I’ll be the first to tell you that Colleen Hoover adaptations are not in my wheelhouse. The bestselling Booktok breakout has grown to become a legit Hollywood powerhouse, with studios relentlessly chasing the high of 2024’s scandal-plagued It Ends with Us, which rocketed to $350M. Last year’s Regretting You hit $90M, not too shabby for a film that managed to keep itself off of TMZ headlines and out of courtrooms. Hoover’s brand of schlocky, contrived melodrama (which I struggle to differentiate from Nicholas Sparks other than the female-led presentation) has an audience, and they will likely adore the latest book-to-screen romance, Reminders of Him, even though it’s more ridiculous than the rest.
So, I’m going to get the best thing about Reminders of Him out of the way first. Maika Monroe, who I truly believe is a generational talent flying under too many radars, is genuinely great as Kenna Rowan, a newly-released convict looking to reconnect with the daughter, named Diem (Zoe Kosovic) she never had a chance to meet. Kenna was sent to prison after an auto accident that killed the love of her life, Scotty (Rudy Pankow), and the father of her child. Diem is now being raised by Scotty’s parents, Grace (Lauren Graham) and Patrick (Bradley Whitford), who still hold Kenna responsible for their son’s death and have no intention of letting mother and daughter reunite. Kenna’s return places her in the orbit of Scotty’s best friend, ex-NFL player Ledger Ward (Tyriq Withers), who runs the most hoppin’ bar in town and also happens to be one of the most important people in Diem’s life.
The premise is, to put it mildly, absurd, and requires one to do all sorts of logical gymnastics to suspend disbelief. Monroe valiantly powers through the heightened emotions and interactions with half-baked supporting characters (the neighbor girl with Down Syndrome, played by Monika Myers, seems to only exist to say the word “jerk” in funny ways) to deliver moments of genuine feeling. Her Kenna is someone who has been destroyed by grief, a loss of human connection, and the guilt of a mistake she believes was all her fault. But she’s also someone who is steadfast in not allowing this one error become her entire life, and to ensure that Diem finds happiness one way or another.
Still, Reminders of Him can’t fully escape the unsavory nature of the central romance, which finds Ledger mackin’ on his dead best friend’s girl, while Kenna succubs to his supposed charms. Tyriq is a good guy, but as a personality he’s seriously lacking other than (rather transparently) trying to live Scotty’s life for him. Unfortunately, this underwhelming role seems to be a recurring issue for Withers in multiple films (HIM, I Know what You did Last Summer), and he’s still waiting on the part that truly allows him to be more expressive. Graham, a long way from Stars Hollow, is believably grief-stricken and conflicted as Grace. As a mother who has lost her son, she intuitively understands how Kenna must be feeling, but is also holding on to too much resentment to see that clearly.
Set in Wyoming but filmed in Calgary, Reminders of Him makes use of the wide mountain ranges and warm sunlit vistas to create a picturesque, welcoming landscape. While you’re correctly mapping out the predictable plot beats laid forth by Hoover, who co-wrote the script, and director Vanessa Caswill, you’ll have no shortage of beautiful imagery to take in. Look, I get it, this movie isn’t looking to break the mold or anything. I’m not sure that’s what its audience would want. If you count yourself among them, then Reminders of Him will scratch that itch and faithfully continue the growing Hoover cinematic universe.
Reminders of Him is open in theaters now from Universal Pictures.
