On te regrette

This is one of those films, that are impossible to rate. I want to give it a 1/10 and a 10/10 at the same time.

The film plays on so many notes and crams in so much plot, that no character development I believable. The result is a superficial and pretentious piece of overly sentimental work. Nothing works in this film, the way the filmmakers intend it to. But that's why I loved it so much. I haven't laughed so hard since watching Apartment 1303 - a horror film that does the exact same thing as this film. Just watch how a caricatured Dave Franco goes from the largest and most unbelievable smile to a very serious face while physically proclaiming his love for another person in a scene where everything is off.

Yes - this film is so bad it's good. And it keeps going hard from start to finish. Almost every scene is a laugh riot, and I seriously can't wait rewatching it with a couple of friends.

This movie tried to be touching but was almost silly to me. A family tragedy upends the lives of a mother and her teenage daughter. The lack of communication around this event seemed very unrealistic. The smart daughter is somehow oblivious to what most is upsetting to her mother. Meanwhile, potential romances develop for both. Perhaps this was the appeal to the audience. Other than my party of four age 60s folks, the other 25 or so viewers appeared to be all teenage or college girls. And some clapped at the end -- while I shook my head. I've not read any Colleen Hoover works, but will not be attending any more movies from her novels.

Regretting You (2025), directed by Josh Boone and based on Colleen Hoover's 2019 bestselling novel, is a touching exploration of love, betrayal, and the fragile threads that hold a family together. Adapted for the screen by Susan McMartin, the film blends emotional storytelling with a modern-day sensibility that feels both nostalgic and timely.

At its heart lies the strained relationship between Morgan Grant (Allison Williams) and her teenage daughter Clara (Mckenna Grace), whose lives are shattered by a devastating accident that uncovers painful family secrets. What follows is not merely a story of grief, but of rediscovery - of self, of love, and of the people we thought we knew.

Josh Boone, known for his delicate handling of human emotions (The Fault in Our Stars), brings a similar sensitivity here. The direction feels intimate and restrained, allowing the emotional moments to breathe. The cinematography beautifully captures the quiet melancholy of suburban life, while the editing ensures a smooth narrative rhythm between past and present. The background score, though understated, complements the film's bittersweet tone without overpowering the emotions.

Performance-wise, Mckenna Grace delivers a standout turn - mature, raw, and at times unrecognisable from her earlier roles, including her uptight brilliance in Young Sheldon. Allison Williams brings quiet strength to Morgan's emotional turmoil, and the supporting cast, including Dave Franco and Scott Eastwood, add depth to the interwoven relationships.

While the romantic flashbacks of the early 2000s evoke a sense of déjà vu - love stories that feel like "old wine in a new bottle" - the film's strength lies in how it reframes those sentiments for the 21st-century family, where perfection is a myth and resilience is the real romance.

Ultimately, Regretting You succeeds as a poignant family drama that doesn't shy away from imperfections. It's about learning to love again - not despite the odds, but because of them.

Rating: 7/10 - A heartfelt modern romance with emotional depth, graceful performances, and a quietly moving core.

Was McKenna Grace up to the task of starring in Regretting You, a film based on the Colleen Hoover novel? I have to say no, unless you like your family dramas to feel like just another movie-of-the-weak, pun intended. The film, whose themes are loss, betrayal and grief, fails to wring any true emotional reaction from the audience. When you're looking forward to the appearance of co-stars Lexie (Sam Morelos) and Efren (Ethan Costanilla), more than the scenes between stars Allison Williams as Morgan Grant and Dave Franco as Jonah Sullivan, your film might be in trouble.

Each actor seems to just bounce back from tragic, unexpected losses of a husband, sister, wife-to-be, best friend. Each display some deep well of acceptance that doesn't seem reality-based. It's as if everyone in the story is afraid to be angry. Perhaps that's because for 17 years, both Morgan and Jonah have ghost-walked through the roles they thought they were assigned - long suffering, just be nice, don't rock the boat. That's part of the twist, so I won't reveal it here.

As Miller Adams, the young man who wins the heart of Clara Grant (Grace), I appreciated Mason Thames' attempts to pull a human reaction out of Clara. The scenes which included Grace and Clancy Brown as Hank, Adam's ailing grandfather, were also well-meant and temporarily elevated the movie. However, it soon sunk back into mundanity. Clara Grant's dad is dead, as is Morgan Grant's husband, yet neither of the women seem to exhibit depression or anger. Apparently the well-documented Kubler-Ross five stages of grief were not included in the script. When the highest form of grief a parent reaches is grounding their kid, I'd say the might merit a visit from a social worker, a discussion with the school counselor, at the very least.

Did I hate Regretting You? No. It is simply unremarkable. Hoovers most recent book-to-screen adaption of It Ends With Us, which dealt with themes of conflict and spousal abuse, was infinitely more watchable.

Regretting You is a new romantic drama directed by Josh Boone, the director of The Fault in Our Stars and The New Mutants. The film is based on the novel of the same name by author Colleen Hoover.

Morgan (Allison Williams) became a mother at a young age to her daughter Clara (Mckenna Grace), together with her partner Chris (Scott Eastwood). Their relationship is often tense, and when Chris passes away, things only get worse.

When Morgan's sister Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald) also dies, Jonah (Dave Franco) - Jenny's partner - and Morgan try to navigate this period of grief and loss together while supporting their children. During these difficult times, they learn more about each other and about their deceased partners than they ever expected.

Because the film tries to quickly introduce the four friends - two couples - it can be hard to follow everything clearly. In addition, some events come across as somewhat implausible, as if they would fit better in a teenage drama, even though the story revolves around older characters.

These unclear and unrealistic elements sometimes make the film feel a bit tedious. For a film running nearly two hours, the screenwriter seems to have paid insufficient attention to the development of all the characters, making the whole feel somewhat unbalanced. Some questions raised by the story remain unanswered, making certain plotlines feel unnecessary.

The title of the film, referring to the regret over certain people or choices, could have been more impactful if the characters had more honest conversations and behaved in a more mature way.

Because of the unclear and implausible aspects of the story, the cast members don't always get the chance to shine. Most do their best with the material they're given, but many have delivered stronger performances in better-written films.