I was cautiously optimistic about Regretting You, the latest movie adaptation of a Colleen Hoover novel. But the optimism from the star-studded cast with classics like McKenna Grace and Allison Williams, plus rising stars like Mason Thames convinced me to give the new movie a chance. Initially, I was cautious because of how characteristically cringy Hoover plot lines are. I’m sure you could tell by the title of this article, but I’m sad to report that I was right to be cautious. The predictable plot line, irritating portrayal of teenage angst, and cliche romance were painful to sit through.
Where was the Plot?
The movie opens with a throwback scene where we see Morgan (Allison Williams), her boyfriend Chris (Scott Eastwood), her sister Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald), and Jonah (Dave Franco). The entire movie’s plot centers around these mismatched couples: Morgan and Chris, Jenny and Jonah. It’s obvious to the audience that Morgan and Jonah are the ones truly meant to be together—they’re both unabashedly dorky and connect on an emotional level, a stark contrast to their superficial connections to Jenny and Chris. From here, we can guess that by the end of the movie surely Morgan and Jonah will end up together somehow, and so the rest of the plot reads quite predictably.Â
Where was Her Personality?
Leading up this movie, I was a HUGE McKenna Grace fan. I know people say she’s oversaturated; true, she has played the young blond girl in almost every movie, but I’ve always found her charming and hilarious. Now, I clarify this statement by saying that I don’t think there was much McKenna Grace could’ve done with what she was given. There is only so much an actor can do to overcome the restraints of how the role was written, but Clara (McKenna Grace) was just so irritating. I’m sure Josh Boone (Director) was going for a relatable take on teenage angst with Clara (McKenna Grace) and Morgan’s (Allison Williams) frequent mother-daughter brawls, but the culmination of their tension in one extremely awkward dinner scene was too much for me. Clara (McKenna Grace) went through unimaginable things in this movie; I don’t expect her to have processed that perfectly as a teenager, but some of the things she does to other characters, not just her mom, will make you feel like screaming at the screen.
Where was the Originality?
Now Morgan and Jonah weren’t the only centric couple; we can’t forget Clara (McKenna Grace) and Miller (Mason Thames)’s puppy dog high school romance. I’m the first to admit that I love sappy declarations of love and romantic school scenes, but c’mon there was truly nothing interesting about their love story. There was one hiccup in their relationship, one that I won’t spoil for you, but the issue wasn’t even truly resolved. They patched over a huge fight with a lame apology and a kiss that took PDA to a whole new level. I would’ve loved to see something relatable in their relationship—something raw and real rather than this romance that we’ve all seen a hundred times before.Â
Unfortunately, I think Regretting You was an absolute flop. And apparently, the Box Office numbers agree. It was still fun to hate-watch with my friends as we munched on popcorn and Twizzlers, but would I recommend that you pick another movie for your next girls’ night? Absolutely.Â