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Released on Oct. 24, 2025, Regretting You, directed by Ben Leonberg, was a highly anticipated romantic film. The film was based on the 2019 best-selling novel by Colleen Hoover. It has been met with both criticism and love from audiences around the world. Still, the film topped the charts at the box office.

The story focuses on Morgan Grant and her daughter, Clara, as they are met with an unexpected loss that tears apart their family. That loss is the sudden death of Morgan’s husband, Chris, and her sister, Jenny. Their deaths leave them overwhelmed in grief and struggling with the emotions that arise as the story unravels.

SPOILER WARNING!

When Morgan arrives at the hospital and is met with Jonah, Jenny’s boyfriend, it is quickly unraveled that Chris and Jenny were together when they crashed. This discovery raises suspicions to Jonah, but Morgan refuses to acknowledge it. Slowly, Morgan begins to come to terms with their infidelity. The weight of this betrayal and grief deepens the emotions she is feeling and begins to create a rift between her and Clara. At the same time, Clara is exploring her relationship with Miller Adams, using it as a way to cope with her loss.

Despite the emotional weight of the story, the film struggles to portray these emotions and themes. Instead, it ends up romanticizing the cheating that is central to the plot. This choice, made by writer Colleen Hoover, undermines the emotions of what could have been a deep and telling story.

Additionally, one of the final scenes, where Miller prom-poses to Clara, strengthens this romanticization of cheating and comes across as a little creepy. In this moment, he plays a video showing multiple clips from when he had a girlfriend and was still dreaming about being with Clara. This scene turns what should have been a huge red flag into a grand romantic gesture.

Beyond the questionable plot, this film suffers from an overuse of clichés and poor acting. Many moments in the film, which were supposed to be touching and emotional, come off as humorous due to stiff performances. This acting, combined with the repeated use of texting sound effects and predictable scenes, makes the film seem more like a parody than a moving drama.

Overall, Regretting You had the potential to be a moving romantic drama about finding yourself again after a tragic loss, but it fell short. The film’s romanticization of cheating, poor acting, overused clichés and inconsistency undermine the emotional weight the story could have held. Instead of coming across as an emotionally moving film, it comes across as awkward, uncomfortable and comedic.

Grade: 3/10