The Wasteland Reviewer

Regretting You (2025) Written Review

Just how tangled can the webs of our connections truly get? If you look at the work of Colleen Hoover…they can get terribly messy. One such tale from her work taking the leap to the big screen is Regretting You. Josh Boone (of The Fault in Our Stars and The New Mutants fame) takes the reins of Susan McMartin’s screenplay and drops audiences into the messy lives of one extended family. Affairs, old flames, death, and young love stuffed into this romantic drama set in the aftermath of serious loss. When you get a whole cast full of beautiful people and a beloved story, you have some strong expectations going in. 

How does Boone approach this film from behind the camera? The overall visual presentation of the film is not the most dynamic. The film is delivered with straightforward visuals and cinematography that feels overly lit and lacking extra substance. There are a few moments throughout the film where the audience is treated to some dynamic or interesting shots.  They might be on the rare side, but they add some layers to the overall experience. The pacing of a film is quite effective as this two-hour film never feels like it is boring or struggling to keep things interesting. There are a few story elements that feel a bit drawn out which leaves the almost two-hour runtime feels a tad bloated and could garner some needs in the editing department. We acknowledge that much of the film is spread out over the course of the runtime but some of the elements could be taken care of. Music is effective in crafting some nostalgia to transport the audience back to specific times. The tone of the film is a healthy mix of humor, melodrama, and heavy emotions (balancing them quite well honestly). 

Does the story engross the audience? This is certainly not the most subtle film, coming to life from Hoover’s novel. It is telegraphed quite obviously in the opening scene what the true dynamics of these characters are. The audience knows where the characters must get to, but the characters need to discover that on their own. Some of the revelations take a little too long to get there (which explains why this film is almost a whole two hours). The journey is at least an engaging one that has some strong comedic writing along the way. The characters all have little layers of their personalities that make them more than just some tropes and stereotypes which the audience can connect with. There are multiple story arcs along the way that have serious consequences and most of them get fully fleshed out. You have Moran (Allison Williams) and Jonah (Dave Franco) processing that their partners were having an affair with each other when they died. They also have their genuine connection with each other that was never pursued. Their parallel journey is effective for sure, and Morgan’s exploration of her own identity is quite moving. You have the secret of this affair that is kept from Morgan and Chris’ (Scott Eastwood) daughter Clara (Mckenna Grace) which takes a long time to materialize. Clara has her own romantic journey with Miller (Mason Thames) which is charming, challenging, and (at sometimes) just a tad stalking (which is glossed over as cute). These stories are not all smoothly executed but they all have quite a powerful effect on the effectiveness of the film. 

How does the cast bring this web of romance and grief to life? Williams is the anchor to the film with her complex layers of emotions. Morgan struggles with how she navigates issues and her lashing out feels so genuine. She gets to do some great drunk acting at times as well as some killer stares (which deliver some excellent laughs). Williams is one of the film’s central one-two punches. The other is Grace who has a great range of emotions that she navigates showing off just how much she has matured as a performer over the years. They have an authentic mother/daughter dynamic. Grace also has great chemistry with Thames who is just so damn charming. Franco is honestly a little bit awkward here and his more emotionally challenging moments don’t resonate in the way they really should. Eastwood and Willa Fitzgerald might not be in the film a lot, but their charisma is well felt in the limited screen time. Sam Morelos steals the show as an excellent best friend character to Clara and the comic relief of the film. Clancy Brown even gets to shine as Miller’s Gramps. 

Does Regretting You avoid the cheesy and melodramatic pitfall that films like this fall into too often? Boone takes Hoover’s work and brings plenty of good humor and genuine emotion to the experience. Overall, this cast is quite impressive and delivers plenty of charisma along the way. This is a moving and complex story about human connection that resonates and delivers a moving cinematic experience. You won’t regret taking your time and money to go on this charming and surprising human journey.