The Idea of You

For those willing to suspend disbelief, charming performances help The Idea of You rise above genre conventions.

This slick and crowd-pleasing adaptation of the Robinne Lee romance novel manages to convince you that somehow its unlikely lovers fit together, that opposite do attract and age really is nothing but a number.

Of course, it helps that the characters are more complex than they initially appear, as the film digs beneath the sheet-turning to explore self-discovery and the perils of fame from a fresh perspective.

It starts with timid 40-year-old single mother Solene (Anne Hathaway) stepping in as a last-minute chaperone for her teenage daughter (Ella Rubin) and her friends at Coachella. She projects a serenity and self-confidence that masks an internal vulnerability suggesting the possible onset of a midlife crisis.

By the end of the day, Solene has locked eyes with Hayes (Nicholas Galitizine), the lead singer of a popular boy band who’s more than 15 years her junior. Their relationship starts innocently enough with an amusing and contrived meet-cute, in which Solene gets lost looking for a bathroom and winds up in Hayes’ trailer.

Solene has her doubts, yet Hayes is persistent: “We’re two people with trust issues who need to open up a little,” he explains. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Once you get past the obligatory awkwardness and oversharing, they’re drawn together by their fragility — he’s eager to escape the spotlight and the burdens of celebrity, and she’s in a rut.

Is it an impulsive fling, a Graduate-style fantasy, or something more? If word gets out, how will all of the sudden attention affect Solene’s family?

That’s where the breezy screenplay by Jennifer Westfeldt and director Michael Showalter (The Big Sick) dispatches with some of the cutesy contrivances in favor of more grounded nuance.

Although it tends to drag through an uneven middle section, the film gains emotional traction when examining their relationship through a contemporary feminist lens that confronts shallow and superficial double standards and social-media hypocrisy.

To be clear, The Idea of You provides a mild twist on formula rather than offering grand insight into modern romance. Within the confines of its expectations, it’s an escape — for Solene and Hayes, and for moviegoers.

Rated R, 115 minutes.