It starts with a wedding. Usually, that’s where stories end, right? But the imagine me and you trailer 2005 did something kind of risky for its time. It showed us a bride, Rachel (played by Piper Perabo), walking down the aisle, locking eyes with the florist, Luce (Lena Headey), and basically having her entire world tilt on its axis in three seconds flat.
You remember that feeling.
The trailer wasn't just a marketing clip; it was a vibe shift. In the mid-2000s, queer cinema was often synonymous with "tragedy." We had Brokeback Mountain coming out the same year, which was brilliant but, let’s be honest, devastating. Then you had this little British rom-com trailer popping up on Yahoo! Movies or as a pre-roll on a DVD, set to the upbeat sounds of The Turtles. It promised something we hadn't seen much of: a happy ending. Or at least, a fun journey toward one.
What the Imagine Me and You Trailer 2005 actually gave us
Marketing a movie like this in 2005 was a tightrope walk. You’ve got the director, Ol Parker—who later gave us Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again—trying to sell a story about infidelity that somehow remains wholesome. It’s a weird paradox. The imagine me and you trailer 2005 had to convince the audience to root for a woman who is essentially cheating on the "perfect" guy, Heck, played by Matthew Goode.
Goode was peak charming in this. Honestly, that was the biggest hurdle the trailer had to clear. How do you make people okay with Rachel leaving a guy who is genuinely sweet and supportive? The trailer leaned heavily into the "lightning bolt" theory of love. It used quick cuts, bright London scenery, and that specific, bouncy British humor that felt very Notting Hill-adjacent.
It worked because it didn't feel predatory. It felt like an awakening.
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I think about the specific shots chosen for that 2-minute teaser. You had the scene with the "H" flower arrangement. You had the awkward dinner party banter. It framed the movie not as a "lesbian drama," but as a classic romantic comedy that just happened to feature two women. That was a massive tactical choice.
The soundtrack factor
Music makes or breaks a trailer. If you watch the imagine me and you trailer 2005 today, the first thing you notice is the song "Imagine Me and You" (The Turtles). It’s on the nose. It’s literal. But it’s also incredibly effective at setting a tone of "sunny optimism."
The trailer also featured "Happy Together," which reinforces that 1960s pop sensibility. It told the audience: This is safe. This is fun. You aren't going to leave the theater crying into your popcorn because someone died. For queer audiences in 2005, that was a revolutionary promise.
Why the edit feels so dated (and why we love it)
Let's talk about the technical side for a second. The editing in the imagine me and you trailer 2005 is such a product of its era. You’ve got those fade-to-black transitions every few seconds. You’ve got the voiceover guy—you know the one—with that deep, gravelly tone that tells you exactly what the stakes are.
"She has everything she ever wanted... until she meets the one person she can't live without."
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Classic.
But there’s a sincerity in that clunky 2005 marketing style. It wasn't trying to be "prestige." It was trying to be a crowd-pleaser. The color grading in the trailer is very warm, almost golden. It makes London look like a place where magic happens, rather than a place where it rains 200 days a year.
Piper Perabo and Lena Headey: The chemistry check
The trailer lived or died on the chemistry between the leads. Piper Perabo was coming off Coyote Ugly and Lost and Delirious. She had this "girl next door" energy that made the character of Rachel relatable. Lena Headey, long before she was Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones, played Luce with this quiet, cool confidence.
The imagine me and you trailer 2005 smartly focused on their "meet-cute" at the church. It showed the ring falling into the punch bowl. It showed the awkwardness. By the time the trailer hits its crescendo, you’re already invested in whether or not they’ll end up together.
The "Heck" problem in the marketing
Matthew Goode’s character, Heck, is arguably the most tragic figure in rom-com history. Usually, in these movies, the husband is a jerk. Think of Bill Pullman in Sleepless in Seattle—he had allergies! He was "wrong" for her.
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But Heck? Heck is great.
The imagine me and you trailer 2005 didn't hide this. It showed him being a doting husband. This added a layer of complexity that most trailers shy away from. It signaled to the audience that this movie had a little more substance than your average fluff piece. It was about the messiness of falling in love with the "wrong" person at the exactly "right" time.
A look back at the 2005 landscape
Context matters. In 2005, we didn't have streaming. If you wanted to see a trailer, you either caught it in the theater or waited for it to load on a chunky QuickTime player.
The imagine me and you trailer 2005 was a beacon for people looking for representation that wasn't underground or experimental. It was distributed by Fox Searchlight. This was a "mainstream" effort. When you watch it now, it feels like a time capsule of a moment when the industry was just starting to realize that there was a massive, underserved audience for lighthearted queer stories.
Actionable insights for fans and collectors
If you’re looking to revisit the magic of the imagine me and you trailer 2005 or the film itself, there are a few things you should know about its current availability and legacy.
- Check the DVD extras: If you can snag a physical copy of the 2006 DVD release, the "making of" featurettes actually provide a lot of context on why the trailer was cut the way it was. They talk about the "look" of the film being inspired by classic 1950s romances.
- Search the high-def versions: Many versions of the trailer on YouTube are low-res 240p uploads from 15 years ago. Look for "remastered" or "HD" fan uploads to actually see the cinematography of Brian Tufano, who also shot Trainspotting.
- Identify the filming locations: The trailer prominently features the Primrose Hill area of London and the flower shop (which was actually a location in Belsize Park). You can still visit these spots today; they haven't changed as much as you'd think.
- Soundtrack hunting: The specific version of "Happy Together" and other tracks like "I'm Your Lady" are easier to find on Spotify now, but the original soundtrack CD is a bit of a collector's item.
The imagine me and you trailer 2005 did exactly what it was supposed to do: it made a niche story feel universal. It didn't rely on tropes of shame or "coming out" angst. It relied on the simple, classic idea that love is a force of nature that doesn't care about your plans or your wedding guest list. It remains a masterclass in how to sell a "controversial" premise through the lens of pure, unadulterated joy.