REMINDERS OF HIM (2026)

Genre: Romance/Drama
Director: Vanessa Caswill
Cast: Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Lauren Graham, Bradley Whitford, Rudy Pankow, Lainey Wilson, Jennifer Robertson, Zoe Kosovic, Hilary Jardine, Nicholas Duvernay, Monika Myers
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Some Drug References and Scenes of Intimacy)
Released By: UIP
Official Website:

Opening Day: 12 March 2026

Synopsis: After a perfect outing with her boyfriend, Kenna (Maika Monroe; The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Longlegs) makes an unbearable mistake that sends her to prison. Seven years later, Kenna returns to her hometown in Wyoming, hoping to rebuild her life and earn the chance to reunite with her young daughter, Diem, whom she has never known. When Diem’s custodial grandparents adamantly refuse Kenna’s attempts to see her daughter, Kenna discovers unexpected compassion, and then something truer and deeper, with former NFL player and local bar owner Ledger (Tyriq Withers; HIM, I Know What You Did Last Summer). As their secret romance develops, so do the dangers for both of them, leading Kenna toward heartbreak and, ultimately, the hope for a second chance.

Movie Review:

Few contemporary authors command as devoted a readership as Colleen Hoover. Known for emotionally charged romance novels that blend love stories with trauma, regret, and redemption, Hoover has cultivated a following that eagerly embraces her bittersweet brand of storytelling.

Her books often centre on damaged characters navigating heartbreak, guilt, and second chances — themes that resonate deeply with readers who appreciate intense, tear-stained romance. It is therefore no surprise that film adaptations of her work such as It Ends with Us (2024) and Regretting You (2025) are finding their way to the big screen, aimed squarely at the audience that made her novels bestsellers in the first place.

Reminders of Him, directed by Vanessa Caswill from a screenplay by Hoover and Lauren Levine, follows this familiar template. Based on Hoover’s 2022 novel, the film leans heavily into the emotional territory fans expect. Admittedly, for viewers like this reviewer who are less enamoured with the author’s style, the formula can feel somewhat predictable.

The story centres on a young woman attempting to rebuild her life after an unfortunate accident that not only killed her boyfriend, but also robbed her the chance to raise her own child. Upon returning to the town she once called home, she faces hostility and suspicion. She tries all ways and means to reclaim a place in her daughter’s life, and meets a man who becomes an unexpected source of support. Their relationship slowly deepens, but you know things won’t go well with the guy was her boyfriend’s best friend (gasp!).

While the narrative may follow a well-trodden emotional path, the performances help elevate the material. Maika Monroe anchors the film with a grounded portrayal of a woman weighed down by guilt yet fiercely determined to move forward. Opposite her, Tyriq Withers brings warmth and sincerity to the role of the man who gradually becomes her confidant and romantic partner. Together, they create a believable connection that keeps the story engaging even when the plot moves along familiar tracks.

Equally affecting are the performances by Lauren Graham and Bradley Whitford, who portray the grieving parents of the man whose tragic accident set the story in motion. Their characters live with a loss that cannot be undone, and both actors convey the quiet, lingering ache of that grief with impressive restraint. In their scenes, the film briefly transcends its romantic focus to explore the enduring pain of unresolved sorrow.

Ultimately, Reminders of Him is unlikely to convert skeptics who already find Hoover’s style overly sentimental or predictable. The story unfolds largely as expected, and its emotional beats rarely stray from the established formula of contemporary tragic romance. Yet for fans of Hoover’s novels — and for viewers drawn to heartfelt tales of forgiveness, redemption, and love after loss — the film delivers exactly what it promises. 

Movie Rating:

(Faithful to Colleen Hoover’s emotional formula, the film delivers the brand of romance her fans expect)

Review by John Li