Review: Regretting You, more like Regretting Paying to See You
By Enya Gleeson
Colleen Hoover’s latest book to screen adaptation, Regretting You, hit U.S. movie theatres on October 24th and has already sparked a TikTok trend to Noah Kahan’s Everywhere, Everything, with users re-enacting that lift scene. Like many chronically online filmgoers, I walked in curious to see if this could redeem Hoover’s cinematic reputation after Justin Baldoni’s controversial take on It Ends with Us broke the internet, and the courts, with his infamous lawsuit against Blake Lively.
Spoiler alert: No, it could not.
Photo credits – ‘Regretting You’: watch the trailer for the latest Colleen Hoover adaptation – Entertainment Focus
The story follows Morgan and her teenage daughter, Clara, as they attempt to rebuild their lives after a devastating accident exposes painful family secrets. What begins as a promising exploration of grief and forgiveness quickly slides into melodrama, where emotional depth is replaced by complexity that gives way to cliches. Instead of examining loss with nuance, the film leans on “shock’ twists and forced romantic arcs that feel unearned and, frankly, tone deaf.
McKenna Grace, as Clara, does her best to inject empathy into a script that paints her as erratic and unrelatable. Her performance has moments of honesty, but the writing rarely supports it. Morgan’s storyline, meanwhile, veers from heartbreak to newfound romance so quickly the audience barely has time to care, only to cringe. The result is less emotional drama, more emotional whiplash.
The film’s one saving grace comes from Sam Morelos as Lexie, Clara’s best friend whose humour and grounded presence bring rare authenticity. Unfortunately, these flashes of realism are lost amid an otherwise hollow narrative.
While Regretting You avoids the more controversial themes Hoover’s known for, it still fumbles its handling of grief, turning tragedy into a plot device rather than an emotional truth. A story about betrayal and loss could have been moving, if only it has trusted quieter moments over dramatic spectacle.
There’s merit in casting real teens and giving lesser known actors screen time, but strong performances can’t rescue a script this shallow. What should have been a heartfelt mother-daughter story ends up as an insensitive wife swap plot with a side of teenage romance.
Watching this film in America rather than the Queen’s Film Theatre (QFT) was definitely a different experience. The local charm and peace of the QFT was swapped for a bustling cinema filled with an arcade and restaurant. My familiar red cushioned chairs swapped for a heated recliner couch. Although this seat was beyond comfortable, it was reflected in the price, with the tickets being double the price of the QFT. New comforts added to the luxury of the experience but couldn’t change the quality of the film.
Overall, it’s regrettable that this film was made and even more regrettable that I paid to see it.
1 out of 5 stars.
