People Are Finally Catching Anne Hathaway And Nicholas Galitzine In The Idea Of You, And They're Making All The Notting Hill Comparisons

Whether you are looking at the list of Julia Roberts' best rom-coms or Hugh Grant’s finest work in the genre, you’re guaranteed to find Notting Hill on both. The story about a normal guy falling in love with a famous actress has stood the test of time, and to this day people can’t get enough of it. Now, there’s a new rom-com in town about a couple who has to face the challenges that come with fame – Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine’s The Idea Of You – and fans can’t stop comparing it to the 1999 flick that’s considered one of the best romantic comedies out there. 

What Are The Similarities Between The Idea Of You And Notting Hill?

The Idea of You follows a 40-year-old single mom (Hathaway) after she has a run-in with the 24-year-old frontman of the boyband August Moon (Galitzine). Immediately they have a connection, and what follows is a story about them falling in love and navigating the challenges that come with fame and their age difference. 

Like Notting Hill, which follows your average Joe (Grant) falling for a very famous actress (Roberts), The Idea of You’s primary conflict comes from the issues that arise when a person starts dating a very famous human, except the genders are swapped. 

Plus, both lead couples have undeniable chemistry, and you can't help but root for their love. So, the comparisons are more than understandable. 

So, with all that in mind, and following the release of the film adaptation of The Idea of You on the 2024 movie schedule, fans took to social media to buzz about Anne Hathaway’s first big rom-com in years.

What Fans Are Saying About The Idea Of You And Notting Hill

The internet truly can’t get enough of the similarities between The Idea of You and Notting Hill; for example, @LEBassett posted:

Overall, the initial reactions to The Idea of You were very positive, and they continue to be as those with an Amazon Prime subscription stream the film. People comparing it to Notting Hill is a prime example of the good vibes surrounding the rom-com, because it’s some seriously high praise. That was proven again when @bashful_michael posted:

Getting into the details and looks of both movies, there were a lot of comparisons to be made too. Of course, the overall gender-swapped story of The Idea of You is comparable to Notting Hill. However, the wonderful smiles and laughs Julia Roberts and Anne Hathaway have are quite similar, and the vibrant yet complex energy they bring to their respective movies is palpable. @tpwktom pointed that out in their post about the two films:

Spoilers ahead for this next comparison, but one fan, @lar1oliveira, couldn’t help but point out that the tearjerking happy endings were similar too:

According to @Richard@Roeper, all that was missing from The Idea of You was a fun little walk around Notting Hill. Considering Nicholas Galitzine’s character is British in the movie and the fact that he travels across Europe with Anne Hathaway’s leading lady, I don’t think it’s far-fetched to dream of this as a reality for this couple:

Overall, The Idea of You is poised to become one of Amazon Prime’s best movies, and I think these loving, and occasionally silly, comparisons help prove that point. 

Like Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant in Notting Hill, Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine have undeniable chemistry. Also, like Notting Hill, The Idea of You addresses the complexities of fame and public opinion while also remaining a very sweet and heartfelt romantic comedy. Now, the question is, like Notting Hill is for Grant and Roberts, will The Idea of You become some of Hathaway and Galitzine's best work? I'd hedge my bet that the answer is yes.