'Anyone But You' released in theatres ahead of Valentine's Day 2024, and made around $200 million at the global box office before finding a home on Netflix from April 23. The film starring Glen Powell as Ben and Sydney Sweeney as Beatrice, was perhaps the first time we saw Powell playing the chiselled romantic film hero. Four months on, we see him playing that part again in director Richard Linklater's action romantic comedy Hit Man which dropped on Netflix on June 7.
'Hit Man' is inspired by the true story of Gary Johnson (1947-2022), a Houston-based investigator who taught at a community college as a side hustle. As the filmmakers confess at the end - they've taken some creative liberties with the real Gary's story, including the murder of a policeman in the film.
'Anyone But You' is the story of two people who click instantly when they meet but a series of misunderstandings pulls them apart. When fate brings them together again, they resist initially, but there's no denying their spark. Glen Powell plays a steamy Ben to Sydney Sweeney's "don't want to become a lawyer" Beatrice. The action moves from America to Australia with its beaches and the Sydney Opera House forming the background to this sticky sweet rom-com.
Here's a quick take on why both films should be on your to-binge list if you're a fan of romantic comedy movies:
Hit Man movie overview
In true Richard Linklater style, 'Hit Man' is about a man becoming the person he wants to be in this world. The film is based on an article that was published in the 'Texas Monthly' in 2001. Written by Skip Hollandsworth, the article explains how Gary Johnson, a Vietnam War veteran, started working with the Houston police to identify and arrest people looking to hire a contract killer.
'Hit Man' takes off from this article, but tweaks the details. Though the real Gary Johnson lived in Houston, Texas, 'Hit Man' is set in New Orleans in America. The real Gary was trained as an investigator, whereas film Gary is a professor moonlighting as a "fake hit man".
The premise of the film is that hit men are a fantasy created by pop-culture. And Gary helps the police to prevent murders by embodying this fantasy for those looking to hire a killer. Real-life Gary helped in the arrest of at least 60 people in this way. In the film, we see a transformation in Gary as he takes on different personas for the many sting operations.
Hit Man plot
You know you're watching a Richard Linklater movie ('Before Sunrise', 'School of Rock', 'Boyhood') when the characters speak for minutes on end, and you can't help getting sucked into their story. Linklater's latest, 'Hit Man', is a romantic comedy that dropped on Netflix around mid-day on June 7.
Glen Powell plays Gary in the film. Film Gary is a professor at the New Orleans university, where he talks to his students about Nietzsche's ideas about living dangerously. While working as a technician with the police as a side hustle, he gets a chance to participate in a sting operation. His mission: to wear a wire and meet with people looking for a killer-for-hire, get them to confess their intent to have someone killed and let the police do the rest.
Gary, it turns out, is such a natural at getting confessions out of people that he starts doing these operations regularly. On each of these missions, he takes on a different persona. As he explains in the film, the hit man is a fantasy created by pop-culture, and he wants to create the right fantasy for each "client".
On one such mission, Gary assumes the persona of a charming Ron. He meets Maddy Masters (Adria Arjona) who wants her abusive husband out of her life. Gary/Ron falls for her, and he advises her to seek a divorce. Gary and Maddy keep seeing each other, except Maddy knows him as Ron.
We see the transformation of Gary as he becomes more like Ron. In his last lecture of the semester at university, he tells his students: "Seize the identity you want for yourselves." By this time in the film, he certainly has.
Hit Man trailer
Netflix released a trailer of 'Hit Man' about a month ago. It opens with Ron (Glen Powell) and Maddy (Adria Arjona) at a pub. She can't believe he's a hit man. Cue: the rest of the trailer explains how and why Gary becomes a "fake hit man" or as one character says in the film, a "full-blown undercover murder stopper". Watch it here:
Hit Man performances
Glen Powell co-wrote the script with director Richard Linklater. And he did not make things easy for himself. The film begins and ends with a long lecture, almost a monologue, from the protagonist Gary (Glen Powell). Both lectures are important. Not only do they neatly bookend the film, but they also draw attention to how the character has grown.
Glen Powell is quite muscular, but for this film, the personas he assumes run the gamut from geek to gangster. He seems to pull these off without difficulty.
Adria Arjona is well-cast as Maddy. She's sexy and vulnerable but also smart. In a scene where the police send Ron into her home to get her to confess, she catches on quickly and plays along to Ron's cues.
Retta (Good Girls) plays police officer Claudette with appropriate verve, and she looks good doing it too. Austin Amelio is convincing as the cop we would all like to dislike.
The star attraction though is the chemistry between Maddy (Adria Arjona) and Ron (Glen Powell), and we get buckets of that as the two hang out in parks, at clubs and diners, but mostly at home.
