Regretting You – Film Review
by Frank L
Director – Josh Boone
Writers – Colleen Hoover, Susan McMartin
Stars – Allison Williams, Mckenna Grace, Dave Franco
The story begins with Morgan Grant (Allison Williams) discovering she is pregnant. The film flashes seventeen years forward, her daughter Clara (Mckenna Grace) has been born, and Morgan has married the father, Chris Grant (Scott Eastwood). Clara is a moody teenager. She encounters Miller Adams (Mason Thomas), who is a typical heterosexual teenager but with a caring attitude toward his ill grandfather. Allowing for the ups and downs of teenage love, Clara and Miller become an item. But running in tandem with this love story, we learn more about Morgan and Chris’s relationship, which outwardly appeared to be happy. Chris is killed with Morgan’s sister in a car accident. Enter Jonah Sullivan (Dave Franco), who was the husband of Morgan’s sister. Unsettling information emerges which affects Morgan, Jonah and Clara. The love story of Clara and Miller runs in tandem with the back story of Morgan and Jonah. In addition, the relationship between mother Morgan and daughter Clara detonates more than once.
The film is an adaptation of Colin Hoover’s 2019 novel of the same title. Hoover is also known for ‘It Ends with Us’, which was adapted to the screen last year, starring Blake Lively. It is a film of the twenty-first century where the mobile phone is dominant, with texting inevitably playing a prominent role. A great deal of the verbal exchanges had their fair share of anger and angst, but the numerous texts were, for the most part, lacking in emotional impact.
The two principal stories in tandem may work well in the novel, but as a cinematic experience, they did not gel. In addition, with the possible exception of Miller, it was not easy to empathise with the other major characters. Consequently, when it ended after two hours, one had little sense of having been engaged.
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I read the book a few years ago, and I was a little disturbed at how the narrative justified Morgan and Jonah emotionally cheating, by having their respective partners physically cheating with each other for years.
This way, they don’t have to feel guilty about inevitably hooking up. I felt that the chemistry between Allison Williams and Dave Franco was lacking compared to McKenna Grace and Mason Thames, though it helps that the latter two are dating in real life.
Overall, I found the teen drama to be more compelling than the adult storyline, and was always happy to come back to it. Miller is indeed the most likable character, though he does lie to his girlfriend about spending time with Clara.
Ultimately, the film had a stacked cast, though the script seemed melodramatic at times. It was alright, but I don’t think that I’d watch it again.