‘Reminders of Him’ Review: Proof That Not Every Bestseller Should Be Adapted

This is the third Colleen Hoover adaptation to hit the big screen, and it follows the same pattern the rest have. Reminders of Him follows Kenna, played by Maika Monroe, as she heads back to her hometown after being released from prison. She hopes to reconnect with her daughter and rebuild her life. Along the way she forms a connection with her deceased boyfriend’s childhood best friend, who risks upending all of her plans. Full of complicated relationships and moral ambiguity, Reminders of Him promises a complicated, intriguing narrative but fails at every turn. Read our full review for Reminders of Him below. 

Spoiler alert, the new Colleen Hoover adaptation is just as bad as the other ones. Are we even surprised? We shouldn’t be because the problem is not the filmmaking or the acting, it is truly the story. This story is ridiculous and boring. The problem with Colleen Hoover and her books is that she has these tragic things happen to the characters to create plot, not to foster any sort of meaningful discussion or takeaway. This movie is not about rehabilitation or grief, it is about someone who has that happening to them. It makes them so boring to watch. There is no soul behind these films. Now I may sound bitter but I am because these are some of the most vapid stories that could be put to screen, and it is mind-boggling why they are continuing to be made. There are so many other books that deserve their time on the big screen, but studios are more focused on making a quick buck by making this garbage than actually putting forth compelling, witty stories. 

The two leads, Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers, are trying their best, but the screenplay does not do them any favors. Especially with Withers, who you can tell is charming and probably a respectable actor, because he is obviously trying to be funny, romantic, and deep but it all just feels shallow. Maika Monroe is also giving her worst performance of all time. Again, this really has a lot to do with the screenplay and editing, and these two are not skilled enough to make a bad screenplay interesting. 

The whole film is simply poorly written and also utilizes some truly ugly cinematography. I actually think the first Colleen Hoover adaptation, It Ends With Us, is the best of the three so far. It may be littered with controversy and still not a quality movie, but at least it was not boring. Despite Reminders of Him having an insane plot and taboo love story, the film ends up being extremely boring. There are really no positives I can even think to bestow upon this film. The main aspect to truly blame is the screenplay for being unforgivably messy and mundane. Reminders of Him is a soulless, predictable film that you should not waste your time with. 

Reminders of Him was directed by Vanessa Caswill and stars Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Rudy Pankow, Lauren Graham, and Bradley Whitford. The film was released on March 13.

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