Regretting You (2025) Review — A Melodrama That Doesn’t Earn Its Tears

Regretting You

Directed by: Josh Boone

Written by: Susan McMartin

Based on the novel by: Colleen Hoover

Starring: Allison Williams, Dave Franco, McKenna Grace, Mason Thames, Scott Eastwood, Willa Fitzgerald

Release Date: October 24, 2025

⭐ 2 out of 5 stars

A Perfect Life Turned Upside Down

Morgan Grant (Allison Williams) seems to have it all: a stable marriage to her high school sweetheart Chris (Scott Eastwood), a loving teenage daughter Clara (McKenna Grace), and a close relationship with her sister Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald). Jenny, newly a mother with her old flame Jonah (Dave Franco), completes this idyllic circle of family and friendship.

But tragedy strikes when Jenny is killed in a car accident—and she wasn’t alone. Chris was also in the car. The accident reveals that Morgan’s husband and sister were having an affair, and the shock deepens when it’s implied that Chris may be the father of Jenny’s baby.

Teenage Heartbreak Meets Adult Betrayal

While Morgan’s life unravels, Clara experiences her own growing pains. She’s falling for the school’s charming bad boy, Miller Adams (Mason Thames), and navigating her first taste of rebellion and romance. The sudden deaths of her father and aunt crush her world—and her mother’s choice to hide the affair only widens the gulf between them.

These two emotional threads—mother and daughter, both heartbroken in different ways—should have formed the foundation for a rich family drama. Instead, the film drowns in overcomplication.

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An Overwritten Melodrama That Feels Hollow

Regretting You wants to be an emotional epic about love, loss, and forgiveness, but director Josh Boone and screenwriter Susan McMartin overplay every beat. The story is so tangled that even its most grounded moments feel artificial. The film’s emotional turns come so fast that the audience barely has time to process one before another arrives, leaving talented actors stranded in implausible situations.

Williams and Grace work hard to find real feeling amid the noise, but they’re undercut by flat writing and easy resolutions. Dave Franco and Scott Eastwood barely register, and every supporting performance feels adrift in the movie’s sudsy tone.

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One Good Scene—Then a Needless Misstep

For a fleeting moment, the movie finds genuine emotion. A late romantic scene between two characters carries real sweetness and humor—a moment of light in the chaos. Unfortunately, the film immediately undercuts it with a poorly shot, unnecessary sex scene that kills the moment’s charm. It’s not prudish to say some things are better left implied; even the camera seems embarrassed by its own decision.

Final Thoughts — Regretting Regretting You

Ultimately, Regretting You feels like a collection of soap opera storylines mashed into one feature film. It has all the ingredients for a touching family drama but refuses to sit with its emotions long enough to feel authentic. Instead of catharsis, we get shortcuts. Instead of heartbreak, we get frustration.

This cast deserved a better script—one that trusted them, and the audience, with something real.

⭐ Final Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

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Colleen Hoover movie, Regretting You review, Allison Williams, Josh Boone, McKenna Grace, 2025 movie reviews, Netflix drama, family melodrama, book to film adaptation, Dave Franco