Solène and Hayes seemed to have it all when they found each other. However, the ending of their love story doesn't paint the pretty picture everyone expected. So, why did Solène and Hayes break up in The Idea of You? How different was the movie's ending from the original novel?
CONTENT SPOILERS: This article contains spoilers for The Idea of You on Prime Video, so proceed with caution.
Why Did Solène and Hayes Break Up in The Idea of You?
40-year-old divorcée Solène Marchand (played by Anne Hathaway) knew from the very beginning that her relationship with pop star Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine) was nearly impossible.
Considering the implications of their age gap and Solène prioritizing her 12-year-old daughter Isabelle above all else, she realized that the only 'solution' to the problem was breaking up with him.
However, did you know that their break-up in the 2024 flick differs from how the 2017 book depicted it? Here's what made the controversial break-up more hopeful in the movie.
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How Solène and Hayes Break Up in the Book vs Film
In Robinne Lee's novel, Solène indeed initiated the break-up with Hayes. She wanted to keep her relationship with her daughter intact, seeing as she was on the receiving end of judgment concerning Solène's May-December romance.
Although Hayes tried fixing their relationship, when Solène learned Hayes quit the band just to be with her, she pushed him to pursue his career over returning to her.
2024's The Idea of You movie ends on a better tune, though.
Apart from keeping the storyline of how Solène and her daughter are affected by the paparazzi and reporters, Solène and Hayes came up with the promise that they could rekindle their relationship five years later.
Sure enough, during the time skip, Hayes visited Solène's art gallery and the rest was history.
This is thanks to The Idea of You director Michael Showalter, who wanted to create a "more uplifting ending", an ending that is definitely "more satisfying for the audience" to watch.
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Meanwhile, The Idea of You movie is now available to stream on Prime Video.
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