Anyone But You (2024)

This is one of those combative romantic comedies, where there is a lot of chemistry involved but balanced by the impulse to protect oneself from being hurt in a relationship (to the point of not being in a relationship). Ben and Bea have a chance meeting that goes quite well, and then sours almost immediately, largely due to better single than vulnerable phenomena. A few months later, Ben and Bea cross paths again when Ben’s best friend’s sister Claudia begins dating Bea’s sister Halle, and again a year or so later when they’re both invited to the women’s destination wedding in Australia. The squabbling duo make such a mess of things that the wedding party plots to get them together just to keep the peace. The couple decide to play along with the poorly executed ruse so that Bea’s parents will stop trying to get her back with childhood sweetheart Jonathan and make Ben’s ex Margaret jealous. But, as they say about best-laid plans, things go awry, and, eventually, “true love” prevails. Yes, it is as silly as it sounds, but as the genre goes, it passes the time enjoyably.