As we nudge further into October and cosy season, it’s the perfect time of year to curl up with a book or seek out a romantic drama that will plunge us deep into our feelings.
You know that mood where you just want to settle down and just let it all out emotionally?
And here, right on time to serve us a full slice of beautiful, sentimental spectacle, is the movie adaptation of Regretting You, the spiritual successor to last year’s massive box office hit It Ends With Us.
From the pen of the same best-selling author, BookTook sensation Colleen Hoover, this fresh, poignant and funny film version of another of her stories is sure to be the perfect comfort watch while the nights grow colder and darker.
Regretting You looks set to promise its audiences moments of joy alongside love, loss and heartbreak in an engrossing multi-generational family tale.
So if you’re ready to soothe and cleanse yourself with a good old cry, while celebrating all that you don’t regret in life, read on to discover more of a taste of what Regretting You has in store for cinemagoers…
1. A stellar cast
This movie has assembled a cast of some of the most popular A-List talent in movies right now, including Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames at the centre of things as star-crossed young love interests, Clara and Miller.
Alongside them, Allison Williams and Dave Franco feature as Clara’s mother and uncle, respectively, thrown together in tragic family circumstances.
There’s also Willa Fitzgerald and some stalwart Hollywood support, thanks to Scott Eastwood and Clancy Brown in supporting roles – that’s a damn fine cast.
2. A plot that gives you everything you want
We don’t want to spoil things for you, but when it comes to the time-honoured tropes we all love to see in our favourite romantic dramas, Regretting You offers up a veritable buffet – we’ve got first love, forbidden love, old love, unrequited love…
McKenna and Mason’s characters Clara and Miller find themselves drawn to each other during a tumultuous time for her family – and without their blessing. This sets up some juicy teenage conflict and rebellion along the way.
Clara’s mother Morgan (Allison), who had her when she was 18, is desperate for her daughter to live out her dreams beyond her hometown rather than putting them on hold like she did. But she’s also struggling with how to process the heartache they’re going through, turning to her brother-in-law Jonah (Dave) for comfort.
Throughout their difficulties, though, mother and daughter Clara and Morgan are also able to finally reconnect with one another in a way that will certainly make you feel soft and squishy too.
But it’s not all heavy emotional upheaval in Regretting You either, despite some darker themes – there are uplifting moments of joy and fun too. I did promise you all the feels, after all.
3. Based on a book by the author of It Ends With Us
If you were one of the millions who were captivated by last year’s cinematic success, It Ends With Us, then Regretting You will almost certainly be right up your street as it’s based on another novel by the one and only Colleen Hoover.
Even better, it’s a completely new story and characters to get to know and enjoy, while feeling confident that screenwriter Susan McMartin has sensitively and beautifully captured all of the passion and vibrancy of another of Colleen’s tales.
In the same way her books have swept across the globe and social media, so their cinematic adaptations have quickly become some of the most anticipated upcoming movies of any given year.
4. From the same director as The Fault In Our Stars
For those of us who like our romantic dramas, especially teary yet life-affirming, Regretting You’s director Josh Boone has an absolute doozy on his CV.
Josh, who kicked off his movie career with a romance and is somewhat of a genre master, also previously helmed The Fault In Our Stars – and this film, like that one, perfectly blends lighter and darker elements.
It’s also another book adaptation where the film went on to become beloved in its own right and make stars of its two main actors: need I say more to convince you?
5. The two lead actors may be dating IRL…
Okay, you know what, I will say just one more thing because we all can’t help but love just a little gossip.
Although they’ve played it coy so far without any official confirmation, fans have clocked how much time Mckenna and Mason have been spending together since production wrapped.
They’ve been snapped holding hands, while Mason also revealed that Mckenna had visited him and his family back home in Texas in July for his 18th birthday.
Interest was also further piqued by a rather steamy TikTok they made together, which included a full-on romantic smooch, so it might be that actions speak louder than words here.
Although Mckenna was also recently flustered and giggly over a question concerning their relationship, before confirming that Mason was her ‘favourite person’. Sweet!
Regretting You is released in UK cinemas on October 24.