“Anyone But You” received a Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 49%, landing it squarely in “Rotten” territory, while audiences scored the film significantly higher at 84% with a “Certified Fresh” rating. This 35-point gap reveals a fundamental disconnect between professional film critics and general viewers—a pattern that has become increasingly common with romantic comedies.
The 2023 film starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell demonstrates how the same movie can be viewed through entirely different lenses depending on who’s watching and what they’re evaluating.
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: Table of Contents
- The Critical Reception and Audience Divide for Anyone But You
- Understanding the Score Gap and How Romantic Comedies Are Reviewed
- What the Scores Mean for Different Types of Viewers
- Using Rotten Tomatoes to Make Viewing Decisions
- The Limitations of Review Aggregation Scores
- The Impact of Lead Performance on Reception
- The Broader Context of Rom-Com Reception in 2023
- Conclusion
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This disparity matters because it affects how potential viewers approach the film. A critic might dismiss it as formulaic and predictable, while an audience member seeking straightforward entertainment finds exactly what they want.
Understanding what these scores actually represent—rather than simply choosing a film based on a single number—helps you make informed decisions about whether “Anyone But You” is right for you.
Table of Contents
- The Critical Reception and Audience Divide for Anyone But You
- Understanding the Score Gap and How Romantic Comedies Are Reviewed
- What the Scores Mean for Different Types of Viewers
- Using Rotten Tomatoes to Make Viewing Decisions
- The Limitations of Review Aggregation Scores
- The Impact of Lead Performance on Reception
- The Broader Context of Rom-Com Reception in 2023
- Conclusion
The Critical Reception and Audience Divide for Anyone But You
The film’s 49% critics score reflects a fundamental disagreement about what makes a successful romantic comedy. Out of 51 critical reviews aggregated on rotten Tomatoes, the majority leaned toward the negative.
Critics frequently cited familiar plot beats, predictable romantic tension, and a lack of originality as key weaknesses. The formula of “two people who can’t stand each other end up together” has been executed countless times, and critics judged “Anyone But You” against the accumulated weight of decades of rom-com conventions.
In stark contrast, the 84% audience score reveals that viewers weren’t watching the film through a lens of originality or critical analysis. Instead, they were evaluating whether the movie delivered what it promised: light, escapist entertainment with chemistry between leads and humor throughout.
Audiences gave Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell credit for their on-screen dynamic and found the film entertaining enough to recommend to others. This comparison is similar to how superhero action films often score higher with audiences than critics, simply because audiences and critics are judging different aspects of the film.
Understanding the Score Gap and How Romantic Comedies Are Reviewed
The massive gap between critical and audience reception isn’t unusual for romantic comedies—it reflects how different groups evaluate the genre. Critics often approach rom-coms with skepticism, holding them to standards of originality, character depth, and narrative innovation.
They’re comparing “Anyone But You” to the entire landscape of cinema and asking whether it offers something new or meaningful. When a film relies on established conventions and familiar storytelling beats, critics tend to mark it down significantly. Audiences, however, engage with rom-coms differently.
They’re seeking emotional satisfaction, humor, and a sense of closure. They want likable characters, witty banter, and a satisfying romantic resolution—elements that “Anyone But You” apparently delivered in abundance. The warning here is that Rotten Tomatoes scores can be misleading if you don’t understand the underlying preferences.
A 49% critical score doesn’t mean 49% of critics thought it was terrible; it means that slightly more than half found enough problems to rate it negatively on the aggregation scale. The 84% audience score similarly indicates strong but not universal approval.
What the Scores Mean for Different Types of Viewers
For cinephiles who prioritize originality, cinematography, and narrative depth, the 49% critical consensus is instructive. It signals that “Anyone But You” probably won’t break new ground in romantic storytelling or surprise you with unexpected character arcs. These viewers benefit from reading actual critical reviews to understand specifically what elements fell flat.
A critic’s detailed explanation is far more useful than a simple score.
For casual viewers seeking entertainment on a weekend night, the 84% audience score sends a clearer message: this film is likely to deliver what you expect and want from a romantic comedy. The fact that audiences gave it a “Certified Fresh” rating—reserved for films with sustained audience approval—suggests consistent quality in entertainment value.
If you enjoyed similar films like “Set It Up” or “The Proposal,” you’ll probably find “Anyone But You” equally enjoyable. The key example here is that audience satisfaction with a rom-com rarely correlates with critical appreciation; they’re measuring different things entirely.
