If you’re not a Colleen Hoover fan, we’ve got bad news for you: Film adaptations from the best-selling author’s many, many novels are heading straight for the multiplex near you in the coming years and months. What started with Justin Baldoni’s spectacularly ill-fated “It Ends with Us” last summer — well, not money-wise, that thing made over $350 million, even with those heinous vibes — shows zero signs of abating. Adaptations of “Verity” and “Reminders of Him” are on their way, and the second Hoover film adaptation, “Regretting You,” has now arrived.
Thankfully, this particular story trades the icky, criminal (in ways both literal and figurative) drama of “It Ends with Us” for something a bit soapier and silly.
Still, it is Hoover, so tragedy is inevitable (and, yes, still a bit icky). Sisters Morgan (Allison Williams) and Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald) couldn’t be more different — Morgan is dependable and steady, Jenny’s primary interest is having fun — and their partners only further reflect that divide. Morgan’s husband Chris (Scott Eastwood) relished being Jenny’s beer pong partner in high school, but Morgan’s unexpected pregnancy when she was just 17 forced him to grow up fast. And Jonah (Dave Franco)? Jenny’s serious, bespectacled fiancée didn’t quite seem like the most obvious match when they were teenagers — and he sure seemed to like making sad puppy eyes at Morgan — but he’s recently returned to town after a long absence, promptly getting Jenny pregnant.
The film, directed by YA dramedy maestro Josh Boone (“Stuck in Love,” “The Fault in Our Stars”) somewhat disconcertingly opens with a high school-set flashback — with all of the aforementioned adult stars playing their teen selves, jarring — that lays out all these complications and more.
Seventeen years later, Morgan and Chris are the proud parents of budding actress Clara (Mckenna Grace), Jenny and Jonah just had an adorable baby and are preparing to get married, and everything feels … well, it feels fine enough, until a horrible tragedy upends all of this and so much more. The tragedy in question is no secret — Chris and Jenny are killed together in a horrific car accident, which inspires all sorts of awful questions — and the fallout is mostly predictable.
As Morgan and Jonah navigate shifting alliances, Clara grapples with her grief, compounded by her confusion as to what in God’s name is going on with her mom and uncle, plus a budding romance with local cool guy Miller (Mason Thames). Unimaginable tragedy! What a turn-on! And yet, within that messiness, there is occasional emotional truth here. Consider this: Chris and Jenny might be phenomenally bad partners, but in the brief moments we get to know them before the accident, we see they have other, very fine qualities. Chris is a good father and Jenny is a dedicated aunt. Clara adores them, and rightly so.
But that sort of texture and storytelling care isn’t always on offer, and there’s plenty of information we don’t get here. Everything from the gory details about the affair to a wider exploration of the world around this troubled family are lacking. After Chris’ funeral (another weird bit: we hate see Jenny’s funeral, despite Clara often talking about it), stacks of flowers and pre-made meals all but block Morgan and Clara’s front door, yet we never see any of those well-wishing friends and neighbors. Grandparents? Nah. Friends from work? Nope. Pals from high school? Negative.
Grief is messy and fucked up, but it too often feels like we’re getting through that stuff to get to the good (read: kissy!) stuff. The kissy stuff? Well, it lands, even if in the soapiest of ways. These people all live and love and work in the kind of bubble that exists in many of Hoover’s tales of domestic woe. That might even be part of the problem for Morgan and Jonah, who seem to have long ago narrowed their entire social (and romantic) circle to just them and their departed partners.
The teenage romance opens things up a bit more. Much like grief, growing up is messy and fucked up, and Grace in particular takes on the many dimensions of Clara with ease. She’s a complicated kid, but one worth rooting for, particularly as it applies to her budding romance and her fraught relationship with her well-meaning mom.
Funny little details still reign here, like how Miller wants to be a filmmaker — the hilariously-placed Sidney Lumet book on his nightstand hammers that home — while the assortment of movie posters on his walls really seals the deal. We’re not sure how many teens these days still revere both “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Witness” (??) in equal measure, but good for Miller. (His movie obsession also adds a truly deranged amount of AMC product placement; during movie dates, Clara and Miller seem moments away from filming their own Nicole Kidman ads).
He’s also just a nice kid, the last person Morgan should be worrying about being around Clara. Alas, who can blame her for freaking out that her daughter is in love at age 17? Look where that got Morgan. Tucked into the melodrama of “Regretting You,” there is a sweet story about a mother and daughter trying to figure things out, but the reliance on their outside romances often detracts from it. That’s a shame.
Still, it’s fun to watch “Regretting You” with a crowd who can appreciate and titter at its twists and revelations, people who can vibe with its melodramatic wackiness while also not necessarily making fun of it. During the film’s opening flashback, when a young Chris whines to a tee-totaling Morgan “but drunk Morgan is my favorite Morgan!,” the man next to me laughed out an “oh, wow” that landed perfectly; he went on to literally slap his knee at two other points in the film. Now that’s it the energy a Colleen Hoover joint should inspire.
Grade: C
Paramount Pictures will release “Regretting You” in theaters on Friday, October 24.
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