Anyone But You (2023) Blu-ray Review

In the world of Rom-Com movies, there is a tried-and-true formula and generally one doesn't deviate from that formula.  Boy meets girl, boy angers girl, boy and girl hate each other and spend at least half the film pushing each other's buttons, Boy does something that girl finds sweet, girl does something that boys finds endearing, boy and girl fall in love and live happily ever after.  That pretty much sums it up and with minute variations, rom-coms don't generally veer from this path.  As a perfect example, Anyone But You premiered on December 11, 2023, and, thanks to the chemistry between the two leads, has grossed over $200 million worldwide since and has just been released on Blu-ray for home entertainment purchases.

Brea (Sydney Sweeney; Euphoria) is so desperate to use the patron's restroom at a busy coffee shop that she pretends to be married to Ben (Glen Powell; Top Gun: Maverick) when he offers to get her the bathroom key. They end up talking all afternoon and evening and Brea sleeps at his apartment but sneaks out before he wakes up.  However, realizing she made a mistake she heads back only to overhear Ben putting her down to his friend. Fast forward two years and Brea and Ben find themselves together in Sydney where Ben's good friend is about to marry Brea's sister and they must put aside their differences to not ruin the wedding.

Sweeney and Powell not only have terrific chemistry, but they look great together too which is what makes this rom-com work so well.  Alexandra Shipp (Barbie) and Hadley Robinson (Little Women) as the betrothed also work well together making their time on screen enjoyable. Dermot Mulroney (August: Osage County) and Bryan Brown (Gods of Egypt) as the fathers of the brides also have some memorable on-screen moments.  The ensemble is good, and Joe Davidson (Neighbours) gets a few laughs simply by being in character.

The 1080p resolution offers a pretty solid and decent video quality but shines with the daytime outdoor sequences. The incredible vista of the house and wedding location, which sits atop a high cliff, is stunning. However, the green screen work is rather noticeable and can be distracting.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is solid as well but is missing some of the ambient sounds one would normally hear in that type of setting (I.e. waves crashing, helicopter rotors, etc.) which makes the audio presentation feel flat.  The dialogue is easy to understand, and the music has some depth to it.

The combo pack has the digital download and the Blu-ray Disc which includes approximately 20 minutes of extras. The extras are He Said She Said, Everyone Down Under, Outtakes, Bloopers, Deleted Scenes, Marketing Materials, ASMR Pickup Lines, and Aussie Snacks.  While cute, the extras add very little to the overall home entertainment presentation but perhaps they will add more in the next/updated release at some point in the future.

As rom-coms go, Anyone But You is solid.  If anything, it is a little more sexually explicit than its predecessors (I'm talking the 80s and 90s here) earning its R rating. It follows the tried-and-true formula for a romantic comedy and with Powell and Sweeney as the "couple" in question, it works well. As mentioned, they have great chemistry and look good together.  They also play off each other well and seem to have a genuine connection. 

If there is one thing that doesn't work well in this movie it is that they start a gag and instead of moving on, director Will Gluck (Easy A) lingers on it a bit too long.  Such is the case with Brea's anal "probe" of Ben when she discovers a spider in his shorts, and he rips them off.  But hey, Powell's butt-ass naked (literally) isn't a bad thing overall.

So grab some friends, some drinks, and some snacks and cozy up to Anyone But You.

Grade: B