Every decade or so, we get a romance writer popular enough that nearly everyone knows their name. Currently, that writer is Colleen Hoover, whose books gained popularity due to Booktok. Yes her books are formulaic, but predictability can be comforting for book readers who want something familiar. So it’s no surprise that we’ve gotten 3 book adaptations to date, with more to come in the future regardless of the critical reception, mainly because these films make bank.
Considering how so many romance movies don’t even get theatrical releases, I’m all for these book adaptations, as bad as they may be. This leads me to say: Reminders of Him is actually not too bad. It’s certainly better than Regretting You, which had an uneven screenplay and stilted acting performances. It helps that we have Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers as romantic leads. Both are great actors and manage to cobble together a decent watch despite the weak plot.
The film begins with Kenna’s (Monroe) release from jail. She heads back to her hometown despite the bad memories, hoping to convince her dead boyfriend’s parents to let her see her daughter Diem (Zoe Kosovic). We find out fairly quickly that Kenna had something to do with Scott’s (Rudy Pankow) death, but her true culpability is held back until the end of the second act. She hates and blames herself, but Monroe makes Kenna’s grief so palpable and relatable that audiences will find it impossible to hate her. We empathize with her and her plight, though we also understand why Ledger (Withers) and Scott’s parents are so against her reuniting with Diem.
The main weakness of the film is the lack of chemistry between Monroe and Pankow. Their meet-cute is kind of cringey and most of the time Scott comes across as this man-child who cannot handle not being the centre of attention. This is a man so many mourned deeply, so we needed to find him likeable in some way or understand why the pair were so drawn to each other. I can see why they might not have wanted to improve their chemistry; Kenna’s current romance is with Ledger so audiences might find it difficult to accept this romance if Scott and Kenna were too good together. I do feel a middle ground could have been struck, like the treatment of the dead husband in Practical Magic, who did just enough so that Sally’s grief made sense. I felt more affection for that man who was barely on screen compared to Scott, who had at least 3 extensive flashbacks.
On the other hand, Monroe and Withers have fantastic chemistry. We feel it immediately when they’re flirting with each other about coffee and caramel, and the constant push/pull between them due the circumstances makes for an intoxicating watch. Director Vanessa Caswill understands the female gaze, and allows the camera to linger on Kenna’s neck, Ledger’s hands. We get all the cliched romantic set pieces – making out after getting wet in the rain, that hand on the door move when one person doesn’t want to leave – it was all pretty satisfying. One scene in particular was so well-acted by both Monroe and Withers that I found myself tearing up. A woman in my cinema was full-on weeping so you know it’s affecting stuff.
The film’s pace is a bit too slow – did we need quite so many languid scenic shots of Ledger’s bright orange truck on the road surrounded by a vast landscape? There’s an attempt to build that smalltown mood and atmosphere, but the problem lies in the paper-thin characterisation. Both Kenna and Ledger are stripped of a certain authenticity – we’re drip-fed details about their past but they just don’t feel real.
We’re told Ledger was in the NFL but we never feel that he’s a football player, we’re told of Kenna’s despair in jail but we never get to see it beyond the one scene. They feel fictive, created by Hoover with the sole purpose of finding romantic purpose with each other. They’re too hollow so there’s no complexity to dig through.
Monroe and Withers are fantastic, and Monroe’s performance is good enough to justify watching this movie. However, the film itself needed more substance to be a memorable love story.
REVIEW SCORE: 3/5
