Sometimes, a soul mate—that perfect someone you’re destined to love—can be a beautiful idea. But for people like Bea, it makes commitment hard. After all, how can you really be sure that this one is the right one?
Perhaps that’s why Bea left Ben’s home in the early hours one morning, even after such a spectacular date. She soon realized that leaving was a bad decision. But by the time she turned around, the damage had been dealt.
That’s because when Bea got back to Ben’s house, she overheard him telling his friend that he couldn’t wait for her to leave—that she was a “nothing” to him. Except, it wasn’t true. It was just Ben trying to save face and bury the feelings he had for Bea when he caught her sneaking away without even saying goodbye.
But Bea didn’t know that.
Well, fast-forward into the future a bit, and the two of them run into each other once more. They’re both in the bridal party for a same-sex wedding in Sydney, Australia. But not even the hot summer sun can melt the icy glares they give each other. And neither can the fire they accidentally start when they begin to fight.
Several observant people around them fear the damage Ben and Bea might do to the upcoming wedding if left unchecked. So they devise a plan to get the angry exes to sleep together, thinking that strategy will resolve their differences.
The two catch on to the plan pretty quick, but they don’t think it’s a bad idea. Not, of course, because they have any interest in actually making up—but because they can use such a strategy to their advantage.
You see, Bea’s parents invited her ex-fiancé to the wedding without anyone’s permission in the hope that she’d make up and get back together with him—something she has no intention of doing. Meanwhile, Ben’s hoping to sway an old Australian flame away from her boyfriend by making her want “something she can’t have.”
So, sure, enemies Bea and Ben will play along. They’ll try to convince the others that they’re desperately in love with each other.
They might even convince themselves.
For all of their faults, Bea’s parents genuinely care for her.
And even after Bea’s parents invite her ex-fiancé Jonathan to the wedding without Bea’s knowledge, Jonathan is very friendly with everyone even after he’s put in an awkward situation (as he thought Bea was aware that he was coming).
One character claims that the herb sage “cleanses negative energy,” and she forces others to undergo her “treatment” to fix their attitudes (though considering how the two continue to argue for the rest of the film, it’s safe to say it didn’t work). We also hear a reference to the Indian spiritual concept of chakras, which has to do with the body’s alleged energy points.
While talking to a koala, one man says that humans “do not inherit the Earth.” Elsewhere, Ben says that he and Bea can’t hide their feelings like a “light under a bushel.”
Halle’s father describes the two women’s wedding as “holy matrimony.” We hear a reference to a bar mitzvah. Someone references yin and yang.
A man is seen showering, and we glimpse his male anatomy. We furthermore see the breasts of a couple of women and the rear of one of them, too. Ben’s naked rear is seen, too, and we watch an extended scene when the naked man’s genitals are covered only by his hand. Ben and Bea have sex, and we see everything except their genitals. Still another scene pictures a man and woman showering together.
In an attempt to make others think they’re dating, Ben and Bea put their hands in the backs of each other’s pants. There’s a graphic joke about someone’s backside.
Bea attempts to steal Ben’s snack while he’s asleep on a flight. However, when her jacket sleeve gets caught in his chair, the way Bea is leaning over him causes a woman who sees them to believe Bea’s having sex with him.
A lesbian wedding is a prominent plot point. We see a street lined with pride flags. A few couples, both heterosexual and same-sex, kiss. We see a number of men and women in underwear or swimsuits, and Bea wears a dress that exposes a lot of her chest. Bea takes her pants off to dry them.
Ben and Bea fall overboard and wonder if they’re going to drown or be eaten by sharks. Bea smacks Ben in the crotch.
The f-word is used nearly 70 times, including one instance that is preceded by “mother.” The s-word is used more than 15 times. “A–, “b–ch” and “d-ck” are often uttered, too. The occasional use of “d–n” and “h—” are heard. God’s name is taken in vain nearly 20 times (three of which are paired with “d–n”). Jesus’ name is misused once. The British crudities “bloody” and “bugger” are used twice. We hear the c-word as well, though some might suggest it has a slightly milder connotation in Australia than it does in the United States.
References to various hardcore drugs are made. A few people smoke a joint. People drink alcohol.
Bea admits that she broke up with someone because the two of them had a good relationship and never fought. Two women steal from a store. A woman wears a shirt that says, “Ego of a Straight White Male.”
Let’s be real: You’ve seen this movie.
No, maybe you haven’t literally seen Anyone But You. But you’ve surely watched an enemies-to-lovers rom-com. And even if you haven’t seen one, perhaps you’ve read Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, the play from which Anyone But You takes its characters Benedick and Beatrice, gives them a name change and updates them for the modern times.
And updated they are, as you can read in the above content sections. But I’ll summarize again here: sex, nudity, LGBT celebrations and frequent swearing all battle one another for the spotlight onscreen.
Anyone But You is a bland rom-com based on a simple miscommunication trope. The filmmakers hope to garner some laughs just because its characters made their fifth sex joke in the last 10 minutes.
Were I to date Beatrice back to her proper time and play, she might have put it this way: Anyone But You is the prince’s jester.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
