Reminders of Him review: Bin the romance, keep the family drama
It’s only been five months since the release of Regretting You and it’s already time for another movie adaptation of a Colleen Hoover book. However, Reminders of Him is slightly different in that Hoover also produced the film and co-wrote the screenplay.
The romance drama follows Kenna (Maika Monroe), who returns to her hometown of Laramie, Wyoming after being in prison for five years. She is determined to rebuild her life, regain the trust of those she let down, and most importantly, meet her five-year-old daughter Diem (Zoe Kosovic) for the first time after giving birth to her in prison. Nobody seems willing to give her a chance – particularly Diem’s grandparents Grace (Lauren Graham) and Patrick (Bradley Whitford) – except a local bar owner, Ledger (Tyriq Withers), who has ties to her past.
Reminders of Him is a tale of two plots – the romance between Kenna and Ledger and the drama of Kenna fighting to be in her daughter’s life. I didn’t agree or care for the romance (for reasons I won’t spoil, even though other outlets have). I would have preferred them to be friends, but this is a romance drama and that’s what’s in the book, so what can you do! It is a terrible idea for these two to be together, but at least it’s approached with some nuance and there are attempts to make it as easy to swallow as possible.
But thankfully, there’s the family drama and I was really invested in this. Kenna has been defined by the worst moment of her life and that is not who she is, but Diem’s guardians refuse to let her be a part of her life. She has to prove to them that she is a decent, responsible person, but first, she has the difficult task of finding a job and being able to pay her rent and bills when nobody wants to hire an ex-con. This storyline pays off beautifully and I may have cried a little.
Monroe and Withers are best known for their work in horrors and thrillers so this romance drama is new territory for them both. They take to it very well and keep it as grounded as possible, even if the plot is questionable and the dialogue is often bad. They have good chemistry and build their relationship slowly and convincingly. But the star of the show is Graham. She gives such an emotional, conflicted performance. She may not be on-screen that often but she packs a punch with her internal struggle over what to do with Kenna and Diem.
Unrealistic characters and plot turns are par for the course with Hoover adaptations. Reminders of Him isn’t quite so ludicrous as Regretting You, but it’s still on shaky ground. Despite that, the family drama crept up on me and really hit me in the feels at the end. You may need tissues!
In cinemas Friday 13th March