"Regretting You" Falls Short of Expectations: A View at Josh Boone's Sophomore Slump

Josh Boone's previous endeavor, "It Ends With Us", adjusted a mediocre book by successful author Colleen Hoover into an evocative film, making it one of my potential best movies of its release year. Its universe and main performance, by Blake Lively, were detailed and touching, despite any ensuing controversy. This left me with above-average expectations for their next Hoover adaptation, "Regretting You". Yet, it is evident very quickly that something is not quite right.

Compared to the smoothed finish of "It Ends With Us", "Regretting You" felt cheaper and visually less confident. It didn't help that its opening act is set in the past, and it appears to be a misguided attempt to pass off mature actors – Allison Williams, Dave Franco, Willa Fitzgerald, and Scott Eastwood – as juveniles. This leaves an unpleasant mark on the film that carries over into the main narrative set 17 years later.

The modern timeline focuses mainly on Williams' character Morgan, the mother of teenager Clara, played by McKenna Grace. The family dynamic is marred by past complications, including a teenage pregnancy and deferred dreams. Tragedy strikes, compelling characters and subplots in different directions, with one minor deviation being the predictable young love affair between Clara and Miller, portrayed by Mason Thames.

The movie undertakes the task of running parallel plotlines – one dealing with the struggle of Morgan after a loss and Clara diving into young romance. The balance, however, is skewed, and the film's focus seems to be on Clara's story. This leads to an inconsistent tone throughout the film.

Boone's interest in the romance between the young characters leaves the adult plotline underdeveloped and the performances of Williams and Franco suffer due to insufficient character exploration. The characters often seem lost and unprepared whenever the spotlight is on them.

The movie fails in generating a realistic depiction of teen romance and even resorted to questionable product placements that border on the tacky. The portrayal of minor characters such as Lexie, a token person of color, only adds to the insensitivities of the film.

The essential issue with "Regretting You" is its unoriginality. It attempts to follow the same path as Nicholas Sparks movies but fails to create any real emotional depth or social intelligence. Not even the set design lifts the movie from its generic trope. Disappointingly, in the end, "Regretting You" is just another forgettable entry in the scroll of coming-of-age dramas.