By Irshad Khan 
Paramount Pictures’ Regretting You, directed by Josh Boone and based on Colleen Hoover’s 2019 bestselling novel, marks a critical turning point in Hollywood’s Colleen Hoover adaptation craze—and not in the way the studio had hoped. With a crushing 31% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and 33 on Metacritic, the film stands as a cautionary tale regarding the limitations of adapting melodramatic source material with insufficient emotional authenticity. Featuring an impressive ensemble including Allison Williams, Mckenna Grace, Dave Franco, Mason Thames, Willa Fitzgerald, Scott Eastwood, and Clancy Brown, Regretting You attempts to balance dual narratives exploring a mother-daughter relationship fractured by betrayal and loss alongside teenage romance—a tonally confused approach that satisfies neither demographic while simultaneously demonstrating why even prestigious adaptations cannot salvage poorly conceived narratives. The film’s critical reception suggests that audiences and critics may have finally reached saturation point regarding Hoover adaptations, questioning whether theatrical releases remain viable for material seemingly destined for streaming format comfort viewing.
Critical Dismantling and Rotten Tomatoes Devastation
Regretting You has become the unfortunate symbol of Colleen Hoover adaptation fatigue following It Ends With Us‘s theatrical success, currently holding a disastrous 31% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes—a figure that suggests critical rejection far more severe than mere mediocrity. The Metacritic score of 33 similarly positions the film among 2025’s most critically panned theatrical releases. Even among notable publications, consensus emerges swiftly: this is a poorly executed melodrama that mistakes emotional overstatement for genuine feeling.
The Hollywood Reporter’s review captures the essential problem: “The film takes a poorly written novel by mega-author Colleen Hoover and turns it into persuasive, often lovely melodrama” only to subsequently undermine this through tonal confusion and narrative incoherence. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman notes: “The line between a good soap opera and a bad soap opera can sometimes be razor-thin. Regretting You walks the line for a while but lands on the wrong side of it.”
Deadline’s Damon Wise articulated perhaps the most damning assessment: “Rarely was a film more aptly titled, unless, of course, you’re a fan of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us. Regretting You is a similarly ridiculous and overwrought slice of melodrama, leavened with strange moments of comedy that leave you wondering if the whole thing isn’t some kind of bizarre art project, an elaborate, camp parody of the very notion of romantic literature itself.”
Unlike It Ends With Us, which benefited from Blake Lively’s star power and legal drama surrounding its production, Regretting You lacks comparable controversy or protective fanbase enthusiasm, leaving critics and audiences free to express unfiltered disdain.
Tonal Confusion and Narrative Imbalance
Critics consistently identify the film’s fundamental structural problem: its inability to establish coherent tonal identity. The film attempts simultaneously to function as adult melodrama exploring grief and betrayal, teenage romance comedy, and family reconciliation narrative—rarely succeeding at any. The New York Times notes: “It’s hard to imagine watching ‘Regretting You’ alone. The movie, a cross-generational romantic melodrama, is built for a crowd, inviting viewers to share in laughter,” suggesting the film’s only possible enjoyment emerges through communal experience rather than genuine artistic merit.
Vulture’s review emphasizes this tonal whiplash: the film functions as “absolutely psychotic” due to its inability to commit to consistent emotional register. Moments of supposed gravity—such as the revelation of Chris and Jenny’s affair killing both characters—are immediately undercut by melodramatic dialogue and absurd character reactions that veer into unintentional comedy.
USA Today’s Brian Truitt offers slightly more generous assessment: “The adult half of the movie is insufferable and overwrought” while “the teens’ story, however, saves it from being a complete loss,” suggesting the film’s only compelling element is the younger demographic’s romance. This division proves problematic: why audiences should endure two hours of adult characters’ increasingly irrational behavior simply to experience a teenage love story remains unexplained.
The Hollywood Reporter specifically critiques the narrative structure: “It’s unclear why Clara’s story needs such prominence; It Ends With Us successfully focused on adult characters. Perhaps the strategy is to appeal to both mothers and daughters heading to the cinema together, but this approach results in a tonally inconsistent experience that may not satisfy either demographic.”
Talented Cast Wasted on Overwrought Material
Despite universally negative reviews, critics acknowledge exceptional talent squandered by inferior material. Allison Williams delivers what reviewers describe as a “distinct nasally delivery and type-A intensity” attempting to infuse Morgan Grant with complexity despite poorly written characterization. The New York Times notes: “Allison Williams leads the cast with her distinct nasally delivery and type-A intensity as Morgan Grant, Clara’s domineering mother,” suggesting Williams attempts elevating material through performance commitment alone.
