Summary

• 'Anyone But You' is a rom-com with a modern twist and a nod to classic rom-com elements.
• The movie's success lies in its box office numbers despite mixed reviews from critics.
• The film features a reunion of Dermot Mulroney and Rachel Griffiths, who starred in 'My Best Friend's Wedding'.

Anyone But You has all the elements of a rom-com, including a subtle reunion for one of Julia Roberts’ most popular rom-coms from 27 years ago. The rom-com genre has been going through a resurgence, and one of its biggest successes in recent years is Will Gluck’s Anyone But You. Loosely based on William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Anyone But You brought together Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney to play Ben and Bea. Despite critics not being fully on board with Anyone But You’s story and tone, the movie was a huge box office success, breaking different records.

Anyone But You follows Ben and Bea, whose attraction quickly turns sour after a great first date. Unfortunately for them, they are forced to share time and space when they fly to Sydney for the wedding of Bea’s sister to the sister of Ben’s best friend. Once there, Bea comes up with a plan to fake being with Ben, which would benefit both: Bea’s parents will stop trying to get her and her ex-fiancé back together, and Ben can get back with an old love. Anyone But You is everything that can be expected from a rom-com, and it even has a reunion for a popular Julia Roberts rom-com.

Anyone But You's Dermot Mulroney & Rachel Griffiths Both Starred In My Best Friend's Wedding

Before Playing Bea’s Parents, Mulroney & Griffiths Were Part Of Another Wedding

My Best Friend’s Wedding follows Jules Potter (Roberts), whose lifelong friend, Michael O’Neal (Mulroney), is getting married to a much younger woman, Kimmy (Cameron Diaz).

Accompanying Ben and Bea in Sydney are Bea’s parents and Pete’s (Ben’s best friend) family. Bea’s parents are played by Dermot Mulroney and Rachel Griffiths, and they have a key role in Anyone But You as they invite Bea’s ex-fiancé, Jonathan, to Halle’s wedding without telling Bea, with the intention of getting them back together. Mulroney and Griffiths are no strangers to the world of rom-coms, and they actually appeared in the same rom-com back in 1997 alongside Julia Roberts: My Best Friend’s Wedding.

Directed by P. J. Hogan, My Best Friend’s Wedding follows Jules Potter (Roberts), whose lifelong friend, Michael O’Neal (Mulroney), is getting married to a much younger woman, Kimmy (Cameron Diaz). Jules and Michael had made a deal years earlier that, if they were both unmarried by age 28, they would marry each other, and now that Michael is marrying Kimmy, Jules realizes she’s in love with him. What follows are Jules’ attempts to prevent Michael and Kimmy’s wedding, not really caring who she hurts in the process.

Griffiths plays Samantha Newhouse in My Best Friend’s Wedding, the twin sister of Amanda, played by Carrie Preston. Samantha is one of Kimmy’s bridesmaids, and she is best remembered from the movie’s only musical number during lunch with the whole wedding party, as she and Amanda sit next to Kimmy and take part in the song.

Dermot Mulroney & Rachel Griffiths' Rom-Com Reunion Is Even More Special With 1 Shared Movie Detail

Anyone But You & My Best Friend’s Wedding Share One Memorable Detail

Both Anyone But You and My Best Friends’ Wedding have a musical scene or sequence.

Dermot Mulroney and Rachel Griffiths reunited in Anyone But You almost three decades after My Best Friends’ Wedding, but they’re not the only connection to this beloved rom-com. Both Anyone But You and My Best Friends’ Wedding have a musical scene or sequence that was key in making these movies part of pop culture and making them memorable. The above-mentioned lunch scene has George singing “I Say A Little Prayer”, with the rest of the table (except Jules and Michael) and the restaurant joining in, and it also has a karaoke scene.

Anyone But You has Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten”, which Ben uses to relax when flying and which Bea later sings to him while being rescued from Sydney Harbour. At the end of Anyone But You, while the credits roll, a montage of the cast singing "Unwritten" while filming different scenes is shown. This detail makes Dermot Mulroney and Rachel Griffiths’ reunion even more special, and it’s another fun moment together for them.