Rating 4/10
In just a few years, Colleen Hoover has gone from bestselling author to a force in Hollywood. Her novels follow a similar path carved out by other authors like Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook), John Green (The Fault in Our Stars), and Stephenie Meyer (Twilight). Turn sentimental but highly readable works into box office hits.
Hoover’s It Ends with Us became a global smash in 2024, pulling in $351 million. That kind of success buys a lot of goodwill, and to be fair, it earned it. Since then, though, the adaptations have settled into a less exciting groove. Regretting You performed decently but made a much smaller impact, and now Reminders of Him continues the slide into mediocrity. It is another entry that doesn’t capture the lightning-in-a-bottle appeal of that hit.
Kenna (Maika Monroe) is trying to rebuild her life after serving time for a DUI that killed her boyfriend, Scotty (Rudy Pankow). While incarcerated, she gives birth to their daughter. Diem has been raised by Scotty’s parents (Lauren Graham and Bradley Whitford), who want nothing to do with Kenna. That is the emotional thrust. Kenna is desperate to simply have some presence in her child’s life (played by Zoe Kosovic), now five years old. Every attempt is met with resistance. Returning to her hometown, she scrapes together a modest routine, finds work where she can, and forms a connection with Ledger (Tyriq Withers), a bartender who seems to see who she is now. Of course, this being a Hoover adaptation, he turns out to be Scotty’s best friend, still deeply tied to the family. He stands between Kenna and the daughter she so deeply misses.
The story relies on the tragedy of a mother separated from a child. The central conflict hinges on the idea that Kenna has no right to see her child years after the accident. The plot treats this as an immovable reality, which certainly raises the stakes. It also feels like a writer’s construct. Family law tends to prioritize the child’s best interests, not the permanent punishment of a parent. Here, that complexity is disregarded to serve a melodrama designed to keep the tears flowing.
Hoover’s signature theme of finding love in the aftermath of loss is still present. Yet the saga never finds a compelling way to explore that. It runs close to two hours, but the developments unfold lethargically. We hover over the relationship between Kenna and Ledger, never allowing it to build any momentum. Scenes loiter in circular conversations that stall the narrative, stretching moments well past the inherent drama they demand and turning a simple arc into a long, drawn-out test of patience. The production leans into that glossy aesthetic of young adult romance. A cover of Coldplay’s “Yellow” is a recurring motif. But the romantic sheen is a facade that masks the lack of spark underneath.
The central love story is arguably the whole point, but it isn’t involving. Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers are good actors, but they have zero chemistry together. Their connection is just an obligation that a romance demands. The quick turnaround in Ledger’s initially antagonistic attitude toward Kenna is predictable. It’s a narrative requirement that should feel like a development earned by emotion. The premise also raises some serious moral questions. A woman falling in love with a late boyfriend’s best friend is a questionable concept. The film never does the work to make that desire emotionally credible. At least have Scotty haunt Kenna in dreams or something so we feel she is at least a little conflicted.
Only Lauren Graham manages to engage our emotions as a grieving parent. As Scotty’s mother and Diem’s grandmother, she manages to extract some genuine emotion from this screenplay. The rest of the cast isn’t so lucky. Reminders of Him has all the familiar ingredients of a Colleen Hoover adaptation. The author is adapting her 2022 novel, working with co-writer and co-producer Lauren Levine and director Vanessa Caswill (Love at First Sight), but without the emotional pull that made the breakout work so engaging. It doesn’t leave much of an impression. If nothing else, the Mountain Dew T-shirt Kenna often wears is more memorable than the romance. Score one for product placement.
03-17-26