After the romantic comedy hit theaters shortly before Christmas 2023 Everyone but you became a sleeper hit that lasted in theaters Grossed hundreds of millions of dollars at the box officethanks to its sexy stars and flirty banter. Now that it’s on Netflix, it will likely find a whole new audience and start a whole new conversation about what makes romantic comedies exciting these days. But the hot scenes and the stars Chemistry off screen isn’t what really makes the film entertaining – the real appeal is the outstanding supporting cast.
Director: Will Gluck (Simply A, friends with benefits), Everyone but you is a (very) loose adaptation of Shakespeare A lot of noise about nothing. The film focuses on law student Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and finance brother Ben (Glen Powell), two stubborn people who had a very good date that failed due to misunderstandings. Now they hate each other! But they are drawn back into the same web when Bea’s sister Halle (Hadley Robinson) starts dating Ben’s childhood friend Claudia (Alexandra Shipp).
When Halle and Claudia get engaged and decide to have a wedding in Australia, Ben and Bea’s bad attitudes almost ruin the opening wedding festivities. But when her two exes show up, they decide to pretend they’re in a relationship so Ben can make his sexy Australian ex-girlfriend Margaret (Charlee Fraser) jealous and Bea can show her parents she’s okay without it their childhood love is going well. Jonathan (Darren Barnet). True to the rom-com formula, this fake relationship ultimately leads to some real feelings emerging.
But even though Ben and Bea are super hot and their whole fake relationship situation is convincing, the best shenanigans come from the supporting cast.
Claudia, Halle and Claudia’s brother Pete (GaTa) actually plan to get Ben and Bea to like each other – and that’s about the end of it A lot of noise Adaptation is possible. Claudia and Pete’s stepfather, Roger (Bryan Brown), is also enthusiastic about the idea. Cue some incredibly funny fake interactions, with Pete and Roger stiltedly discussing how bad Bea has it with Ben while pretending not to notice Ben clearly lurking in the corner. Pete and Roger generally have a hilarious dynamic and stimulate each other with their over-the-top personalities.
Pete is particularly hilarious on his own, to the point that he sometimes puts Ben and Bea’s shenanigans to shame. One of the film’s early gags shows the entire wedding party on a hike, during which Ben and Bea end up undressing thanks to a complicated situation with a spider. While this scene feels strangely forced and contrived, Pete, meanwhile, discovers a koala and forms a spiritual connection with it, captivating the rest of the wedding party. The juxtaposition of Ben and Bea freaking out over a large spider and the rest of the group having a trance-like encounter with a cute creature is amusing, but the latter is funnier simply because it’s more unexpected.
One of the other standouts is Beau, an Australian surfer brother who speaks in the thicket Crocodile Dundee-like accent, played by Joe Davidson. He’s supposed to be Ben’s romantic rival in winning Margaret back, but he’s just such an energetic, shining ray of sunshine that I prefer him to everyone else in this film. It’s hard to understand what he’s saying, but he’s here to look pretty, spread positivity and enjoy the sunshine. He embellishes every scene he appears in.
All of the supporting cast have interesting relationships with each other and watching them interact is one of the best parts of the film. These are people who know each other, like each other, and have spent a lot of time together, and you can absolutely tell by their easy banter and interactions. They’re hilarious and dynamic, always drawing attention away from Bea and Ben’s snarky snipers. So come to you Everyone but you for a sexy romantic comedy and to see what the hype is all about, but stay in the background for the excellent ensemble cast.
Everyone but you is now streaming on Netflix.