Reminders of Him (2026)

Reminders of Him (2026)

Everyone deserves a second chance.

Hollywood’s love affair with BookTok isn’t ending anytime soon. If anything, the pipeline is only getting fuller. Ever since Colleen Hoover’s melodramatic romances began dominating bestseller lists — and later making the jump to the big screen with 2024’s It Ends With Us — studios have been eager to turn those viral paperbacks into cinematic tear-jerkers. Hoover’s 2022 novel Reminders of Him quickly became one of her most popular stand-alone titles, selling millions of copies worldwide.

It was only a matter of time before Reminders of Him made the leap to the screen. Directed by British filmmaker Vanessa Caswill, the adaptation arrives as a glossy romantic drama that leans heavily into Hoover’s trademark mix of tragedy, redemption and cathartic drama. Whether that approach lands as heartfelt or manipulative will depend largely on the viewer, but one thing is certain: this adaptation knows exactly who its audience is.

The story centers on Kenna Rowan (Maika Monroe), a young woman trying to rebuild her life after serving time in prison for a devastating mistake that led to the death of her boyfriend, Scotty Landry (Rudy Pankow). After years behind bars, Kenna returns to her hometown hoping for the chance to reconnect with her daughter, Diem (Zoe Kosovic) — a child she has never truly known. In her absence, Diem has been raised by Scotty’s parents, Grace and Patrick Landry (Lauren Graham and Bradley Whitford), who still blame Kenna for the accident that shattered their family and want nothing to do with her return.

As expected, Kenna’s arrival is met with cold shoulders and lingering resentment from most of the people who remember her. There is, however, one notable exception. Ledger Ward (Tyriq Withers), a local bar owner and one of Scotty’s closest friends, is a former professional football player whose career kept him away long enough that he never actually met Kenna before the tragedy. He becomes the only person willing to look beyond the past. Despite the complicated history that binds them, Ledger slowly forms a connection with Kenna, offering her a rare glimpse of understanding in a place that would much rather see her stay gone.

From there, the film unfolds as a redemption story wrapped inside a romantic drama. Kenna attempts to rebuild trust, mend fractured relationships and find a path toward forgiveness — both from those around her and within herself. Along the way she faces continued resistance from the Landry family, who refuse to let the past stay buried, while also navigating the complicated reality of falling for someone so deeply connected to the loss that changed her life forever.

If Reminders of Him works — and at times it genuinely does — the reason is simple: the leads sell it. Maika Monroe carries much of the story’s weight with quiet confidence. Monroe has built a career playing characters with simmering intensity, and Kenna Rowan fits that wheelhouse perfectly. She brings vulnerability to the role without turning Kenna into a helpless victim. Instead, Monroe presents a woman living with enormous guilt but still pushing forward, determined to carve out a second chance. It’s a delicate performance, and Monroe nails the balance between fragility and resilience. Opposite her, Tyriq Withers makes a strong impression as Ledger. His performance is understated, warm and genuine — the kind of romantic lead who feels more like a real person than a fantasy archetype. More importantly, the chemistry between Withers and Monroe rings authentic. Their scenes together have an easy rhythm that keeps the drama grounded, even when the screenplay starts leaning toward melodrama.

The supporting cast also does strong work. Lauren Graham and Bradley Whitford bring genuine emotional weight as Grace and Patrick Landry, the grieving grandparents trying to hold their fractured family together while raising Diem. Their anger toward Kenna is understandable, their grief feels lived-in, and both actors give the characters a layered humanity that keeps those scenes grounded. Monika Myers is also a real standout as Lady Diana, Kenna’s outspoken neighbor and co-worker. Myers brings warmth, charm and a welcome streak of comic relief, with her scenes offering small flashes of humor that help lighten an otherwise heavy story. Crucially, the character is never treated as a joke, and Myers’ performance has a natural sincerity that makes Lady Diana memorable for the right reasons.

