rom-com conceit for a reason.
Also piquing our interest is the impressive supporting cast, whose rom-com credentials are unparalleled: you have Dermot Mulroney, the best friend Julia Roberts lusts after in My Best Friend’s Wedding, and their co-star from that ’90s classic, Rachel Griffiths, alongside Never Have I Ever’s resident heartthrob Darren Barnet, Love, Simon’s Alexandra Shipp, and Moxie’s Hadley Robinson, as well as the likes of Michelle Hurd, Bryan Brown, Joe Davidson, and rapper GaTa.
And as for the two leads? “Sydney plays a character [who is] a real nightmare,” Powell told the audience at CinemaCon in April. Sweeney replied that Powell’s character was an “asshole”, adding, “What better place to put a nightmare and an asshole than on the other side of the world in the most romantic setting imaginable?” Say no more.
