Summary

• Ben and Bea's fake romance in Anyone But You blossoms into real love amidst wild events.
• The movie pays homage to Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing with character parallels.
• There is potential for a sequel to delve into Ben and Bea's relationship post-wedding events.

Easy A director Will Gluck has a fairly familiar genre setup in some regards. Anyone but You begins with Ben and Bea having a chance encounter and instantly clicking, only for a series of events to lead them to hate each other. The main story takes place as their lives interconnect once more as Bea's sister, Halle (Hadley Robinson), gets engaged to Ben's friend, Claudia (Alexandra Shipp).

Although they initially make their hatred of each other to be quite well-known, Anyone but You's R-rating. But as the wedding approaches and their individual goals become possible, Anyone but You's ending changes the dynamic of the relationship.

Are Ben & Bea In Love In Anyone But You's Ending?

How Real Is Their Romance By The Movie's Final Moments?

The entirety of Anyone but You is about Ben and Bea convincing family and friends that they are in love, only for those fake feelings to become more real as time progresses. This leads to them hooking up the night before the wedding and seemingly being on the cusp of itting how they truly feel. A fight the next morning splits them, and Bea leaves the reception after seeing Ben kissing Margaret. However, Ben does chase her down at the Sydney Opera House, where she is people-watching, and expresses his true feelings for her – similar to the story of Bea's dad's grand romantic gesture to her mom. It is through this act that Anyone but You gives Ben and Bea a happy ending.

However, Ben does chase her down at the Sydney Opera House, where she is people-watching, and expresses his true feelings for her – similar to the story of Bea's dad's grand romantic gesture to her mom.

Ben's decision to chase after Bea and her decision to leave the wedding are both signs that they really are in love. Their fake relationship worked exactly as Ben had hoped, leading to Margaret making a move on him at the wedding and kissing him. However, he tells her that this is not what he wants anymore, signaling his true feelings for Bea. She leaves the wedding right away, thinking Ben has already moved on from any feelings he could have for her and is back together with Margaret. Bea explains that she can't be at the wedding and see Ben and Margaret together because of how she really feels.

The reason why Ben and Bea wind up falling in love goes far beyond Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney's looks and physical chemistry. Bea mentions that she broke up with Jonathan because they never fought, which made her feel like a spark was missing. This was not the case with Ben, as they fought constantly, but also began to truly care about each other. Meanwhile, Ben falls in love with Bea because she accepts him for who he is and does not view him as a mistake.

Meanwhile, Ben falls in love with Bea because she accepts him for who he is and does not view him as a mistake.

How Claudia & Halle Tricked Ben & Bea One Last Time

Claudia & Halle Were Always One Step Ahead Of Ben & Bea

One surprise regarding Ben and Bea's relationship comes during Anyone but You's credits. A new piece of footage is shown that includes a conversation during the wedding reception where Claudia and Halle confirm they were never going to call off the wedding. The fight that Ben hears outside his window the morning of the big day was a staged conversation between the two brides. Claudia and Halle were among a group of people who tried to make Ben and Bea fall in love, and they repeatedly used the tactic of having loud conversations that either of them could hear to try and plant thoughts in their minds.

A new piece of footage is shown that includes a conversation during the wedding reception where Claudia and Halle confirm they were never going to call off the wedding.

It is only in the credits sequence that Anyone but You confirms that Claudia and Halle's wedding was always going to happen. They simply decided that having the fake fight would be the best way to have Ben and Bea reconcile, hoping that this would lead to them finally getting together. The revelation pays off a running Anyone but You joke, but it also provides a slight twist to the outcome of Ben and Bea's romance. It also raises questions about whether Claudia and Halle's other conversation at the reception that helps convince Ben to go after Bea really was staged after all.

Anyone But You's Much Ado About Nothing References Explained

How The Rom-Com's Ending Compares To Shakespeare's Play

One recurring part of Anyone but You is the movie's references to William Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing. This can be seen through quotes from the play appearing in the background of scenes throughout the movie, as well as "Much Ado About Nothing" being written at the top of a baseball stadium in the conclusion. The reason why Anyone but You references Much Ado About Nothing is because the play is a loose inspiration for the movie. The play follows a similar setup where other characters take part in a plot to have Benedick and Beatrice fall in love.

Anyone but You naming its main characters Ben and Bea is short for Benedick and Beatrice.

However, Anyone but You's ending makes a few key changes to the final act of the classic Shakespeare play. For instance, the play's version of Jonathan is far more antagonistic and concludes with him being captured while awaiting his punishment, whereas Anyone but You's Jonathan simply begins a potential romance with Margaret. Ben and Bea's confession of love also departs from the play, as Benedick and Beatrice confess their love before the wedding when a plot to fake Hero's (Halle) death is concocted.

The biggest difference, however, is that Benedick and Beatrice are married in Much Ado About Nothing's ending alongside Hero and Claudio, whereas only Halle and Claudia are married in Anyone but You. Still, both do have similar musical moments in their conclusions. The Shakespeare play ends with the characters dancing and celebrating the characters' successful romantic unions, while the movie concludes with the cast and characters dancing, singing, and celebrating to "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield through the credits.

Are Margaret & Jonathan A Couple After Anyone But You?

The Movie's Credits Reveal A Budding Romance

Margaret and Jonathan do not get major roles to play in Anyone but You's ending, as their involvement in the plot takes a backseat once it becomes clear Ben and Bea will not end up with either of them. However, a surprise comes through the credits, as new footage shows Margaret and Jonathan kissing at the reception. This leaves those who watch Anyone but You with questions about whether they are now together. The movie does not provide any clear or definitive proof of whether Margaret and Jonathan are a couple, but the long-distance nature of any possible relationship likely means this is just a rebound.

