Rom-coms are a staple of cinema and have been for decades. Right alongside action movies and horror flicks, these tales of romance infused with humor are often there to help anchor any given year at the movies. Yet, they are often viewed as nothing more than popcorn movies; the cinematic equivalent of empty calories. Director Michael Showalter’s “The Idea of You” is here to remind us that these movies can be so much more than that. At their best, they can be illuminating experiences that shed meaningful light on the human condition. Thanks in no small part to a stellar performance by Anne Hathaway and a star-making turn for Nicholas Galitzine, this is the genre at its best.

The film centers on Solène (Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mom who has to chaperone her teenage daughter’s trip to the Coachella after her ex-husband bails at the last minute. There, she has a chance encounter with Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of August Moon, who just so happens to be in his mid-20s. They strike up an unexpected romance which comes with some understandably huge challenges, given Hayes’ superstar status and their sizable age gap.

Countless times in movie history, we’ve seen older men strike up romances with younger women. The James Bond franchise has done this with its Bond girls plenty of times. Be it with 007 or the average Joe in any other film, it’s hardly ever addressed and, if it is, it’s more of an attaboy for the man. It’s remarkably rare to see the script flipped. At that level alone, “The Idea of You” feels like a hugely fresh take on the modern rom-com. Fortunately, Showalter — armed with some great source material in the form of Robinne Lee’s book of the same name — goes much deeper than that.

Nobody does this like Michael Showalter

Showalter has played with romance plenty in his films in the past, be it the based-on-a-true-story “The Big Sick” or 2020’s “The Lovebirds,” which tragically ended up going straight to Netflix. Here, he is once again bringing something new to the table: a layered film that could easily get lost in the weeds with its somewhat silly setup. How many ways could “slightly older woman meets guy from a boy band at a music festival” devolve into something utterly trashy and/or ridiculous? And yet, Showalter manages to find a balance and make this feel shockingly real. It’s human. It’s touching. It never loses sight of the bigness of what is going on, yet it still feels relatable to anyone who has ever felt human emotion in this arena.

The other nice bit is that Showalter and co-writer Jennifer Westfeldt don’t shy away from addressing the age gap between Solène and Hayes. Rather, it makes it a part of the narrative because, let’s be honest, it’s something that would be talked about. Not addressing it would feel disingenuous. At the same time, there are more than a few ways of trying to address it that might feel more than a little off-putting. It never ventures into such territory. It feels honest. It feels real. It feels like it carries some real-world weight.

Nobody plays with this genre quite like Showalter. This feels like a blockbuster in the way “As Good as It Gets” or even “Crazy Rich Asians” feel like blockbusters. It’s the kind of movie people are going to fall in love with and watch over and over again. It’s not disposable like a Hallmark movie of the week or a straight-to-streaming attention grab. It’s genuinely funny while also basking in the very believable romance of it all.

Anne Hathaway remains a star

It’s tough to strike a perfect balance in a rom-com, with the comedy or the romance often running the risk of being left behind, but here they’re both at their best. So much of that can be credited to Hathaway and Galitzine, who shine bright as the two lovers at the center of this tale. Hathaway, in particular, reminds us why she has an Oscar to her name. It’s the best parts of everything she’s ever given us on screen, from “Rachel Getting Married” to “The Internship.” It’s Hathaway giving it everything she’s got — and she’s got an awful lot. Perhaps we don’t truly appreciate her straight-up prowess as an actress enough. “The Idea of You” makes an argument that we should.

As for Galitzine, we’re not exactly talking about a newbie here, as he had memorable roles in movies like “Bottoms” and 2021’s “Cinderella.” Here though? He makes a case that he can be a real-deal movie star. It’s not an easy thing to play a pop star, let alone one that has to be the famous person while Hathaway is the unknown suburban art dealer. And yet, Galitzine sells it the whole way through. He’s a heartthrob that is going to make women swoon. But more than that, he gives this whole thing believable depth. As a duo, they make these characters feel lived in, with inescapable chemistry. This movie works because these two leads are firing on all cylinders.

From a stellar cast to spectacular execution of a unique story, this movie has so much to offer lovers of rom-coms. Heck, even the original songs are bangers capable of creating fans of a boy band that doesn’t even actually exist. It’s truly difficult to ask more of a movie cut from this particular cloth. The only real shame is that it won’t have the chance to become a breakout big screen hit like “Anyone But You” as it’s going straight to Prime Video. Such is the way.

“The Idea of You” arrived on Prime Video on May 2, 2024.

A Farmer’s Misplaced Hammer Led to the Largest Roman Treasure in Britain

Hoxne Hoard treasures. Photo by Helen Simonsson CC by SA-2.0

November 16, 1992 was the day which changed Suffolk-resident Eric Lawes’ life in a huge way. What he thought would have been an innocent search for a hammer he had misplaced on his farm in Hoxne Village, Suffolk, England ended up bringing him much more than he had bargained for — namely, uncovering the hiding spot of a long-hidden treasure. Based on the Guardian’s coverage of the story, Eric Lawes had been previously gifted a metal detector upon his retirement as a parting token. He decided to put his retirement gift to good use in order to locate the hammer which he had had some trouble finding. According to a 2018 Smithsonian Magazine article, when the device started recording that there was a strong signal coming from the earth, he knew that he was about to discover something big. As he started digging, it soon became clear to him that he had unearthed a treasure trove.

