There is an art to “dead dad” media. Prior to the death of my own father, I would necessary clock it in the way I do now. Yes, dad stuff always made me emotional, but I think I found a connection to Colleen Hoover’s Regretting You because I get it.
The new film stars Allison Williams as Morgan, a woman who fell in love with her high school sweetheart and got married to him (Scott Eastwood) after she found out she was pregnant. Ignoring all the signs that something was going on between her husband and her sister, Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald), she lived a happy life with her husband and daughter, Clara (McKenna Grace).
But a car accident leaves Clara, Morgan, and Jenny’s partner Jonah (Dave Franco) questioning a lot of what happened. Or, well, Morgan and Jonah as they keep Clara in the dark. The romance film has comedic elements, is emotional, and is ultimately about love overcoming all, which is a fun and sweet message. But what I found the most moving about the film wasn’t the love stories at the heart of it. Sorry, Colleen Hoover, I know that’s your thing.
What I loved the most was Clara. She’s a young girl navigating losing her father and her aunt and trying to figure out what that looks like. And as someone who doesn’t really “grieve” in the way people think I probably should, I saw a lot of myself in Clara.
Everyone grieves differently, even if that means getting a sweet boyfriend
Clara’s storyline is the one that I think most fans will flock to. Yes, Morgan and Jonah navigating their pain is the more adult aspect of this film but Clara is incredibly relatable. At least to me. She’s messy, she doesn’t know what she’s really feeling, and she finds a cute boy to kind of make her forget her issues. Who among us hasn’t been there in high school?
Clara meets Miller (Mason Thames) and the two end up being the cute rom-com moments throughout the film. It helps that both Grace and Thames met on the film and are dating each other. You can’t help but smile at how cute these two are in interviews and on the red carpet and that does play a part into Miller and Clara’s relationship with each other.
But at the end of the day, the thing I think that I will take away from Regretting You is that you can still feel seen in your grief. I wear a bracelet that says “Dead Dad Club” because, for me, it is the easiest way to tell everyone that yes, he’s dead, yes I miss him, but also that it is okay that I’m making jokes. If ever a fictional character would relate to that, it is Clara.
The romantic moments are sweet, it has its lighter moments, and I am sure if you love Hoover’s novel, you’ll have a wonderful time with Regretting You. I just didn’t expect to come out of this movie with a new character I related to. It doesn’t reinvent the genre but it is a solid time at the cinema.
(featured image: Paramount Pictures)
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