Your world is falling apart. Your father and your one and only aunt just died in a car crash, and your school crush keeps giving you mixed signals. How could someone escape this constant feeling of regret? Regret of what you said to your crush last night, and regret of taking moments with your family for granted.
If in this situation, a person might think their life sounds like a movie. In fact, that is exactly what the newly released film Regretting You brings to life on the big screen. In short, that is the plot of the newly released film Regretting You. Based on Colleen Hoover’s 2019 New York Times best-selling novel, Regretting You has been a long-anticipated release. Hoover has once again turned her words into scenes on the screens, but this time, fans are not sure if it is as successful compared to her last project, It Ends With Us.
What is the Movie About?
The film follows the lives of several characters after traumatic life events. It begins with a scene from the parents’ teenage years, consisting of the mom and main character, Morgan, her boyfriend, Chris, her sister, Jenny, and Jenny’s boyfriend, Jonah. Morgan and Jonah are bonding over the ironic fact that they both ended up with totally opposite personalities as their partners; this early moment foreshadows the tangled relationships to come. The scene ends with Morgan revealing she is pregnant.
Fast forward 17 years, and Chris and Morgan are now happily married with a beautiful 17-year-old daughter, Clara. Clara is a smart, driven individual who faces a little bit of boy trouble just like all teenagers. Following the trend of her sister, Jenny is reintroduced to her same high school partner, Jonah. Very soon, tragedy struck as Jenny and Chris were both killed in a car crash. This incident reveals several life-altering details that leave the main characters distraught. From there, the film rapidly develops and introduces new conflict after conflict. Viewers follow the perspectives of all characters in the film, how they respond, and how they cope with grief, betrayal, and the weight of regret.
In My Opinion
Regretting You had a very complex and conflicted plot that kept the viewer engaged, but oftentimes would appear a little too “Schmaltzy”. The scenes had highly intense emotional moments, but often the dialogue would fall short of matching the intensity. Performances by Dave Franco and Mckenna Grace were honestly underwhelming and slightly disappointing. Rotten Tomatoes movie review says, “As toasty as a well-worn blanket, Regretting You is a cute antidote to doom and gloom that wraps viewers in a candy-filled story, rewarding them with laughter and tears.” On the other hand, I believe that the movie frequently left me cringing more than crying. The constant brand placement throughout also made it feel like it was a Super Bowl ad rather than a film. Not to mention the fact that some characters were entirely underdeveloped, making it challenging to fully connect with their struggles or motivations.
Overall
Ultimately, Regretting You had all the ingredients for an emotionally gripping story, such as loss, love, and redemption, but the movie’s execution lacked authenticity to truly move its audience. Scenes felt overly dramatic, which made it hard to connect with viewers and came off as cliché. The film’s complex plot could easily draw viewers in, but it ultimately failed to leave a lasting emotional impact.
