The Idea Of You: Inspired by the bestselling romance novel of the same name, the R-rated film is now streaming exclusively online — here’s how to stream it for free.
The Michael Showalter film, starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, scores a more romantic ending in its on-screen iteration.
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The Idea Of You Movies
Ask any fan about their favorite book, and they are probably a little nervous when Hollywood comes calling with that very question. Streamers are littered with book adaptations that can never live up to the world created in one’s own head.
That’s why it’s such a treat, then, that the Anne Hathaway-starring adaptation of “The Idea of You,” which hit Prime Video on May 2, is such a steamy, fun delight that actually improves upon its source material.
It stays loyal to the book’s fantasy-driven plot: Hathaway portrays Solène, a newly-single mom of a teenager who — after meeting backstage at a concert in a pinch-me moment of serendipity — falls into a whirlwind, sex-forward romance with the lead singer of an international boy band, Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine). (Of note: The Film’s screenwriters, Jennifer Westfeldt and director Michael Showalter, make the very smart choice to age up by a few years both Solène’s daughter and Hayes himself from their book versions.)
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But despite the fluffy rom-com premise, in the original 2017 book by Robinne Lee, Solène and Hayes don’t end up together. After their final breakup chat — basically a version of what’s in the movie, with Solène realizing that ultimately her life, and her daughter’s, just won’t mesh with international fame — she tearfully lets him go.
The novel’s final pages find Solène telling Hayes she doesn’t love him (lie) and that she just loved “the idea of [him].” Hayes texts and texts and texts, begging her to reconsider and then one day … he doesn’t anymore. He’s moved on. But we know that Solène still loves him.
In the movie version, during the breakup scene, Hayes tells Solène to promise to call him in five years, when her daughter will be in college and things will likely be easier. The film then jumps forward five years: Solène is still happily working at her art gallery, and Hayes has moved on to a successful solo recording career.
But while appearing on a talk show, Hayes mentions he’s about to take a touring break and go to LA because there’s “someone [he] wants to see there.” Solène wonders … and then he shows up at her gallery and she bursts into happy tears, the kind that promise that love conquers all! Forever is possible! You can have great sex with a boy bander and he’ll still be madly in love with you, even years later! Now that is a Hollywood ending.
“If this was a more sort of romantic tragedy, like a ‘Howard’s End’ or something, then I would’ve been more open to the sad ending,” Showalter told IndieWire. “But I want to see them together at the end of the movie, or at least I want to feel like that’s a possibility.”
The Idea Of You Ending Explained
In the novel, Solène decides to break up with Hayes because they are at very different stages in their lives. A few weeks later, while Hayes is on a break from touring, he shows up on her doorstep, upset about their split. They hook up, and he tells her he has quit the band.
But Solène cannot accept this and tells him he can’t end his career for her. She lies to him and tells him that she never really loved him but loved the idea of him. Hayes returns to his band and continues to call and text her, but she ignores him, and he eventually stops.
“And then one day, they stopped,” Lee concludes the novel. “Long, long before I had stopped loving him.”
But in the movie, Hayes and Solène call it quits mainly because their relationship and age gap are negatively affecting her 12-year-old daughter, Isabelle. Hayes visits Solène, where she apologizes, and he tells her he loves her. They decide to reconvene after five years to revisit their relationship.
The movie jumps into the future, and during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Hayes announces that he is taking a break from touring. He plays the guitar and sings a song inspired by his romance with her. With Solène watching, he mentions that he has time off to visit someone special in Los Angeles.
Upon arriving in California, he enters Solène’s art gallery. It’s their first meeting in a year, and she’s happy to see him. The ending and what the future holds for them remain uncertain.
How to Watch The Idea of You Online for Free
The Idea of You is streaming exclusively on Prime Video. The only way to watch it online is with a subscription to the standalone Prime Video streaming service or an Amazon Prime membership.
Both offer 30-day trials, so new subscribers can watch The Idea of You for free. Amazon Prime is $15.99 per month or $139 per year, and includes access to Prime Video original series and films; exclusive deals and sale events (such as Prime Day); free same-, one- and two-day shipping; savings at Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh groceries; and more perks. You can also sign up for the Prime Video service for $8.99 per month
A Prime Video release, “The Idea of You” is streaming now.
