Regretting You is the perfect mix of romcom sweetness and dramedy chaos; the kind of movie you throw on when you want to laugh, swoon, and maybe cringe in secondhand embarrassment.
Based on Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same title, the film follows a mother and daughter as they navigate secrets, grief, and messy new beginnings. It’s directed by Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) and produced by Brunson Green, Robert Kulzer, Anna Todd, and Flavia Viotti.
The film also has several executive producers, including Colleen Hoover, Allison Williams, McKenna Grace, and Dave Franco. The film definitely leans fully into the emotional roller-coaster vibe Hoover fans expect.
At its core, the movie is less about romance and more about forgiveness: how messy it is, how stubborn people can be, and how healing rarely looks cinematic even when movies try to make it feel that way.
Mason Thames and Dave Franco? Absolutely gorgeous. Like, distractingly gorgeous. Watching them both on screen is almost a public service. They aren’t the entire movie, but their being pretty is simply a bonus. As girls in our 20s, my friends and I realized we’re hilariously wedged right between the ages of both Thames and Franco, which caused a collective meltdown. This made the whole movie even more entertaining.
Yes, I’ll admit it: the commercials and teasers gave away about 90% of the plot. You walk in knowing exactly what kind of cute, feel-good story you’re about to get. But even so, it’s still adorable, and sometimes predictability is part of the charm. It’s the kind of film you can sit down, relax, and enjoy without needing to think too hard.
McKenna Grace, who’s somehow still our age despite having the resume of someone in their mid-30s, does a great job grounding the movie’s emotional moments. She brings sincerity to the role that keeps the story from drifting into full romcom.
With How to Train Your Dragon, The Black Phone 2, and Regretting You all releasing in the same year, Thames is clearly in his breakout era. If all three land, he could be one of the rare young actors to headline multiple major projects in a single year, a huge flex for someone still so early in his career.
Franco also appears to be transitioning into his ‘mature leading man’ phase, apparently including “dad roles.” He plays it well, even if he still looks a little too young and too effortlessly good-looking to be a believable parent.
The end of Regretting You was definitely the best part of the movie, but hey, no spoilers!
Overall, Regretting You isn’t reinventing the romcom-drama wheel, but it doesn’t need to. It’s cute, comforting, and fun to watch with your friends. It’s the kind of movie that reminds you why we still go to the theater with our friends: to laugh too loudly, whisper commentary, and leave feeling a little happier than when we arrived. For a romcom-dramedy, that’s more than enough.
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