REGRETTING YOU
(director: Josh Boone; screenwriters: book by Colleen Hoover, Susan McMartin; cinematographer: Tim Orr; editors: Marc Clark, Robb Sullivan; music: Nate Walcott; cast: Scott Eastwood (Chris), McKenna Grace (Clara), Allison Williams (Morgan), Sam Lorelos (Lexie), Mason Thames (Miller Adams), Willa Fitzgerald (Jenny Davidson), Clancy Brown (Hank “Gramps” Adam), Ethan Costanilla (Efren), David Franco (Jonah Sullivan); Runtime: 117; MPAA Rating: PG-13; producers: Brunson Green, Robert Kulzer, Anna Todd, Flavia Viotti; Paramount; 2025)
“A fluff soap opera misfire.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
This weepy melodrama, a fluff soap opera misfire, is directed in too sugary a way by Josh Boone (“The New Mutants”/”The Fault in Our Stars”) and is written by Susan McMartin. It’s based on the 2019 best-seller novel by Colleen Hoover.
In the fictional small city of Dylan, North Carolina, in 2007, two high school couples drive together to a beach party celebrating the end of high school for them: the sweet Morgan (Allison Williams) is with frat boy Chris (Scott Eastwood, Clint’s son) and her wild younger sister Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald) is with the nerdy Jonah (David Franco). A better fit would be if the sisters switched boyfriends.
In 2024, Morgan and Chris are married and have a 17-year-old daughter Clara (McKenna Grace), while the single Jenny has an infant son with Jonah. He’s a history teacher at the local high school.
A car crash kills Chris and Jenny, and Morgan figures out her husband was having an affair with her sister. At this tense time Clara turns away from mom and into the arms of her new high school friend Miller Adams (Mason Thames), a sweet boy who attends the same school and works part-time in the AMC multiplex. He wants to be a filmmaker, while Clara wants to be an actress. Mom doesn’t approve of him because his dad is doing prison time on drug charges. Miller’s mom is dead, so he lives with his cancer-stricken widower grandpa (Clancy Brown).
It’s schlocky, shrill, and the characters are shallow.
This is the kind of cheesy YA film that has no taste, but has a familiar story that appeals to those viewers of cable’s Lifetime Channel who would eat up such crap.
REVIEWED ON 10/26/2025 GRADE: C-
dennisschwartzreviews.com