‘Regretting You’: Strong-Hearted Writing and Acting

Allison Williams and McKenna Grace in ‘Regretting You.’ Courtesy of IMDb.com and Paramount Pictures.

On October 25, I had the pleasure of watching ‘Regretting You’, based on the book by 'It Ends with Us' author Colleen Hoover. Screenwriter Susan McMartin wrote it well with dialogue that described real-life grief situations, and there was great acting from Allison Williams, McKenna Grace, Dave Franco and Mason Thames. 

Williams played Morgan Grant, the mother of Clara, played by McKenna Grace. Morgan’s husband Chris, played by Scott Eastwood, and sister Jenny, played by Willa Fitzgerald, both die in a car crash, rocking Morgan, Clara, and Jenny’s husband Jonah, played by Dave Franco, to their cores. On the side, Clara is trying to gain independence from her controlling mother and figure out her plans for after high school and her romance with classmate Miller Adams, played by Mason Thames.

The writing for ‘Regretting You’ should be praised because it reflected real-life trouble with grieving the loss of loved ones, such as waking up alone without your partner or knowing when you’re ready to reinvest in your own life. Similar to parts of 'Springsteen,' that hit home to me a bunch of times. The acting on the parts of Williams, Grace, and Franco should be praised as well for their overcoming such trauma and pouring out so much emotion, from Williams’ raging to Franco’s trouble with his kid to Grace’s own breakdowns over the loss of her dad and aunt. 

Dave Franco in ‘Regretting You.’ Courtesy of IMDB.com and Paramount Pictures.

On a bright note, I enjoyed seeing Thames’ character’s film buffing as he worked on trying to get into film school. The way he rebelled and flirted with Grace’s character was cute and funny, and it shows Thames was more than just the timid Hiccup from the live-action ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ movie earlier this year.

Mason Thames and McKenna Grace in ‘Regretting You.’ Courtesy of IMDB.com and Paramount Pictures.

Other things to appreciate were Miller’s “charming” grandfather, played by Clancy Brown, otherwise known as Mr. Krabs from SpongeBob, and the awkward but cute budding romance between Clara and Mason’s best friends Lexie and Efren, played by Sam Morelos (they/them) and Ethan Costanilla, respectively. You’ll love songs from artists such as “When You Were Young” by The Killers or “Everywhere, Everything” by Noah Kahan and Gracie Abrams. And though it was filmed in Georgia, you’ll appreciate the film’s setting in North Carolina with the goats to feed and nice green grass.

In conclusion, 'Regretting You' was an 8.5/10 for beautiful strong-hearted writing and acting. It was a blend of 'Save the Last Dance' and 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower.' Either way, we are infinite. I'd prefer a couple different endings such as seeing the main family get a vision of the deceased to get some extra closure and Grace and Thames' characters continuing their romance as they head off to college, just to see how strong their romance is when it's not the usual coming-of-age trope. Feel free to check out 'Regretting You' in theatres, and tell me your opinion at the Cinematic Review-verse. 

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