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The Idea of You, a romantic comedy film starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, was released on Amazon Prime Video on May 2, 2024. Before its release on the streaming platform, the movie premiered at the esteemed South by Southwest (SXSW) on March 16, 2024.
The plot of The Idea of You is based on Robinne Lee's book of the same name. Michael Showalter and Jennifer Westfeldt wrote the screenplay, and Michael Showalter directed the movie.
The highly anticipated film chronicles the romance between a divorced 40-year-old gallerist, Solène Marchand, and a 24-year-old singer of a famous boy band named August Moon.
Disclaimer: This article comprises major spoilers.
What is Hayes Campbell's age in The Idea of You?
In Amazon Prime's The Idea of You, Hayes Campbell is exactly 24 years old. He is the frontman of a popular boy band named August Moon. While performing at Coachella, he has a chance meeting with Solène Marchande, a 40-year-old gallerist. The two instantly develop a connection but decide against romantically pursuing each other.
Several scenes later, Hayes Campbell lands up at Solène's gallery and, against all odds, pursues her. Solène reciprocates his advances but warns him of their 16-year age gap. Hayes does not seem to care and continues to pursue her until Solène finally gives in. This marks the beginning of a whirlwind romance between the two.
Why were Hayes and Izzy's ages changed in The Idea of You?
Despite being based on Robin Lee's book, the makers of The Idea of You decided to diverge a bit from the original text. One of the most significant divergences they made was concerning Hayes Campbell and Solène's daughter Izzy's age. While Campbell was a 20-year-old musician in the book, Izzy was a 12-year-old. The makers decided to change their ages to 24 and 16, respectively.
Justifying Campbell's age change, the movie's director, Michael Showalter, told IndieWire:
"We wanted the audience to feel good about them, to feel good about their love affair, and to root for them."
He added that the reason Izzy's age was changed was to make her more aware of her mother's whereabouts, help her reason it within herself, and help her mother in the process. Showalter said Izzy's age would allow her to say things like, "Mom, why would you break up with a talented, kind feminist?" thereby adding more depth to their mother-daughter dynamic.
Will there be a part 2 of The Idea of You?
As of now, there has been no official confirmation concerning part 2 of the movie. However, Robinne Lee has offered something that can only be deciphered as a possibility for a second installment of the movie. Speaking to Vogue, she said in a comment:
"Pretty much right after I finished writing [The Idea of You], I started writing notes for what could possibly be a sequel, mostly because I couldn’t get them out of my head. Every once in a while, I’ll feel it really strongly, and I’ll sit down and I’ll write a scene or two, and I have a file that’s getting longer and longer. I didn’t kill them off for a reason.”
Those with a subscription to Amazon Prime Video can stream the movie exclusively on the platform.
