The newest romantic comedy “Anyone But You” starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell was released December 22, 2023. It quickly became a hot topic in the media, as many were comparing it to 2000’s rom-coms that topped the charts. Others seemed to view the movie as cringey and predictable, but it’s likely they lack knowledge of what romantic comedies are supposed to be like.

“Anyone But You” will have viewers leaving the movie theater with a skip in their step, singing the lyrics of the main character’s serenity song, “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. It loosely follows the story of William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” and has several nods to its inspiration. The main character’s, Bea and Ben, spend one night together, and then quickly become enemies after they meet again later due to mutual friends.

The movie focuses on their chemistry throughout their hatred of each other, involving fake-dating to please others, and eventually falling in love. It doesn’t fail to keep the entire theater laughing and singing along to the soundtrack.

“Everyone around me seemed to be dying,” Lincoln East senior Cami Mollhoff said. “It was funny because lots of the scenes were really random, and the laughter was contagious.”

Many who found the film to be “surface-level” or “lacking depth” are likely unaware of the normal modus operandi of romantic comedies, especially recent rom-coms, as the Netflix category is full of cheesy, surface-level storylines. They aren’t supposed to be exponentially deep, but rather meant to provoke laughter and showcase a cute love story.

“I like how it’s cringey, because that’s how a rom-com is supposed to be,” Mollhoff said. “It was the perfect amount of cringey and cute.”

No matter whether the reviews are good or bad, this R-rated movie is sure to warm the hearts of its viewers with the lovable cast and witty scenes. It is likely to leave theaters in February, and will stream on Netflix in April, where it will fit right in with many other similar romantic comedies.