“The things you do for the ones you love.” In this case, this saying has a bit of double meaning, one for the movie and one for me personally. For the movie, it is about how far a parent will go to protect their child from an ugly truth. And for me, it’s about how far I will go to ensure that my wife is happy and entertained. Regretting You, the second film adaptation of a Colleen Hoover novel after It Ends with Us (2024) and the third adaptation overall, after the television series Confess (2017). In the case of this film, the audience gets two love stories for the price of one. One is centered around young love between a very talented pair in McKenna Grace and Mason Thames, and the other about second chances, between Dave Franco and Allison Williams. In my opinion, the young-love story is the more vibrant and uplifting story arc, hence why it received far more focus than the second-chance one. Scott Eastwood and Willa Fitzgerald also help round out the cast, but their roles are limited to the opening portions of the film, particularly because it is their actions rather than their presence that help drive the story as a whole.
So, I should mention upfront that I am not a reader of Colleen Hoover, but I am aware of her books. In recent years, they’ve been impossible to miss. She has become quite prolific in the literary space, with 24 novels under her belt, 11 of which have been featured on the New York Times Bestsellers List. Her popularity apparently surged in 2022, when she held six of the top ten spots on the paperback fiction bestseller list. Also as of 2022, she has sold more than 20 million books. It makes sense that her novels would find their way to the silver screen. I won’t spend any time on the events that surrounded the previous adaptation, but focus on this one, which I expect will also have a fairly decent outing. I wouldn’t be surprised if the film was this weekend’s box office winner, but it does face stiff competition in a horror film that also stars Mason Thames that was released last week.
Speaking of Thames, 2025 has clearly been his year, with this film marking his fourth release. He’s clearly shown himself to be a very versatile actor with a wide range that includes multiple genres, to include wholesome family, suspense horror, and now romance drama. This also marks his and McKenna Grace’s first romantic role. The pair were good together. They had excellent chemistry, and as I previously mentioned, they were the pair to watch in this film. In terms of solo performances, I give the edge to Thames, who managed to redefine the “rebel with a heart of gold” trope. As Miller Adams, he is charming and moral and does not hesitate to act in service of his conscience. He was the best takeaway for me.
I am not discounting McKenna Grace, who I’ve been a fan of for many years, especially her role in Gifted. However, to call her a newcomer would be an insult. She is without question a seasoned pro, so the idea of her delivering a bad performance is laughable. As Clara Grant, she finds herself in some unfamiliar territory, as this was her first romantic role. That said, I believe she rose to the occasion. Her character could have easily become a cliché under the “virgin rebelling for the first time” trope (anyone else getting 90210 vibes?). However, such as it was in Thames case, both actors’ talent and commitment kept them from falling into these cliché traps.
I really only saw this movie for my wife — who loved it, by the way– because I learned everything I needed to know from the preview. That essentially told me everything I needed to know about where the story would go and what its eventual outcome would be. And for me, that removed any element of surprise. The preview provides too much context, which the audience would have been better off seeing on the screen. This took away the potential for shock value. Granted, as this is a book adaptation, this impact will only be felt by those who haven’t read the source material. Fans of the book are unlikely to be bothered. However, the prospects of reaching new audiences will be hindered.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the second love story featured. For me, I never really resonated with this one. It was fairly straightforward and very clearly took a backseat to the Clara and Miller storyline. Morgan and Jonah needed more time to really flourish. As is, it felt rushed and was thereby robbed of the opportunity to unfold organically, especially from Morgan’s side. Jonah supposedly had years to come to grips with feelings; meanwhile, Morgan had less time to process her feelings of betrayal and realize who she really wanted. Also, Allison Williams had dual responsibilities, as she also split her time between her budding romance and quelling her daughter’s rebellion.
The film did have a few moments of levity, and many of them involved Williams’ character, which provided a measure of redemption for her character. I particularly enjoyed the parking lot scene, in which she pulls up and bursts Grace’s and Thames’ romantic bubble. This scene has been featured prominently in the film’s promotional material, and yet it still was funny and enjoyable. So, while it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, I did still find things to enjoy about the film.
