‘Regretting You’ Review – Colleen Hoover’s Entertaining, Albeit Melodramatic Reflection On Grief, Love & Second Chances

It’s Colleen Hoover’s world, and we’re just living in it. Her 2019 novel Regretting You is now a feature film. It hits all the sweet, young-adult romantic-drama erogenous zones of the genre—and does so repeatedly. There is a reason Hoover’s novels have sold over 35 million copies: her biggest smash hit, It Ends with Us, is only second to the Bible. So, the built-in audience is there. My point is that movies like this are not going away.

To my surprise, however, Regretting You combines a coming-of-age story with heavy—albeit melodramatic—adult themes that keep the viewer engaged enough as entertainment, happily manipulating you to the point where you either appreciate what you have or long for what you don’t. After all, movies don’t always need to deliver a profound artistic message or political viewpoint. More often than not, they’re about creating memories and escaping the stressors of everyday life.

This is something this movie will never make you regret. A melodramatic entertainment that offers moments of sincerity, exploring grief, love, and forgiveness, with a catharsis that’s reason enough to watch.

The story follows Morgan (Get Out’s Allison Williams) and her daughter, Clara (Captain Marvel’s McKenna Grace). They struggle to cope with the devastating loss of their husband and father, Chris (Fast X’s Scott Eastwood). He died in a car crash, which, unfortunately, revealed devastating secrets. These secrets have not only stunted but also ripped apart their grieving process. All of a sudden, tears turn to anger. Heartbreak turns to resentment, with plenty of guilt in between.

The question is why Morgan’s younger sister, Jenny (Strange Darling’s Willa Fitzgerald), was in the car with Chris when the accident occurred—killing them both—when neither was supposed to be there. That’s the question on everyone’s mind, including Morgan’s brother-in-law, Jonah (Dave Franco). Jonah is a glass-half-empty kind of guy who wears his feelings, emotions, and anxieties on his sleeve. If you are worried about spoilers, don’t be. The trailer tells you everything up to this point, and the movie gets to the point quickly.

Which makes me wonder if there is enough of a story to fill out the picture. That is where you, the young adult component, come to play. Clara meets a cute guy with a first name as a last name, and a last name as a first name. That’s Miller Adams (How to Train Your Dragon’s Mason Thames). Of course, he has a heart of gold, as he lives with his cranky old grandfather (The Penguin’s Clancy Brown), proving he has a heart of gold. He also has killer taste in movies, as evidenced by the posters in his room, making him alright in my book.

Regretting You is directed by Josh Boone, who knows how to handle YA material, having helmed The Fault in Our Stars. Working from a screenplay by Susan McMartin (After), the movie is more than palatable—and, most importantly, entertaining. You know, highly tragic situations ease the viewer into even more emotionally charged corners. The characters eventually find themselves in these corners. Trust me, no one finds more attraction to other people while grieving a loved one quite like they do in the movies.

The script reportedly stays true to the book’s structure and is cleverly organized to keep the movie from becoming mere cinematic romantic fluff. The choice keeps the audience more engaged than a typical standalone romantic drama. Grace and Thames are two likable, talented young performers who elevate the standard trope material. Especially Grace, who, fresh off the best performance of her career in last summer’s What We Hide, plays the troubled-teen cliché with such stoic heart that it’s hard not to be taken with her performance here.

What you see is what you get with Regretting You: the entire movie is a melodramatic romanticization of themes like trauma, grief, and the complexities of lasting love in relationships. At the movie’s heart is a story about second chances and the courage it takes to step through the doors life unexpectedly opens—no matter how painful or uncertain what’s on the other side may be. In the end, Boone’s film entertains, pulling on the tender strings attached to our hearts.

Regretting You is now playing exclusively in theaters courtesy of Paramount.