The pandemic changed the way people watch movies and the way critics write about them. Here at Seven Days, where we used to limit ourselves to reviewing films currently in local theaters, the choices have opened up to include new streaming fare.

The explosion of options is a welcome change for the most part: Who really wants to hear a critic’s take on something they would never choose to watch? We all have our personal tastes, and if you love inspirational sports dramas, Transformers, or every Marvel movie, I do no want to 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 your buzz. Given a choice, in this highly segmented marketplace, I would rather see a film that offers me the possibility of something unpredictable or exciting.

The downside of all this choice? More blandly positive reviews, and fewer entertaining takedowns. Films that are decidedly “not for critics” can inspire the most creative criticism. Who could ever forget A.O. Scott’s review of The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure, in which he channeled the voice and spelling of a 7-year-old to evaluate a movie that no adult would view by choice? It may not have been “fair,” but it was funny.

All this is a long-winded way of saying that having a vast number of streaming options makes every choice more fraught. There’s an increasing sentiment (especially on social media) that if you don’t have anything nice to say, you shouldn’t say anything at all. But everyone was talking about the Anne Hathaway rom-com The Idea of You, now on Prime Video, so I watched it, and … I was not pleasantly surprised.

The deal

Solène Marchand (Hathaway) is not in the boy-band demographic. She’s a nearly 40-year-old divorced gallery owner with a Silver Lake Craftsman house to die for and an acerbic sense of humor. Even her teenage daughter, Izzy (Ella Rubin), has outgrown her interest in dewy-eyed crooners. But Solène’s clueless ex has gifted Izzy with a VIP meet and greet at Coachella with the band she was obsessed with in middle school. And that’s how our heroine ends up having a meet-cute with tween idol Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine) after she mistakes his trailer for a public restroom.

Hayes is smitten with this woman 16 years his senior, who’s completely unimpressed by his celebrity. He pursues Solène to her gallery — where he buys out her entire stock — and invites her to come on tour with him. Free of parenting duties for the summer, Solène abandons herself to the thrill of a private jet, screaming fans, and steamy hotel-room assignations. It’s all too good to be true — until the press and social media find out and she has to decide whether the pop star is just a fling or something more.