Nicholas Galitzine’s new romantic comedy “The Idea of You” has finally arrived on Prime Video, and fans can’t get enough of the actor. In the film, he stars as Hayes Campbell, a boy band singer who falls in love with 40-year-old Seline, portrayed by none other than Anne Hathaway.
While the premise of “The Idea of You” seems pretty similar to a fan-fiction of Harry Styles, and therefore kind of wacky, the movie has been (surprisingly) well-received by critics. It holds a 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 63 reviews, which highlight the chemistry between Hathaway and Galitzine, as well as the script.
While Galitzine is now playing a pop star, and let’s just say that the role fits him incredibly, this is not, by all means, his first romantic comedy or romantic drama. You might already know him from “Red, White and Royal Blue,” but he had his first breakthrough in Netflix’s “Purple Hearts.” Here’s what to know.
‘Purple Hearts’: The successful but controversial romantic drama
In this film, which was created and directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, Galitzine plays a Marine named Luke, who agrees to marry aspiring singer Cassie (played by Sofia Carson) in order to receive military benefits and pay their debts. This is a tale of enemies-to-lovers, as they don’t share their political views.
The film was a total success for Netflix in terms of viewership. A week after its release in July 2022, Netflix’s Global Top 10 revealed that the film had 48.23 million hours watched. By the end of the year, the film became the third most watched movie of 2022.
However, when it came to critical reception, it wasn’t well received by critics, who primarily found fault with the script, which was deemed as “military propaganda.” There was also criticism of the main relationship, which many didn’t find believable. But if critics gave it a 32% on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences were more forgiven with a 68% score.
Also, many people don’t know that the movie is based on a novel of the same name by Tess Wakefield. Of course, adaptations can be tricky, but there’s a lawyer of critique against America’s healthcare system and even polarized politics that didn’t translate well to the screen. But, if you’re looking for another good performance from Galitzine, this movie will do.