Hoxne Village. Photo by Duncan Grey CC BY-SA 2.0

The Guardian reports that, when Lawes saw that his preliminary digging had yielded a few gold coins and silver spoons, he immediately contacted both the local archaeological society and the police department. Archaeologists came to the property the following day and had the area of earth holding the treasure carefully sectioned-off and removed. Their hope was that at a later stage, in their laboratory, they could examined the items in order to identify both their age and how they were stored.

Hoxne Hoard: Display case at the British Museum showing a reconstruction of the arrangement of the hoard treasure when excavated in 1992. Photo by Mike Peel CC BY-SA 4.0

When all was said and done, close to 60 pounds of items made from silver and gold were found on the site. These included more than 15,000 Roman coins, 200 gold objects, and several silver spoons. For archaeologists, this find — which later became labeled as the Hoxne Hoard — was an incredible discovery. AP News reported that archaeologist Judith Plouviez was over-the-moon about the discovery, saying that it was “an incredibly exciting and amazing find.” What’s more, another archaeologist, Rachel Wilkinson, told Smithsonian Magazine that this discovery was “the largest and latest ever found in Britain.”

Hoxne Hoard: Coins. Photo by Mike Peel CC BY-SA 4.0

Ordinarily, archaeologists would use radiocarbon dating as a means of identifying the age of ancient relics. However, they couldn’t locate any suitable material from the haul. Consequently, they determined the age by examining writing on the coins, as well as the ruler carved into them, estimating that the treasure was probably buried in either 408 or 409 AD.

The silver “Hoxne Tigress” – the broken-off handle from an unknown object – is the best known single piece out of some 15,000 in the hoard. Photo by Mike Peel CC BY-SA 4.0

Roman-era archaeologist Peter Guest told Smithsonian Magazine that “if you look at them a little more carefully, then they should be dated to the period after the separation of Britain from the Roman Empire.” He offers as part of his evidence the fact that almost all of the coins found in the Hoxne Hoard were clipped – in other words, small chunks of their edges had been taken off. These clippings would have been used to create coins which were similar to the Roman coins of that era.

A silver-gilt spoon with a marine beast from the Hoxne Hoard. Currently in the British Museum. Photo by JMiall CC BY-SA 3.0

Guest has a logical reason for this, arguing that “The Roman Empire wasn’t supplying Britain with new gold and silver coins, and in light of that, the population tried to get over this sudden cutoff in the supply of their precious metals by making the existing supplies go further.”

Reconstruction of the Hoxne treasure chest. Photo by Mike Peel CC-BY-SA-4.0

Archaeologists also believe that the treasure belonged to a Romano-British family. During that time, considering that there was so much societal discord and upheaval, it was common for Romans who had settled in Britain to bury their most prized possessions.

Two gold bracelets from the Hoxne Hoard, in the British Museum. Photo by Fæ CC BY-SA 3.0

That said, one archaeologist is of the belief that the hoard had a lot of sentimental value for the Romano-British family to whom it is believed to have belonged. In her book The Hoxne Late Roman Treasure: Gold Jewellery and Silver Plate, Catherine Johns claims that the manner in which the treasure was kept supported this claim. Some of the items which were recovered had been packaged in small, wooden boxes which were lined with leather. What’s more, pieces of wood, locks, and nails, among other things, surrounded the gold and silver pieces. This leads Catherine to assert that the package was carefully buried and not simply chucked away in a rush.

Three silver-gilt Roman piperatoria or pepper pots from the Hoxne Hoard on display at the British Museum

Interestingly enough, the items unearthed might shed some light on the identity of the family who owned them. They cite a gold bracelet bearing the inscription “UTERE FELIX DOMINA IULIANE,” which roughly translates to “use this happily Lady Juliane”. A second name “Aurelius Ursicinus” has also been discovered. This has consequently led some to believe that Juliane and Aurelius were the couple and the original owners of the treasure. That said, that has yet to be confirmed.

Two toiletry items, one in the shape of a crane-like bird; the other with an empty socket, probably for bristles for a makeup brush. Photo by Fæ CC BY-SA 3.0

All in all, the discovery was a real treasure for archaeologists, and by extension, for Lawes. According to Smithsonian Magazine, in recognition of his discovery and willingness to contact authorities, the British government rewarded him with over £1.7 million, an amount which he shared with the farmer whose land was dug out in order to get the treasure. Funnily enough, apart from the treasure, Lawes also found his lost hammer — which now resides in the British Museum.

Nobody does this like Michael Showalter

Anne Hathaway remains a star

A Farmer’s Misplaced Hammer Led to the Largest Roman Treasure in Britain

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