The latest rom-com, Anyone But You, was released in December, and despite all of the recent rave reviews, I have some strong opinions.

Directed by Will Gluck, Anyone But You is similar to past rom-coms that we’ve all seen before. From the beginning of Bea and Ben’s relationship, there’s an obvious spark between the two of them, which quickly disappears thanks to an argument. But a few months after their falling out, they are reunited in Australia at a destination wedding. They’re then forced to stay in the same house along with faking a romantic relationship for their families, which drives the central plot of the film.

While watching the movie, one thing that truly angered me was that these adults acted like total children. For example, Bea and Ben pretty much ruin everything they touch, including the entirety of Bea’s sister’s wedding.

Here’s the part that got to me: Just because of this small argument, the two of them could not breathe without flames being thrown (literally). Bea and Ben managed to set the bride’s hair on fire the day before her wedding because they couldn’t manage to get along during a game of charades. Bea and Ben are adults, and their lack of communication skills tremendously set me over the edge. 

Sydney Sweeney, who plays Bea, is most well-known for her role in Euphoria as Cassie. Maybe the reason why her character in this movie felt so childish was because it was the complete opposite of this past role as Cassie, who even though she had a lot of issues, still managed to be a lot more mature than Bea was. 

Needless to say, Sweeney is an amazing actress, and the diversity of her acting impressed me. She has shown some growth. Even though I have been complaining, this is Sweeney’s first role in a major rom-com, and she did a great job with what she was given. 

However, when I think of rom-com love, I automatically think of my personal favorite movie, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” which was the pinnacle of the genre. The characters in that movie had a noticeable spark throughout the entire film, and the cheesiness really pulled it together. 

And I watch a LOT of rom-coms, and when I watch them, I expect cheesy love almost to the point where I jump and scream when the love interests finally end up together in the end — which they always do.

But with all of the hype on TikTok with Anyone But You, and as much as I had expected to jump and scream at the end of this movie, I did not. Instead, I was just left with the song “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield stuck in my head for days. (It plays a thousand times during the movie). 

At first, I wasn’t too sure how I felt about Anyone But You. It did not seem like the typical rom-com to me, as it instead felt more like a comedy without the romantic elements. I didn’t feel the love between the two of them, and it didn’t seem like true love to me. 

I felt like my opinion was very unpopular since I hadn’t seen this perspective on social media, and I didn’t know if I was the only one who felt that. So, I took matters into my own hands and asked my followers on my media page what they thought. The results are in, and 55 percent of people who voted in my informal poll agreed that the movie felt less romantic than it did comedic. But despite that, 95 percent of respondents said that they would recommend this movie to others. 

In hindsight, there were some moments of this film that still stuck with me. But, I wouldn’t consider this to be the classic rom-com movie it was marketed to be. Maybe it will instead usher in a new modern era of rom-coms after a brief cold period in the genre.