Hit Man direction and writing
Richard Linklater has previously given us films like 'Before Sunset', a timeless romantic movie about two strangers who meet on a train in Europe and talk through the night. And 'School of Rock', with Jack Black in the role of musician-turned-high school teacher Dewey Finn.
As such, there is an expectation from Linklater films to create this wave of emotion that carries us along. 'Hit Man' falls slightly short on this, though it remains fairly entertaining to watch throughout. The story in itself is quite madcap. The premise of a fake hit man is enough to reel you in. Linklater latches on to it, layers it with Nietzsche and Kant and produces a romantic comedy you can commit 115 minutes of your life to, without regret.
Apart from direction, Linklater has also co-written the film with Glen Powell. The writing is precise, especially when the dialogue runs for several minutes without much else happening. It's a good thing that the main character is a professor, and it is natural for him to deliver longish lessons to his students. Sample this monologue from film Gary in his last lecture of the semester:
"I know I have thrown a lot at you this semester. But that's the point, isn't it? To be inundated, overwhelmed by perspectives and possibilities, because that is what life is offering you if you choose to look at it that way. And I didn't always. I used to believe that reality was objective, immutable. And that we are all just sort of stuck in a Plato-Descartes-Kant sort of way. But over the years I have come to believe that the truth is created through the integration of different points of view, and there are no absolutes - whether moral or epistemological. Now, I find this a much more empowering way to go through life. This notion that if the universe is not fixed, then neither are you, and you really can become a different and hopefully better person!"
It goes on without interruption, and it is a great summary of the film and Gary's character arc in it too.
Hit Man: What worked and what didn't
Watching a Richard Linklater film is usually a good bet. And Hit Man does not disappoint, though it's not among his best work.
Glen Powell is becoming a bankable romantic hero. He looks and acts the part here. And stands his own ground in the frames he shares with the very sexy Adria Arjona. The entire casting is a big tick.
The music in the film is fantastic. Starting with the 'New Orleans Bump' by Jelly Roll Morton to '99 Plus 1' by June Gardner, 'When it's sleepy time down south' by Ruby Braff and 'Cast your fate to the wind' by Allen Toussaint, the filmmakers pay tribute to New Orleans Jazz.
Anyone But You movie overview
A by-the-book rom-com, Anyone But You can get pretty hammy in places. But there are moments of genuine beauty. The sequence where Ben (Glen Powell) and Beatrice (Sydney Sweeney) dance during a yacht party in Sydney is one such moment. It's nicely choreographed and well-executed - who knew Glen Powell could dance too!
The film is loosely based on Shakespeare's much-adapted-for-screen play 'Much Ado About Nothing'. Will Gluck, who also directed 2011's 'Friends With Benefits', lets the drama play out, unrushed. The music here, too, is fun. You can't miss 'Didn't I (Dave Allison Rework)' right at the start.
Anyone But You plot
Ben (Glen Powell) and Bea (Sydney Sweeney) meet at a cafe, and hit it off instantly. They decide to hang out, and end up talking to each other the whole night. They each have a good feeling about the other. But end things following a misunderstanding. When they meet again for a wedding in Australia, they decide to try and get along to keep the peace. One thing leads to another, and they end up rediscovering how they truly feel about each other.
Anyone But You trailer
The trailer gives away a lot, but the film is still interesting enough to watch on a lazy Sunday:
Anyone But You performances
Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney have a few set expressions on repeat in this film where their characters Ben and Bea hate that they like each other but have to pretend to like each other for everyone else's sake. It gets a bit complicated, but there's never any doubt about how things will end.
Darren Barnet (Never Have I Ever) plays Jonathan, the sweet ex who doesn't get the girl. In Anyone But You, he's a straightlaced boy that the girl's parents approve of. He is a good foil to Ben in that eternal rom-com dilemma of boy-who-is-probably-good-for-me vs what-the-heart-desires.
Anyone But You direction and writing
The film is directed and co-written by Will Gluck. This is by no means his first rodeo as the director of a rom-com picture. He's made films like 'Friends with Benefits' and 'Easy A' (with Emma Stone) before.
In 'Anyone But You', the story progression can feel a bit choppy but there's never any doubt as to where it is all headed. Shift the action to Australia, and the accents can seem a bit extraneous. But Gluck is able to eke out moments where only the chemistry between the lead actors matters.
The story is by Ilana Wolpert who has also co-written the screenplay with Gluck.
Anyone But You: What worked and what didn't
It's a choppy story. The number of times Ben and Bea come close to each other and fall out again over some misunderstanding could test your patience. But if you're looking for a date night movie or something to binge after Sunday brunch, you could pick worse romantic comedies.
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