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The Idea Of You: All Differences Between Robinne Lee's Novel and Anne Hathaway-Nicholas Galitzine Starrer
There are numerous differences between the book The Idea of You by Robinne Lee and the Anne Hathaway-Nicholas Galitzine film. Read on to learn more about it in detail.
Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of sex.
The highly-buzzed film titled The Idea of You, based on Robinne Lee's eponymous 2017 novel, stars Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine. The film, which is available for streaming on Prime Video, follows the unlikely romance of Soléne, a 40-year-old divorcee, and Hayes, a 20-something pop sensation. Boy band enthusiasts and romantic comedy fans have gone crazy for it.
The novel's general plot is followed closely in the film, although there are a few notable deviations, such as the substitution of Silver Lake for Century City, California, and the elimination of some supporting characters.
Director Michael Showalter told IndieWire, “For me, it was like, there’s a great version of this movie that’s more like the book, [but] I’m just not the right person to do that. So if you want me to do the movie, it would be a different kind of movie.”
Key differences between The Idea Of You Book And the Anne Hathaway movie
Here are some of the most obvious book-to-screen adaptation contrasts, along with an analysis of whether Galitzine is portraying a younger Harry Styles.
- The Meet-Cute
Readers of the book will note that instead of meeting at a Las Vegas event, Solène and Hayes meet at Coachella in the movie. Solène intervenes when Izzy's father, Daniel (Reid Scott), abruptly cancels his daughter's trip to the music festival.
However, she enters a pop star's trailer without thinking it is a public restroom. Hayes and his August Moon bandmates later run into her, and one of them remarks, "You don't look like my mom."
- Solène’s Characterization
Solène emphasizes her French ancestry as a badge of superiority and projects an air of authority while remaining reticent. That has been significantly smoothed down on screen; this Solène appears warmer, a self-proclaimed "people pleaser from New Jersey" (a term Hathaway has admitted to using).
Hathaway, who disclosed at the 92nd Street Y event that she insisted on altering her character's name from "Sophie" in an earlier draft of the script, shared another delicious piece of inspiration with the audience. Solène attempted to recreate a scene with Diane Lane in 2002's Unfaithful, in which she cries and laughs while remembering her love for Hayes.
- The Harry Styles of It All
Hayes Campbell, a fictional character in The Idea of You, resembles Harry Styles, a former member of the boy band One Direction. Despite this, Galitzine, who plays Campbell, has distanced the character from Styles.
The film even approached One Direction musician Savan Kotecha to write songs for August Moon, but Galitzine underlined the significance of creating a persona who felt original and unique rather than a simple replica.
- Hayes’s and Izzy’s Ages
By altering the ages of Hayes and Solène's daughter Izzy, the book's crude tagline, "What if your teenager's fantasy was your reality?” is somewhat debunked. They are now 24 and 16, respectively, instead of 20 and 12, as they were in the movie.
Showalter explained to IndieWire, "We wanted the audience to feel good about them, to feel good about their love affair, and to root for them." Izzy can now be more of a sounding board for her mother because she is older and more adamant that August Moon is "so seventh grade."
- The Amount of Sex
Like Challengers, the movie is more about passion and meaningful encounters than it is about sex, according to Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson. Compared to the book, the movie has fewer sultry scenes and less graphic, intimate content.
For instance, there's no scene where Solène is shocked by Hayes's desire, and there's no explicit scene where they engage in unguarded sex. Rather, there are vivid post-sex scenes with music and room service chicken fingers, as well as seductive montages of their intimacy.
- The Ending
The book's ending is a heated topic since Solène and Hayes split owing to negative publicity. Solène, anxious about her kid, cancels the relationship but offers a break similar to Carrie and Aidan's in And Just Like That.... However, in the book, they remain separated.
Hayes attempts to reach out, but Solène declines, having made her decision. The video, however, concludes optimistically, implying a reunion five years later at Solène's gallery. Author Robinne Lee has even considered writing a sequel, implying that things would get better for the couple.
ALSO READ: 'It's Just About Love': Anne Hathaway Talks About Her New Film The Idea Of You
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