The Idea Of You Ending’s Book Change Gets Intriguing Explanation From Director

Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Idea of You book and movie.

Summary

• Director Michael Showalter and producer Cathy Schulman changed the ending of
  The Idea of You
  to give hope for the couple’s future, pleasing romantic movie audiences.
• The movie adds an epilogue that differs from the book’s melancholic ending, showcasing a possibility for Solène and Hayes.
• Schulman felt ending the movie on a positive note was necessary to convey the story’s encouragement of possibilities and love.

The Idea of You director Michael Showalter and producer Cathy Schulman explain why the movie changes the book’s ending. The Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine-led movie is based on the book of the same name by Robinne Lee. It follows the tumultuous and unexpected relationship that surfaces between Solène Marchand (Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mother, and Hayes Campbell (Galitzine), the 24-year-old lead singer of the boy band August Moon. However, those who have read Lee’s book were left surprised when the movie’s ending took a slight departure from the novel.

In an interview with TV Insider, Showalter and Schulman had an intriguing explanation for the change in The Idea of You‘s ending. When it comes to romance movies, Showalter believes that audiences want to see some hope for the couple being together. Hence, The Idea of You didn’t even have to give audiences a definitive answer on the couple’s relationship status to leave them satisfied. Schulman agreed with Showalter, also mentioning that the mood and “satisfaction factor” are different when reading a book than watching a movie. Check out their statements below:

Schowalter:
There’s a very long history in romantic movies of changing the ending so that the two main characters are together at the end. There’s a bit of a pragmatic answer to this, which is that movie audiences just want to see at least that there’s some hope for these two characters at the end of the movie. We don’t have to tell the audience exactly how it ended. We’re not telling the audience exactly where things wound up. But we are at least giving the audience an opportunity to try to fill it in for themselves. As a fan of the genre, I love a romantic story that ends with the two main characters getting coffee because that tells me there’s hope.

Schulman:
I felt if we were going to go through the effort of making a movie that was so encouraging about possibilities and love that to leave it undone felt unsatisfying to me for a movie audience. I felt like the satisfaction factor is different when you’re reading a book, and you’re in your own home. There’s a wistfulness and a sort of melancholy. You close the book, and you can sort of leave and say, wow, that was an amazing moment those people shared together. But I felt for the movie that the visual impact would be so strong that we had to believe there was a possibility for the future.

The Idea of You Movie’s Ending Vs The Book’s Ending

The Idea Of You Movie Adds An Epilogue

The major difference The Idea of You makes to the story is that it ends with a hint of ambiguity, whereas the novel ends on a note of finality. In some ways, the book’s ending is slightly more surprising than the movie’s. The entire story focuses on the whirlwind, passionate relationship between the pair. However, it all ends almost as quickly as it started. One of the major problems the couple faces is that the relationship and public discourse negatively impact Solène’s relationship with her daughter. So, one day, Solène simply decides to end the relationship.

In The Idea of You book, Hayes tries to save their relationship, even offering to quit the band to pursue a private relationship and life with Solène. However, she refuses to allow him to put his life and career on hold for her, resulting in their break-up. Once Solène’s mind is made up on the matter, she doesn’t change it. She promptly ghosts him, and while he initially continues reaching out, eventually, his communications stop. There’s no evidence the pair ever spoke to or saw each other again after the abrupt ending of their relationship in the book.

The movie changes the ending by offering an epilogue. As in the book, the pair break up because it’s in Solène’s daughter’s best interest. However, they promise to revisit their relationship within five years. Five years later, Solène and Hayes are seen living happy, fulfilling lives. As promised, though, Hayes shows up at Solène’s workplace, and the pair lock eyes, teasing the renewal of their relationship. The Idea of You follows the book’s trajectory closely enough to capture its themes and significance but changes slightly to end on a hopeful note rather than a melancholy one.

Source: TV Insider