Country star Lainey Wilson also appears as Amy, the shift manager at the local grocery store who offers Kenna a job bagging groceries when she returns to town. The only weak link is Rudy Pankow as Scotty Landry, whose role never quite carries the same emotional weight as the rest of the ensemble. Whether that comes down to the writing or simply limited screen time, Scotty ends up feeling underdeveloped.

There’s also an unexpected “supporting character” worth mentioning: the orange pickup truck. Yes, the truck. Hoover fans will know exactly what that means. Ledger’s bright orange Ford F-150 pickup pops up so frequently throughout the story that it almost begins to feel like a character in its own right. Whether transporting Kenna across town, sitting outside the Landry house like a silent lookout, or quietly framing conversations between Kenna and Ledger, the truck becomes a constant visual companion to the narrative. It essentially functions as the story’s unofficial co-star — a rolling witness to Kenna’s heartbreak, hope and slow path toward redemption. By the time the credits roll, the truck feels worthy of its own billing.

Of course, the screenplay is where the film will likely divide audiences. Co-written by Colleen Hoover in her screenwriting debut alongside Lauren Levine, the script draws heavily from the emotional DNA that made the novel such a phenomenon — perhaps a little too heavily at times. Hoover’s stories have always leaned hard into emotion, and Reminders of Him certainly doesn’t shy away from that approach. But the screenplay seems determined to squeeze every last tear from the audience. Plot turns arrive with suspiciously perfect timing, conversations land with almost surgical sentimentality, and sad songs drift in exactly when the drama needs an extra emotional nudge. It works the way a well-aimed gut punch works, but there are moments when the mechanics behind the heartbreak become a little too visible. To be blunt, the movie cheats a little. It nudges, pushes, and occasionally shoves the audience toward crying. But that’s also the point. Hoover’s stories have always operated in that heightened emotional space where realism takes a back seat to catharsis. If you accept the film on those terms — as a melodrama designed to hit you in the heart — then it works. If you’re looking for subtlety, however, the manipulation becomes harder to ignore.

Kenna’s journey also hints at several interesting themes, though the story rarely digs as deeply into them as it might. Ideas about guilt, forgiveness and second chances are present throughout, but they mostly remain on the surface rather than being fully explored. One of the more intriguing threads involves Kenna’s return home after seven years in prison. The irony is clear: she may have served her sentence, but the town’s hostility leaves her feeling more trapped than ever. It’s a compelling idea — that the real prison might be the place she once called home — yet the story never quite pushes that concept as far as it could. Moments like these suggest a richer drama lurking beneath the romance, even if the narrative ultimately chooses sentiment over deeper examination.

Visually, though, the movie impresses. Director Vanessa Caswill gives the story a polished, cinematic sheen that elevates the material beyond the typical romance adaptation. Cinematographer Tim Ives captures the quiet beauty of the woodsy Michigan small-town setting, where thick forest and towering trees surround modest neighborhoods, while interiors glow with a soft nostalgic warmth. The imagery leans into the narrative’s reflective tone, creating an atmosphere that feels intimate without ever becoming visually dull. Scenes are deliberately composed rather than merely functional, and the production design builds a setting that is lived-in without drifting into drabness. For a genre that often ends up looking like extended television drama, Reminders of Him carries the feel of a proper theatrical production. In fact, it may well be the best-looking Colleen Hoover adaptation so far.

By the time the credits roll, Reminders of Him lands more or less where it intends to — somewhere between heartbreak and hope. Yes, it occasionally nudges the audience toward tears a little too deliberately, but a story aiming straight for the heart doesn’t always need to apologize for pulling a few emotional strings. It may not reinvent the romance playbook, but thanks largely to Maika Monroe’s strong central performance and a solid supporting cast, the film earns enough of its big moments to keep audiences invested. While it won’t leave behind many reminders of great cinema, it offers enough heart to remind audiences why Hoover’s stories continue to resonate.

3 / 5 – Good

Reviewed by Dan Cachia (Mr. Movie)

Reminders of Him is distributed by Universal Pictures Australia