10 Best Quotes From The Idea Of You

The Idea of You recently sparked conversations online about the subject of the movie, but it also deserves some praise for the dialogue throughout. The Idea of You explores the relationship between a young pop star in his 20s and a single 40-year-old mother. While the theme may be controversial with a significant age gap and romance, the story and script had several great highlights that explore how people are viewed and judged from a distance, based on the idea, rather than the individual.

The movie stars Anne Hathaway as the lead, Solène, who falls head over heels in love with a younger man who happens to be the lead singer in a famous boy band. She is joined by Nicholas Galitzine, who plays the younger man, Hayes Campbell. It explores the double standard of a man who leaves his wife for a much younger woman with minimal adverse consequences, and the struggles around living a life that is so public. These themes are well-developed thanks to the narrative and dialogue throughout that highlights the topics.

10 “I Didn’t Know My Being Happy Would Piss So Many People Off.”

One of the best lines in the entire film happened to be an off the cuff improv line from Anne Hathaway herself (via Business Insider). Once Solène and Hayes’ relationship was made public, Solène began receiving an overwhelming amount of hate and vitriol online. This continued to spill over and affect her daughter and others she knew.

Solène gives voice to the feeling that this raises when she is being publically shamed and punished for finding something that made her happy, and causing others to feel such intense negative emotions towards her. Hathaway has mentioned that this feeling was similar to her own lived experience, considering the entire catalog of hatred directed at her even has a specific name, Hathahate. This sincerity from Hathaway helps add impact to a line that is already brilliant, but is then elevated.

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9 “And For The Record, You Have Never Seen Me Buy Apples Before.”

While much of the film explores ideas of people judging Solène and Hayes outwardly without having context of their lives, the stars at the heart of the movie are not immune to the same judgmental nature. Hayes drops in to Solène’s art studio in the hopes of finding pieces that could decorate and adorn his apartment in London. While this clearly appears to be a move on his part to get Solène’s attention, she rushes to cast judgment, assuming he lacks any interest in the art and simply wants to show off.

Solène accuses him of taking the whole thing for a joke, and treating her studio as carelessly as if he were to be buying apples. However, Hayes shows wisdom beyond his years and responds in a way that both rejects the accusation, and expresses his genuine interest in art, and Solène’s opinions. This is one moment which certainly catches Solène off guard and causes her to rethink her own biased opinions.

8 “Bro? I Didn’t Realize We Were On Bro Terms, Daniel.”

Later, when Hayes and Solène make their relationship public, Hayes spends time in Solène’s home with her and her daughter between gigs. Solène’s ex-husband, Daniel, clearly has an intense jealousy towards Hayes, and has recently had the woman he cheated on Solène with leave him. In this vulnerable state, Daniel lashes out at Hayes and Solène.

Daniel tries to push the narrative that Hayes is in fact too young, and Solène’s actions are wildly inappropriate, while completely missing the irony and hypocrisy present in his own choices. By calling Hayes “Bro” Daniel thinks he is making some grand point about his youthfulness and the age gap between them in The Idea of You, but Hayes responds perfectly, with a far more mature and measured response.

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7 “Have So Much Fun And, You Know, Good Stupid, Not Stupid Stupid.”

At the end of the day, Solène is a mother, and she ultimately chooses to put her daughter first. While the middle of the film may appear as if she is being selfish, or doing something which is directly hurting her daughter, her love and bond is present throughout. This line when Solène drops Izzy off at camp perfectly showcases her genuine love and affection for her daughter, as well as her awkwardness in trying to be cool and laidback.

Solène is doing her best. She wants her daughter to live life unimpeded by her own stresses and struggles, but she also worries about her like any good mother would. She encourages her to have fun and relax, but simultaneously feels compelled to put her well-being first and ensure she stays safe. This balancing act is exactly what parenthood looks like sometimes, and it’s a touching moment between a mother and a daughter, wrapped in an awkward interaction.

