Movie review
May 2, 2024 · 116 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Idea of You.
Woke representation / casting
Main leads Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine fit the Los Angeles art-world single mom and British pop-star roles naturally; supporting cast reflects typical modern urban diversity without marketing emphasis, quotas, or identity signaling.
Woke political dialogue
The script contains no explicit political statements, activist language, or identity-based arguments.
Identity-driven story themes
The plot highlights a single mother's romantic agency and the challenges of an age-gap relationship with a celebrity; mild personal-empowerment elements exist around women over 40 but stay grounded in individual story rather than group identity or systemic messaging.
Western institutional / cultural critique
No activist-style portrayals of toxic masculinity, flawed traditional gender roles, anti-conservative framing, or critiques of Western institutions appear; the story focuses on personal romance and fame pressures.
Review
The 2024 film follows 40-year-old single mother and art gallery owner Solène Marchand as she begins a romance with 24-year-old boy band singer Hayes Campbell after an unexpected meeting at Coachella. Their relationship develops amid fame, family responsibilities, divorce recovery, and public judgment over their age difference. The story centers on personal fulfillment, chemistry, and the realities of celebrity life with only light emphasis on a woman's right to romantic happiness after 40. No heavy political messaging, identity politics, or institutional critiques appear in the plot, dialogue, or marketing.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant; changes from the source novel include a happier ending and adjustments to some supporting characters, but these are not driven by DEI or identity ideology.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Sparse online comments questioned the age-gap reversal or called the feminism shallow, but no prominent right-leaning sources framed the film as woke propaganda, DEI-driven, or ideologically activist; most coverage treated it as standard entertainment.
Creator track record context
Key figures include Michael Showalter (low pattern) and Jennifer Westfeldt (prior LGBTQ+-themed film); producers Anne Hathaway and Gabrielle Union bring feminist and equality advocacy, yet the final film stays light romance without foregrounding those views.
Production