Vulture specifically praises Williams: “Allison Williams’s death stare is the secret weapon that turns grief into comedy, drama into lunacy.” Elaborating: “When expressing irritation, Williams possesses a gaze that is distinctly her own, setting her apart from many other actresses. Her intense glare seems to align with a different axis than the rest of her facial features, creating an almost ethereal effect. She doesn’t need to overact; her presence alone can transform any scene into a comedic moment.” However, praise for Williams’ performance actually highlights the film’s problems: even exceptional acting cannot salvage fundamentally flawed material.
Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames receive praise for chemistry and commitment, with USA Today suggesting “Grace and Thames are so cute together that the grown-ups don’t even need to matter.” Roger Ebert’s review highlights their magnetism: “In another era, these two would be the king and queen of rom-coms – of all the various love pairings, theirs feels the most genuine amid so much artificial sweetness.” However, their worthiness as performers cannot justify dedicating substantial screentime to a teenage romance subplot when adults’ storyline demands attention.
Dave Franco particularly suffers, described by Screen Rant as delivering an “almost impressively lifeless” performance—though critics note this reflects bland character writing rather than Franco’s typical capabilities.
The End of Colleen Hoover’s Theatrical Dominance
Regretting You arrives at a crucial inflection point regarding Colleen Hoover adaptation viability. Following It Ends With Us‘s theatrical success (despite legal controversies between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni), studios green-lit multiple Hoover projects assuming similar returns. However, Regretting You‘s critical and commercial underperformance suggests the phenomenon may have reached saturation point.
Screen Rant’s headline explicitly states: “‘Regretting You’ Review: This Allison Williams & Dave Franco-Led Romance From The Author Of The Last of Us Is Treacly and Exceptionally Boring,” acknowledging that even Hoover’s brand recognition and prestigious cast cannot guarantee commercial viability. The critical suggestion emerges implicitly across reviews: perhaps Colleen Hoover adaptations belong exclusively within streaming platforms’ comfort-viewing spaces rather than theatrical exhibition.
Hindustan Times concludes: “Josh Boone leans too heavily on superficial romance and visual polish, resulting in a movie that feels more like a formula than a feeling.” This assessment suggests the fundamental problem: Colleen Hoover’s narrative formulas—while effective across her devoted fanbase reading the books privately—do not translate convincingly into expensive theatrical productions requiring broader audience appeal and critical legitimacy.
The Telegraph’s headline captures the sentiment perfectly: “I regret watching this epically drippy Colleen Hoover film,” suggesting Regretting You may represent peak Hoover adaptation backlash, potentially ending theatrical distribution strategy for future projects.
When Melodrama Becomes Unintentional Comedy
A recurring theme across critical reviews involves Regretting You‘s unintentional transformation into comedy. Multiple reviewers acknowledge finding themselves laughing during scenes clearly intended to generate tears. Vulture describes watching the film “with an audience that can appreciate its twists and turns,” noting audience members’ laughter at dialogue such as Chris complaining to Morgan, “but drunk Morgan is my favorite Morgan!” The review concludes: “That’s the kind of energy a Colleen Hoover adaptation ought to evoke,” suggesting the film succeeds only as unintentional camp entertainment rather than genuine melodrama.
IndieWire acknowledges: “Watching ‘Regretting You’ with an audience that can appreciate its twists and turns is enjoyable, especially with those who can connect with its melodramatic quirks without deriding them.” This backhanded compliment suggests the film’s only value emerges from communal mockery rather than artistic merit.
The New York Times specifically highlights unintentionally comedic moments: the scene where Miller removes smudged eyeliner from Clara’s face and another where Clara interrupts a make-out session to declare her virginity. These moments, intended as emotionally resonant, instead generate audience laughter due to their absurdity and poorly conceived dialogue.
This transformation from melodrama to unintentional comedy proves fundamentally damaging to a film predicated on emotional manipulation and audience tears. When viewers laugh at supposed tragic moments, the production fails at its core objective.
Film Information
Title: Regretting You
Release Date: October 24, 2025
Director: Josh Boone
Writer: Susan McMartin
Runtime: 1 hour 56 minutes
Based On: Colleen Hoover’s 2019 novel “Regretting You”
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Lead Cast: Allison Williams, Mckenna Grace, Dave Franco, Mason Thames, Scott Eastwood, Willa Fitzgerald, Clancy Brown
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 31%
Metacritic Score: 33
IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, Variety, Deadline, The New York Times, USA Today, Vulture, Screen Rant, Hindustan Times, The Telegraph, IndieWire, Roger Ebert, Plugged In, CBR, Haute Rrfly, Inkl, IMDB, Reddit Communities, YouTube Interviews