Using Rotten Tomatoes to Make Viewing Decisions
Rather than viewing the 49% critics score as a reason to dismiss “Anyone But You,” treat it as information to combine with other factors. Consider what the specific criticisms were by reading a few actual reviews rather than relying on the aggregate number alone.
You might find that critics’ complaints (excessive predictability, reliance on meet-cute tropes) are precisely the things that audiences enjoyed about it.
This is the real value of Rotten Tomatoes—not as a definitive verdict, but as a starting point for deeper investigation.
The practical approach is to use both scores together: the critical score tells you whether the film offers something unique or substantial, while the audience score tells you whether it’s entertaining and satisfying within its intended genre.
For “Anyone But You,” the combination means: it probably won’t win awards for originality, but it will likely entertain you if you’re in the mood for a rom-com with good chemistry between leads. This tradeoff is perfectly reasonable for many viewers, especially if you’re looking for something fun rather than challenging or artistically innovative.
The Limitations of Review Aggregation Scores
While Rotten Tomatoes provides useful data, the platform’s binary “fresh” or “rotten” system oversimplifies what critics actually think. A review that gives a film a 6 out of 10—middling but not terrible—still counts as a “rotten” rating on the aggregation scale.
This means that films with mixed but not overwhelmingly negative critical reception can end up with surprisingly low scores. For “Anyone But You,” the 49% score might actually represent a group of critics with lukewarm-to-negative reactions rather than universal pans.
Another limitation is that Rotten Tomatoes aggregates reviews from diverse critics with different standards and priorities. A critic focused on romantic chemistry might rate the film higher than a critic evaluating narrative innovation. The warning here is that a 49% score doesn’t necessarily reflect what you personally will think.
Your own taste in romantic comedies, your tolerance for predictable plots, and what you value in entertainment all factor into your experience in ways Rotten Tomatoes can’t quantify.
The Impact of Lead Performance on Reception
Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell’s performances appear to be the strongest element keeping the audience score elevated. Both actors are known for charm and likability, qualities that matter tremendously in romantic comedies. Reviews suggest their chemistry carries much of the film, which explains why audiences rated it significantly higher than critics did.
When lead performances are this important to a film’s success, audience approval often exceeds critical approval because audiences reward that likability directly while critics might judge the film more harshly for its lack of other strengths. This dynamic—where lead performance compensates for weak plot elements—is common in the rom-com genre.
If you’re the type of viewer who values character charm over originality, the 84% audience approval score is highly relevant to your decision. If you care less about whether lead actors have chemistry and more about whether the story is compelling or unique, the critical concerns carry more weight.
The Broader Context of Rom-Com Reception in 2023
“Anyone But You” arrived in 2023 during a period of significant conversation about romantic comedy’s place in modern cinema. The genre had experienced something of a resurgence after years of relative dormancy in theaters, partly driven by streaming platforms that made rom-coms central to their content strategies.
Within this context, critics might have been comparing “Anyone But You” to both classic romantic comedies and newer romantic content across all media platforms, which could account for its more critical reception relative to audience response.
The film’s performance demonstrates an ongoing reality: theatrical romantic comedies have an outsized appeal to audiences compared to other genres, even when critical reception is mixed.
“Anyone But You” grossed over $200 million globally, far exceeding what many industry analysts predicted based on its critical reception, confirming that audience enthusiasm for rom-coms doesn’t always align with critical consensus.
Conclusion
The Rotten Tomatoes scores for “Anyone But You”—49% from critics and 84% from audiences—tell you that the film prioritizes entertainment and likable character chemistry over originality and critical depth.
The scores are accurate reflections of what each group valued when evaluating the film, but neither should be your sole criterion for deciding whether to watch it. Instead, use these scores as a starting point for understanding the film’s strengths and weaknesses.
Your decision ultimately depends on what you seek from cinema. If you want a movie that will surprise you with fresh storytelling and innovative filmmaking, the critical consensus offers a cautionary note. If you want two hours of light entertainment with appealing leads and romantic satisfaction, the audience score suggests you’ll likely enjoy it.
The gap between these perspectives isn’t a flaw in the film or in Rotten Tomatoes—it’s a useful reminder that different viewing experiences have different criteria for success.
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