“There’s a thin line between love and hate.”

When it comes to Anyone But You, a delightful yet predictably predictable Rom-Com that earns its casual R rating, nothing about the wheel is reinvented. And in many ways, I don’t think that’s the point of the genre either. More often than not we know where films like this one begin and end, and the real job of these stories is to spin a unique yarn of a life in the all important middle. It can be comforting to know what to expect going in while also being surprised by how things ultimately unfold, and that’s what makes this the best romantic comedy I’ve seen since last year’s Rye Lane. It’s a sexy, smart, silly film.

Their first night together ended in a grilled cheese, intimate pillow talk before dozing off, and thankfully no real fooling around. Building to that moment introduces us to Ben (Glen Powell) and Bea (Sydney Sweeney) as they share an awkward meet-cute in a busy coffee shop. She needs to pee, only paying customers get the key, he’s in line and plays cool so she can go. It leads to a funny bit of physical comedy from Sweeney (which surprisingly seems to be what she does best here), and the two walk and talk all day until the aforementioned late night sandwich. Bea runs out in the morning though because she doesn’t know what to do, and stumbles back to hear false harsh words about her from Ben to his friend Pete (Gata). He feels duped and she feels cut down. Neither want anything to do with the other from here on out. Fate has other plans though.

Similar to the spirited Ticket to Paradise from a few years back but starring a younger couple, Anyone But You travels to a destination wedding in Australia, marrying Bea’s sister Halle (Hadley Robinson) to one of Ben’s best friends named Claudia (Alexandra Shipp). Their paths are no longer unavoidable, and instead collide so violently that many think it could upend the entire celebration. And while people from both fronts flat-out fail trying to convince them to be together to bring the peace, the two join forces and happily play along, hoping to get something else they want in return. It’s Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing focused on one side of the story, and it feels more involving because it’s more specific in its telling.

I’m not sure that I really ever bought the hatred felt between Ben and Bea, but we definitely feel the swelling force of their attraction, and that’s much to the credit of the two leads (especially Powell, who has the looks and the charisma of the kind of classic leading man movie star we just don’t see anymore). Sweeney is good here in spurts, despite how droll her delivery can sometimes be, but she’s elevated by a solid ensemble and a filmmaker in Will Gluck who knows how to land a joke and when to throw a hard punch. Anyone But You is the kind of movie I imagine many audience members will want to live in; to swim these waters, hike these hills, roam these halls, and find the love of their life right under their nose. I haven’t laughed this hard at a film in a long time, and that it’s all heartfelt is the cherry on top of a raucous, rich, and rewarding experience. If I was playing the old “F***, Marry, Kill” game with a batch of modern Rom-Coms, Anyone But You would get the ring. You won’t get sick of it.

“No matter how broken something is, there’s always a way to fix it.”

Rating: 4 out of 5