Reviews
Reminders of Him
Colleen Hoover adaptations are all the rage and why wouldn’t they be. Easy to produce, low cost to make, and almost guaranteed to turn a profit, it’s a match made in heaven. So of course we now have a third in as many years. Up steps Reminders of Him, following in the footsteps of It Ends With Us and Regretting You before it, with the exact same formula bound to please mums around the world.
This latest adaptation is brought to the big screen by director Vanessa Caswill and adapted by writer Lauren Levine alongside Hoover. The story follows the overwhelmingly unlikeable Kenna (Maika Monroe), who has just been released from jail for good behaviour after serving time for vehicular manslaughter following the accidental death of her boyfriend Scotty (Rudy Pankow). Unknowingly pregnant at the time of the accident and having since given birth to Scotty’s daughter Diem (Zoe Kosovic), five years on from her sentencing Kenna returns to the small American town she once called home hoping to reconnect.
It goes without saying, reintegrating into society and convincing people you’ve changed is no easy feat. In fact it only takes a matter of days before Scotty’s parents Patrick (Bradley Whitford) and Grace (Lauren Graham) serve Kenna with a restraining order. And who can really blame them when she shows little to no remorse? Still, even when all hope looks lost, she manages to form an unexpected bond with Ledger (Tyriq Withers), Scotty’s best friend and someone who has acted as a father figure to Diem in his absence. Before long that connection develops into a “passionate” romance that threatens to derail the lives of everyone around them.
Narratively, Reminders of Him is nothing short of a nightmare. Clumsy scripting and constant tonal whiplash leave the whole thing wildly uneven. The first act spends time building character motivations, particularly those of Ledger who would do literally anything for Diem, even sacrificing numerous hopes and dreams to care for her. Yet knowing full well that pursuing Kenna would damage the lives around them, including Diem’s, he goes against everything the story had established up to that point.
With that story arc, the film clearly wants to stir up ideas about redemption, grief, and ultimately forgiveness. The problem is that when characters like Kenna and Ledger come across as entirely self centred, it becomes hard to root for any of them. So when the big emotional payoff arrives near the end, it lands with a thud. Instead of the tearjerker it so desperately wants to be, the reaction is closer to “thank goodness it’s over”.
Unfortunately the alarming lack of chemistry between Kenna and Ledger is another major hurdle, something not even a slow motion montage, romantic happy playlist, or kissing in the rain can rescue. Some of that comes down to painfully cringey dialogue that is bound to make people squirm in their seats. But it also feels as though there is simply no natural spark between Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers, leaving the relationship forced and unnatural.
Monroe also delivers what might be her most forgettable role to date. She is undoubtedly let down by the material, but her wooden line delivery and awkward presence make it almost impossible to root for Kenna. Realistically though, no one will be remembered for their roles here. Nobody walks into Reminders of Him expecting Oscar worthy performances, but the least that should be expected is some commitment. Sadly for the most part Lauren Graham and Bradley Whitford in particular do not look especially thrilled to be there.
The one shining light is Monika Myers. While her character is completely underdeveloped and underused, she steals every scene she appears in. There are a fair few attempts at humour throughout, but very little lands unless Myers is delivering the punchline, providing some much needed comic relief amongst the surrounding mess.
Clearly I’m not the target audience for these Colleen Hoover adaptations, but each time I go in with a clean slate and a willingness to be proven wrong. I can admit that I’m even excited to see the next one in Verity. Unfortunately the execution with each new instalment so far has only gotten worse, to the point where calling it lacklustre might actually be generous. Still, I’m more than willing to eat a large slice of humble pie when those box office numbers come rolling in.