Before “Reminders of Him,” I had already watched “It Ends With Us” and “Regretting You,” completing what I now think of as the “holy trinity” of Colleen Hoover adaptations. Unsurprisingly, all three follow a pretty similar formula: perplexing relationships, extreme plot convenience and trailers that practically give away the entire story. Still, “Reminders of Him” might be the clearest example of a perfect hate-watch, where every twist and dramatic moment makes the film oddly entertaining.
The central romance between Kenna (Maika Monroe) and Ledger (Tyriq Withers) is unnecessarily complicated by how much emotional weight is piled onto their relationship from the start. Their love story actually begins with Kenna and her since-deceased boyfriend Scotty (Rudy Pankow). After celebrating Scotty’s birthday, Kenna and Scotty take an ill-fated drive while drunk, when Kenna crashes her car, killing Scotty and facing time for manslaughter. Before going to prison, Kenna discovers she’s pregnant, and after giving birth to her daughter Diem (Zoe Kosovic) in jail, the child is placed with Scotty’s parents, Patrick (Bradley Whitford) and Grace (Lauren Graham). This introduces the film’s driving conflict: Scotty’s parents don’t want Kenna to have a relationship with Diem. In the years that follow, Scotty’s best friend, NFL player Ledger, becomes a constant presence in Diem’s life, essentially as her “uncle.”
What makes this romance so convoluted is that by the time Kenna and Ledger meet, their lives are already deeply entangled. Kenna is responsible for his best friend’s death, and at the same time, she is the biological mother of a child he has helped raise and formed a bond with. Their relationship is built on grief, guilt and betrayal. In fact, Ledger initially sides with Scotty’s parents and is actively against Kenna having a relationship with Diem. These dynamics create an underlying conflict where any romantic relationship between Kenna and Ledger feels like it comes at the expense of someone: Scotty’s parents, Diem or even Scotty’s memory. The film expects the audience to accept major emotional transformations from everyone without fully exploring the weight of everything that came before.
Because the relationships are very complicated, the film heavily relies on obvious coincidences to make the story work. Ledger’s inability to immediately recognize Kenna is explained by his time away while playing for the NFL, but it’s hard to believe that Scotty never sent a single photo of his girlfriend to his best friend. Another moment involves Kenna working at the grocery store, briefly admiring a little girl holding an adorable soft toy. At first, the scene feels completely random, leaving the audience wondering why it’s even included. Later, she buys that same toy for Diem when they finally meet. The connection is tidy, but so blatant that it pulls you out of the story with its inauthenticity. As a filmmaker, the goal is usually to immerse the viewer so they forget it’s fictional. Here, the convenience of these situations constantly reminds you that you’re watching a constructed story.
Despite all this (or maybe because of it), watching “Reminders of Him” in the cinema was a blast. The sheer melodrama, combined with how overly-engineered the story feels, creates “so bad, it’s good” entertainment value. The highlight of the film is definitely Kenna’s teenage neighbor, Lady Diana (Monika Myers). She has impeccable comedic timing, bluntly asking Kenna things like, “Why are you so poor?” and “Why are you so sad?” on their first meeting. Her banter with Ledger is equally hilarious, calling him “Lejerk” and rejecting his handshake after learning that he prevented Kenna from seeing Diem. She consistently had the audience in splits.
“Reminders of Him” struggles because it tries to balance two clashing tones: an emotionally heavy backstory with moments of light, comedic relief. That said, it is undoubtedly more humorous than the other Colleen Hoover adaptations. On paper and cinematically, it doesn’t really work, but that’s exactly what makes it so fun. Watching “Reminders of Him” is less about appreciating the craft and more about laughing at the spectacle and sharing those moments with others.
Daily Arts Contributor Tarini Bengani can be reached at tarinib@umich.edu.
