How to Watch ‘The Idea of You,’ Starring Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway is starring in a new romantic drama with a premise you might find irresistible: Sparks fly between Hathaway, a single mom, and the lead singer of a world-famous boy band, played by Nicholas Galitzine. The movie, The Idea of You, is still a few days away from reaching the love-hungry masses but reportedly broke a record for streaming movies with its trailer.

Prime Video’s The Idea of You is based on a novel of the same name by Robinne Lee. In the flick, Hathaway’s 40-year-old Solène crosses paths with Galitzine’s 24-year-old Hayes Campbell while chaperoning her daughter’s trip to Coachella. They begin a whirlwind romance, but with Hayes’ superstar status, “Solène soon discovers that life in the glare of his spotlight might be more than she bargained for,” according to an official synopsis.

The film, directed by Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, The Eyes of Tammy Faye), had its world premiere at SXSW in March. If the lead guy in the movie is screaming “Harry Styles” to you, you should know that while Lee did take inspiration from the former One Direction star for her novel, the book isn’t about him. 

“This was never supposed to be a book about Harry Styles,” Lee said to Vogue in 2020. “It was supposed to be a story about a woman approaching 40 and reclaiming her sexuality and rediscovering herself, just at the point that society traditionally writes women off as desirable and viable and whole.”

Here’s more about when you can watch the movie adaptation on Prime Video. It’s sitting at 77 on Metacritic and 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, though only a few reviews are in.

The Idea of You’s release date and time on Prime Video

In the US? You can watch Hathaway and Galitzine in The Idea of You beginning on May 2 at 3 a.m. ET/midnight PT. That leaves some time to pick up a copy of the book if you’re interested.

Prime Video is among the perks of a Prime membership, which costs $15 per month or $139 per year. The streaming service is also available on its own for $9 per month. As of Jan. 29 in the US, movies and shows on Prime Video have ads, but you can remove them by paying an extra $3 per month. (Even if you have annual Prime, you’ll pay this fee on a monthly basis.)

The Idea of You trailer

Here’s the official trailer, which is “the most watched trailer for any original streaming movie,” according to Deadline. It had the highest tally of “global views across all social media platforms.”