Summary

Solène’s character in the movie is portrayed as more youthful and approachable compared to the book, showcasing a strong mother-daughter bond.
In the movie, Solène’s ex-husband Dan and his girlfriend Eva are realistically portrayed, highlighting Dan’s faults and Eva’s eventual realization.
The movie benefits from raising Izzy’s age, allowing for more profound relationships and conversations, ultimately leading to a hopeful ending for Solène and Hayes.

In 2017, author Robinne Lee published a contemporary romance novel, which was picked up by Amazon MGM Studios and turned into a Prime Video original movie of the same name, The Idea of You, starring Hollywood icon Anne Hathaway and relative newcomer Nicolas Galitzine. With the central characters consisting of the 40-year-old gallery owner Solène and the 24-year-old boy band member Hayes, whose sexual tensions are shooting through the roof from their first encounter onward, The Idea of You has already stirred up a whirlwind of opinions due to its highly debated theme regarding age differences in romantic relationships.

Not only is the main theme a topic of conversation but also the differences between the novel and the film kicked off a debate. Just like many other book-to-movie adaptations, The Idea of You’s movie has changed several aspects compared to its original. Without further ado, let’s dive right in and find out what the biggest differences between The Idea of You’s book and the movie are.

The Idea of You (2024) 4/5 Release Date May 2, 2024 Cast Anne Hathaway Nicholas Galitzine , Ella Rubin , Annie Mumolo , Reid Scott , Perry Mattfeld , Jordan Aaron Hall , Mathilda Gianopoulos

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Solène’s Character is Slightly Different

It is no secret that the storyline in Lee’s novel builds on its characters, but Solène, especially, is at the center of events. She is introduced as a sophisticated gallery owner, who has a rather distant, even cold, side to her. Her French upbringing is frequently used as an explanation for her standoffish manner and is even connected to why she might sometimes act as though she is superior to others.

Anne Hathaway’s Solène, on the other hand, has quite a different touch to her personality. She seems far more youthful and warmer than readers might have expected. In the movie, she is painted as a boss babe who is also an approachable mom, celebrated by her daughter and even her daughter’s friends. The strong connection between mother and daughter, which certainly radiates friendship more than anything else, is refreshing in the sense that it steers away from the often portrayed strained parent-child dynamics. While difficulties within a household are clearly nothing unusual and many viewers find themselves relating to family struggles, Solène and Izzy’s bond also rings true to many, and delivers a heart-warming message of a strong mother-daughter relationship.

Solène’s Husband and His Girlfriend
Prime Video

One of the biggest differences between the book and the movie is the portrayal of Solène’s ex-husband, Dan, and his new girlfriend, Eva. In the book, these two lovebirds have a happily ever after, at least as far as one can tell, as they continue to walk through life together and even end up tying the knot. Despite the questionable beginning of their relationship (he did, after all, cheat on Solène with her), their relationship is portrayed rather positively.

The movie took quite a different, arguably far more satisfying, approach. While Dan and Eva are a happy couple on paper, the movie took the liberty to bring some justice on the screen. The movie ensures that Dan’s faults are ever-present, highlighting his lack of family commitment and overall odd behavior. He is shown questioning Solène’s choices, certainly not realizing that he is condemning her for things that he himself is doing. Whether it is dating someone younger while judging others for it or constantly putting himself first, Dan effortlessly walks this path like a proper loser. Ultimately, even Eva manages to take off her rose-tinted glasses. She eventually sees Dan for the unreliable hypocrite he really is and finally calls it quits with him.

Izzy’s Age and Supportive Behavior
Amazon MGM Studios/Somewhere Pictures/Welle Entertainment

In the novel, Izzy is merely twelve years old, a massive August Moon fan, and certainly has no interest in her mother’s love life. Her obsession with Hayes evokes an extremely awkward and difficult tension between the mother-daughter-duo. Considering Izzy’s young age, Solène immensely struggles to navigate her feelings, since there isn’t necessarily a common ground for having a mature conversation.

The movie significantly benefits from raising Izzys’, and also Hayes’s, age, since it allows for a more profound connection between her and her mother. It changes their entire dynamic in a way that allows for open and honest conversations between mother and daughter. Izzy is old enough to share a deeper understanding of her mother’s situation and analyze her mother’s relationship in a mature way. She is generally supportive of Solène’s romance with Hayes, basing her decision on the fact that he is treating her mother with kindness and respect, and, on top of everything, is a feminist. Raising her age serves the story extremely well, and automatically lays the foundation for more depth regarding Izzy’s relationships with the people around her.

The Place of Their First Encounter

In the book, Izzy and Solène are headed to an August Moon concert in Las Vegas, because, as opposed to the movie, her biggest dream is to meet the band. It’s not just Izzy who gets to lay eyes on her idols, but also Hayes and Solène meet at this very concert, discovering that they are immediately drawn to each other and want to see each other again.

Sticking to the idea of letting the two central characters meet at a concert, the movie focuses on Izzy’s dad buying overly expensive meet-and-greet tickets for August Moon’s performance at Coachella, thinking that his daughter is still obsessed with the band, when, in reality, she considers them “so seventh grade”. When a work trip leads him to cancel his plan of accompanying Izzy and her friends, Solène has to step in as a guardian. The Idea of You’s movie opting for Coachella as Solène and Hayes’s meet-cute is a rather smart move since it is much more relevant in current times and swiftly catches the audience’s attention.

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The Idea of You’s Ending

Arguably the most controversial difference between the book and the movie is the ending of Solène and Hayes’s story. For her novel, Lee decided to wrap up the passionate connection between the two characters in a way that left a sore spot in the hearts of the majority of readers. Against the belief of many, Solène and Hayes ultimately parted ways and never saw each other again. Lee brought a decisive end to their love story, concluding that their relationship simply didn’t work out due to the strain it was taking on her daughter.

To the relief of fans of Solène and Hayes’s romance, the movie took quite the opposite approach and there certainly is little to complain about. Based on the fact that Izzy’s and Hayes’s ages were raised, the movie settled on the idea of reuniting the two main characters after five years. This approach works rather well since it means that Izzy is grown up and Hayes is much closer to his thirties. The ending shows that an age gap doesn’t necessarily mean that there is no chance for a happy ending, but rather concludes with a great amount of hope.

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Ultimately, the movie and the novel both deliver a reminder that women in their 40s are still desirable and just as worthy of love. Age, most of the time, is merely a number that doesn’t have to define a person. Solène proves that she holds beauty and sexiness, growing more confident and comfortable again after having experienced severe heartbreak and betrayal.