Continuing with the awkward interactions from Solène, her first meeting with Hayes is certainly up there. Solène manages to get lost while looking for the VIP bathrooms at Coachella. Accidentally, she winds up in Hayes’ trailer and using his private bathroom, but she is entirely oblivious to her social faux pas.

Fortunately, Hayes finds it refreshing and endearing when it’s obvious that Solène has absolutely no idea who he is, and thus treats him like he is the awkward and weird one. This interaction is endearing and charming, and helps set the tone for Solène’s confidence around Hayes, and his comfort around her. Starting out with such an awkward encounter makes the rest seem light and easy, with their true personalities revealed to each other in an innocent, oblivious moment.

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5 “Uh, You Don’t Look Like My Mom.”

Of course, the fact that Solène is so much older than Hayes does create an odd dynamic, but it’s important to highlight the lack of a gap between the couples’ physical attractiveness. Hathaway may be older, but she has aged beautifully, and could easily be mistaken for someone ten years younger. On the other hand, Hayes could be reasonably assumed to be between five and 10 years older than he is.

With their physical fitness and attractiveness sitting in a similar range, the only remaining gap that could exist would be between their maturity. However, Hayes repeatedly proves how mature and sensible he is, and compared to the petty ex-husband Daniel, Hayes is easily the more level-headed and sensible of the two. The pair appear incredibly well-matched despite any overt differences.

4 “You Know, We Were Just Polaroids On A Wall, Really.”

As the film progresses, Hayes reveals more about his life and experiences. When telling Solène the story of how he came to be in the boy band, August Moon, it’s surprising to look behind the curtain and see how easily his story could have been different. Based on the mere image of his face, caught in a single Polaroid picture, Hayes was thrown into a whole new life, with a multi-year plan for his future.

This idea of him being taken and molded based on another surface level detail is indicative of the larger message of the movie. Rather than living and being himself, he was given clothing, an audience, and lyrics to sing to. Sure, he had the face and the voice, but everything else was carefully built and structured around him and a group of boys who could have been anybody.

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3 “I Didn’t Know How To Play An Instrument Before I Started The Band. They Told Us It Wasn’t Necessary.”

Continuing to explore this idea of manufacturing a superstar, Hayes line about his lack of musical knowledge before joining the band again resonates with a larger message. It mattered so little what his skills were, or his abilities, as long as he could be made to look a certain way. The record label took the boy, and gave him a personality and a voice, but even these did not belong to him.

Hayes is instead exposed through his quiet and private moments, reading, pursuing a genuine passion for learning instruments, writing music, and acquiring art. These details are not for the audience, but instead, they belong to him alone. Then, when he chooses to share them with someone like Solène, it means something.

2 “And Then Hayes, You Know, Really Upped The Ante When He Dedicated A Song To Me.”

However, being inside the machine of manufacturing authenticity, Hayes and his bandmates also fell into replicating these routines. The genuine moment that Solène felt was special for her, a dedicated song and a change in the setlist, was a parlor trick the boys used often. This is Hayes greatest flaw in the film, and a moment that shows he did still have some growing up to do.

Solène and Hayes grow distant because of this moment, but they are pulled back together because of their strong emotions. No one is perfect, and the reveal of Hayes’ own flaws help to establish him further as a character with depth, but it also creates tension and distrust that continues through the rest of the film.

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1 “Uh, There’s Someone I Would Like To See There.”

Ultimately, Solène and Hayes break up for the good of her daughter, and to mitigate the terrible invasion of privacy by the press that is impacting all areas of her life. The pair choose to break up, and follow their own paths forward. While there is no firm commitment, there is a longing from both that they can reunite at some future time.

Then, in a flash forward scene at the end of The Idea of You, Hayes is being interviewed on The Graham Norton Show after the release of a new solo album. He and his music have matured over the five years that passed, and Solène watches the show with tears in her eyes for what might have been. Then, Hayes reveals that he has plans to spend time in LA, hoping to meet someone special. This is, of course, revealed to be Solène who hears his voice from the back office of her gallery in the movie’s final scene.