When it comes to film adaptations of bestselling novels, it’s quite difficult for the movie to win over the hearts of dedicated book fans. Since the fictional story is already written in stone, or rather the pages of a novel, the bar is set high (almost too high) for any film adaptation to impress die-hard book fans.
However, YA fiction author Colleen Hoover has already seen major box-office success when her book It Ends With Us made its cinematic debut in 2024. The film made over $350 million in the box office worldwide, which is no small feat.
It Ends With Us was the first of several of Hoover’s books being made into films. Most recently, with the help of director Josh Boone – best known for his romantic tear-jerker, The Fault in Our Stars, her novel Regretting You has made its way to the big screen on Oct. 24. However, the film ended up falling short of my expectations by excluding narrative details essential to conveying the story’s multilayered emotional depth, character motivations and central relationships. Spoiler alert: Spoilers for Regretting You ahead.
Regretting You is a coming-of-age story that explores a mother-daughter relationship fragmented by a family tragedy and a gut-wrenching betrayal neither one of them expected. The story follows the lives of Morgan Grant (Allison Williams) and her teenage daughter, Clara (Mckenna Grace) who uncover family secrets, redefine love and must mend their relationship after a devastating car accident shatters their family unit.
The accident takes the lives of Morgan’s husband and Clara’s father, Chris (Scott Eastwood) along with Morgan’s sister and Clara’s aunt Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald). Not to mention, Jenny’s high-school sweetheart, Jonah (Dave Franco) is left alone with an infant to raise after losing the mother of his child.
As Morgan and Jonah grieve the loss of their loved ones, it doesn’t take long before the circumstances of the accident start to raise unsettling questions about their significant others’ loyalty. The shared tragedy soon unravels into something far more complicated as the crash reveals a hidden affair between Chris and Jenny.
Feelings of guilt, resentment and misunderstandings deepens the emotional rift between Morgan and Clara, causing them to seek comfort in those they least expect. As the two navigate their newfound romantic relationships, they must learn to confront the truth about their family to repair their broken bond with each other.
The film adaptation features a star-studded cast whose real-life chemistry sends sparks between their on-screen characters, allowing their interactions to appear authentic. However, Grace and Thames steal the show in portraying the angsty teenage romance between their two characters, Clara and Miller (Mason Thames). Their longing stares, cinematic kissing scenes and cliche date nights are enough to make anyone swoon. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the love entanglements between the four adults.
Throughout the book, there are various flashback scenes showcasing the friendship dynamic between the younger versions of Morgan, Chris, Jenny and Jonah. From their high school graduation party to Jonah finding out about Morgan’s pregnancy, these flashbacks emphasize the core-four’s bond while hinting at romantic tensions between Morgan and Jonah – a mutual attraction never acted on out of respect for their partners. In the film, there are only two flashback scenes, which makes for a lack of romantic build-up between Morgan and Jonah. As a result, when the two finally confess their love for each other in the film, it’s anticlimactic.
The book’s flashbacks also feature more interactions between Morgan and Jenny to showcase their sisterly bond. These moments also highlight Morgan’s protective nature over Jenny as the older sibling, which Morgan later imposes on her own daughter.
Additionally, there are many moments in the book when Chris steps up as a young father and several instances where Clara confides in her aunt Jenny for advice. The film shows Clara engaging with both of them in only one or two scenes. By limiting Clara’s connections with her father and aunt, it limits the emotional depth of their on-screen relationships.
Without these interactions, there’s a lack of emotional attachment towards the deceased characters, rendering the layers of Morgan and Jonah’s grief shallow and Clara’s largely unexplored.
While it’s reasonable to assume not every detail of the book will make the film’s final cut when considering the length of a 350-page novel compared to a two-hour screening, it’s important for the audience that the film remains faithful to the original text. In other words, the film should still capture the same spirit and core plot line that exist in the book.
Still the film made a few positive additions, that maybe some readers would have wanted to see in the novel. One uplifting change from page-to-screen was the addition of Morgan’s passion. In the book, Morgan is determined to take a new direction with her life after spending almost two decades as a stay-at-home mother. Unfortunately, her career ambitions are never revealed as she spends the majority of the novel wrapped up in her grief on top of navigating her rocky relationship with Clara and her complicated feelings for Jonah. In contrast, the film includes scenes of Morgan renovating the house and sketching a series of houses in her notebook, hinting at her passion for architecture.
Following the film’s focus on the mother-daughter relationship, the ongoing conflict between Morgan and Clara leaves little room the two of them to share any sweet, tender moments together. Instead, Clara’s teenage rebellion and Morgan’s secretive behaviour takes up most of the movie’s runtime, whereas in the book, they exchange more touching moments to highlight the ups-and-downs of their relationship. As a result, their final interaction in the film does not carry the same emotional weight that scene does in the book.
For a story as twisted and heart-stopping as this one, the film’s script writing cuts less than skin deep. Regretting You makes for an entertaining romantic dramedy, but despite the actors’ efforts to deliver raw, heartfelt performances, it fails to embed enough narrative details and emotional intensity to wow book fans.
Nevertheless, I would suggest any fan of Colleen Hoover or romance stories in general to see Regretting You in the movie theatres. Who knows, you may end up with a new comfort movie to watch.