The long-distance nature of any possible relationship likely means this is just a rebound.

How Old Is Ben Really In Anyone But You?

Ben's Age Doesn't Align With Actor Glen Powell

Anyone But You plays with the age gap controversy of its main stars by having a running joke about how old Ben really is. However, the movie never definitively states his age once and for all. The last time the topic is addressed, Ben states that he is 29 years old. That would make him five years younger than Glen Powell in real life at the time of production of the movie. Having just recently dropped out of law school, Bea's age is seemingly close to Sydney Sweeney's real age of 25 years old. This would shrink the age gap between Ben and Bea to only four years if Ben is telling the truth about his age.

How Anyone But You Sets Up A Sequel

Anyone But You 2 Has Several Potential Story Avenues

There is room left at the end of Anyone but You for these characters and their stories to potentially continue in a sequel. Now that Ben and Bea are together and have learned that they did fall for some of their friends and family's trickery, a sequel could explore what comes next for their relationship. Their initial encounter and night together indicate that a return to the real world would allow their love to flourish and grow. Perhaps Anyone but You 2 could chronicle their own wedding as they take steps to be the husband and wife that they pretended to be in their first meeting at the coffee shop.

The questions that Anyone but You 2's story could address include showing whether they are a couple that can last or if there is something that could break them apart. It would certainly be entertaining to see more of Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney together and explore what happens next for their characters. A potential Anyone but You sequel could even see them play the part of a matchmaker to put a twist on the formula of the first film. However, since Ben and Bea's bickering and hijinks are part of what makes the first film enjoyable, some conflict between them would be necessary to retain that dynamic.

A potential Anyone but You sequel could even see them play the part of a matchmaker to put a twist on the formula of the first film.

The possibility of Anyone but You 2 is also made more realistic by the 2023 rom-com's incredible box office performance. On an estimated budget of $25 million, Anyone but You has earned approximately $219 million at the box office, breaking several records and greatly exceeding expectations. Anyone but You's box office records include being the first R-rated romantic comedy since 2016's Bridget Jones's Baby to make more than $100 million, as well as being the highest-grossing live-action Shakespeare film adaptation. With such a profitable movie, Sony will likely be eager to continue Powell and Sweeney's success with a sequel.

What Anyone But You's Cast Has Said About Anyone But You 2

Only three months after the movie's release, Sydney Sweeney commented on Anyone but You 2's possibility by stating that she gave it "maybe like, a high nine chance." This is a highly optimistic response to the potential sequel, especially given the fact that Sweeney also served as a producer on Anyone but You. So far, director Will Gluck and screenwriter Ilana Wolpert have yet to publicly comment on Anyone but You 2, so it's unclear whether the two are being included in the conversations with Powell and Sweeney about the sequel's concept brainstorming and efforts to bring it to fruition.

So far, director Will Gluck and screenwriter Ilana Wolpert have yet to publicly comment on Anyone but You 2.

Sydney Sweeney & Glen Powell Are Looking At Making An Anyone But You Follow-Up

While Glen Powell hasn't given any direct comments on what he thinks of Anyone but You 2's chances, the actor stated that he and Sweeney are trying to reunite on another film together. Powell elaborated that he and Sweeney are looking at scripts for another collaboration, stating that they're "reading everything and just trying to see what makes sense." Whether or not Powell and Sweeney's next movie together is Anyone but You 2 remains to be seen, but it is certainly not out of the question.

The Real Meaning Of Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" In Anyone But You

Natasha Bedingfield's Song Plays A Recurring Role In The Rom-Com

First being played when Ben is sleeping on his flight to Australia, Natasha Bedingfield's hit 2004 song "Unwritten" is heard frequently throughout Anyone but You. It turns out that the pop track is Ben's "serenity song," which he plays to calm himself and put him into a positive state of mind. Anyone but You featuring Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" returns throughout the rom-com's closing credits, where the cast and characters sing along to the song in various locations and scenes from the film.

"Unwritten" also connects to the underlying themes of Anyone but You in regard to Ben and Bea's romance. At the beginning of the movie, it's clear that Bea feels her life has been mapped out for her and she yearns for something different. Meanwhile, Ben struggles to engage with sharing deeper elements of his life and feelings, often keeping himself at a distance out of fear that he'll be seen as a mistake and disappointment by others. By Anyone but You's ending, Ben and Bea finally take notes from the lyrics of "Unwritten," which emphasize the importance of being unafraid to make mistakes, start over, and experience new, potentially scary feelings in life.

By Anyone but You's ending, Ben and Bea finally take notes from the lyrics of "Unwritten," which emphasize the importance of being unafraid to make mistakes, start over, and experience new, potentially scary feelings in life.

Why Bea Drops Out Of Law School

Bea's Secret Has A Deeper Meaning In Anyone But You

When Ben and Bea first meet in Anyone but You, she reveals that she no longer knows if she actually wants to become a lawyer, but fears the response from her friends and family about making such a major change to her life without a set plan. Ultimately, Bea drops out of law school prior to the wedding, but only tells Ben about her secret. Like her breakup with Jonathan, Bea dropped out of law school because she wasn't ionate about it and didn't want to be stuck in a profession simply because it seemed "safe" or was part of the plan that had always been mapped out for her.

The Real Meaning Of Anyone But You's Ending

Anyone But You's Message Gives Advice About Finding The Love Of One's Life

Anyone But You's ending is fairly straightforward and traditional for the rom-com genre, as the girl gets the boy, and vice versa, and they are set up to have a happy life together. There is still a deeper meaning to be taken from the film, though. The movie is ultimately about finding the right person to be with and chasing after them, even if that means jumping off a cliff so a water rescue team can help. Ben and Bea both come to realize who they want to be with to be happy and be their true selves, and thankfully, Anyone but You gives them a chance to achieve just that.