“Is that a freaking pigeon?”
I think this may be the first second-chance love story that I didn’t mind watching. Probably because the film didn’t try to undermine the main character’s responsibility in the situation that caused her to need redemption. Marking the third Colleen Hoover film adapted for the big screen, Maika Monroe stars as Kenna Rowan, a young woman working to rebuild her life after serving seven years in prison for a car crash that killed her boyfriend. Hoover’s popularity continues to grow with this latest adaptation, with at least one additional one scheduled for release later in the year. I have no doubt that more will follow, with the likely exception of the It Ends With Us sequel, which seems unlikely for obvious reasons. In the case of Reminders of Him, this marked a heartfelt and honest interpretation of its source material with some subtle deviations in my opinion. In addition to the story, the chemistry between Monroe and Tyriq Withers, who is quickly becoming a person to watch, makes this a film worth watching. Rounding out the cast are Bradley Whitford, Lauren Graham, Rudy Pankow, and Lainey Wilson in her film debut.
Key themes of the film include forgiveness and redemption, specifically whether a person can be forgiven for a life-altering mistake. This is where a bulk of the film’s focus is spent. Monroe’s character is racked with guilt over the accident that resulted in the death of her boyfriend and then love of her life, played by Rudy Pankow. For his part, Pankow is pretty charming in his limited role, especially during in first meeting with Monroe’s character. It was easy to see how the relationship bloomed and still was impactful following the character’s death. Naturally, this is aided by the persistent voiceover narration in the form of letters that Kenna writes to Pankow’s Scotty as a way of processing her grief. This was an important factor in establishing a somber theme for the movie. It kept the character of Scotty alive for the cast as well as the audience and showed the significance of a person’s presence in loved ones’ lives.
The film unfolds on two fronts, one in the present and the other in the past, essentially the two chapters of Kenna’s life. Through her we see who she’d been and who she became after Scotty’s death. More emphasis is understandably put on the latter than the former, with Kenna working hard to rebuild her life, more so in an effort to earn a place in the life of her daughter, who was born while she was in prison and is being raised by Scotty’s parents, played by Whitford and Graham. As expected, Scotty’s parents are not keen on granting her access to her daughter, given that they hold her responsible for the death of their son. This circumstance is a common, but completely necessary trope needed for the story progression and to create obligatory obstacles before Monroe’s character can achieve catharsis.
Withers’ character serves another key theme of the film, which is healing aspect, though this theme is not without its complication, as Withers’ Ledger is Scotty’s former best friend, another not uncommon trope intended to complicate the budding romance between the two. This was a somewhat hard pill to swallow, because as the best friend and girlfriend of Scotty, you would expect that the two knew one another or at least met at some point. However, that is not the case. The film explains it away by indicating that Ledger’s prominence as a football star with a bright NFL future meant that he was often gone. However, this was still difficult for me to accept, because logic dictated that at the very least one of both the characters would have at bare minimum seen a picture of one another. Granted, Withers’ character does claim to have seen Kenna’s mugshot, and he goes on to suggest that she looked very different from that; however, this felt like a clumsy attempt to explain it away.
Even so, the connection between the characters is a salient factor for the film. There is palpable attraction from their first encounter in the bar, in which Ledger is very intrigued by what he sees, believing her to be a new girl in their small town. Recognition comes faster for Kenna, who puts two and two together first upon hearing his name. Ledger isn’t that far behind her, and while he does initially carry some hostility towards her, it is very short-lived. In the absence of both her parents, Ledger became a surrogate parent for Scotty and Kenna’s daughter, Diem. This is showcased through multiple heartfelt exchanges with her. It is evident that Ledger’s motivation is based in his own guilt over Scotty’s death, particularly on the night of his best friend’s death over a broken promise. These details are subtlety hinted at, and I would have preferred that they be addressed a bit more directly. Even so, I was able to discern his overall motivation.
For most of film, his dedication and protectiveness of Diem is in direct conflict with his feelings for Kenna, who he, like Scotty’s parents, holds ultimately responsible for his best friend’s death. On its surface, this should have been an insurmountable obstacle to overcome. However, curiosity gets the better of Ledger, as his need to understand the events of the past coupled with growing attraction between the two won’t allow him to stay away from her. Speaking of attraction, this seems to be where the bulk of the deviation from the source material occurs, particularly the removal of a graphic sex scene between Kenna and Ledger that appeared in the book and the time of their first kiss. In the case of the sex scene, director Vanessa Caswill confirmed that scene was shot but ultimately didn’t make the final cut (sounds like a deleted scene, if you ask me). Regarding the -kiss timeline, in the book, Kenna and Ledger “hook up” briefly before Kenna realizes his true identity and connection to her past, whereas in the film, their mutual attraction is immediate; they do not kiss until later in the story. This change was reportedly made to build more cinematic “payoff” for their first romantic moment. In my opinion, I think I would have preferred the book version of the first kiss, because it would have bolstered Ledger’s need to insert himself into this situation.
All in all, Reminders of Him is a solid book adaptation about redemption, grief, and maternal love, centering on a woman’s fight for a second chance after a devastating mistake. Colleen Hoover is on her way to Nicholas Sparks status with these popular adaptations of her novels. So far, I’d say she is three for three.
