I had no prior frame of reference for Colleen Hoover before seeing Reminders of Him, other than the understanding that her books are widely popular and have a reputation for mainstream “blandness,” to say the least. This film adaptation, in its execution, was a good example of the level of vanilla mainstream entertainment and consumption that many talk about in this era of content. There weren’t any strong layers of conflict or internal monologue; the dialogue held the audience’s hand through the events, and there was no throughline in style or substance.
This film believes that its audience doesn’t want to think very hard about the events they’re watching. It’s easy-going, surface-level, and not hard to consume, despite the events of grief and loss serving as the main source of conflict in the story of Kenna, played by Maika Monroe. Kenna, who lost her boyfriend in a car accident while driving under the influence, was sentenced to seven years in prison. Before her sentence, she gave birth to their daughter and lost custody before she went to prison. Upon leaving prison early for “good behavior,” she goes back to her old town and tries to reconnect with her daughter after coincidentally reuniting (and falling) for her late boyfriend’s best friend, Ledger (Tyriq Withers), who is helping take care of her daughter.
The plot is complex, but unfortunately, there was nothing in its runtime that connected the dots to Kenna’s grief, the conflict of not seeing her daughter, or her falling for her late boyfriend’s best friend. Any indulgence was done so surface-level with painfully dull dialogue. This could’ve been the fault of not expanding on the source material. Although Hoover produced and wrote the film, Lauren Levine is also credited as a writer. So either the two of them agreed on this narrative exclusively, or there was no risk being taken in expanding the novel to make for a more vulnerable and dynamic film. The narrative guided us slowly and predictably, with little room for substance.
Withers’ performance was the highlight of the film. His naturalism as an actor will be appreciated once he weans himself from selecting lackluster projects. Monroe also had enough levels in her performance to make for a compelling story. The cinematography wasn’t bland or uninteresting like many other films in this realm. There were some well-composed, well-lit shots, despite its inability to decide whether it wanted to be an Americana film in a Faux-Country way or a Motel Trash way.
The biggest issue with Reminders of Him is the lack of inspiration or courage to delve deeper. Grief is one of the most captivating journeys of human discovery that artists can explore in their media, as everyone has their own version of grief. This film, however, didn’t find a way to consistently create a world that would interest an audience or an arc for the characters to give the audience closure. It’s disappointing to go into a film feeling like you’re going to see something lackluster and uninspired and not have your mind changed, but with Hoover’s reputation as a writer, that in itself could be unsurprising.
Review Courtesy of Justin Duggan
Feature Image Credit to Universal Pictures, Heartbones Entertainment, Little Engine Productions