Reminders of Him is just another romantic movie Inspired by the novel by Colleen Hoover
The cultural hegemony of Colleen Hoover continues undisturbed both in literature and on screen. Less than a year after the release of Regretting You - Tutto quello che non ti ho detto, another novel by the American writer is being adapted into a film for fans of her books and of a particularly bland brand of romance. Reminders of Him - La parte migliore di te is the adaptation of the novel published in 2022, featuring the unusual casting of Maika Monroe, who has increasingly specialized in horror and the surreal, and who, after Longlegs and La mano sulla culla, takes an unexpected break alongside Tyriq Withers, who instead seems easier to imagine in a second-tier sentimental project.
Maika Monroe Between Horror and Romance: An Unexpected Break
You could call it an interlude for the actress, especially since she already has Victorian Psycho by Zachary Wigon waiting for her, based on the novel by Virginia Feito, who also wrote the screenplay, as well as Vegas: A Love Story, still in production, in which the love story she takes part in seems more aligned with the rest of her career choices. In the upcoming film by Ramin Bahrani, Monroe plays a graphic designer who lives in her car and falls in love with a single father, forcing her to confront her past. Some points of contact with Reminders of Him do seem to exist, although it is unlikely the film will take on the same tone and more plausible that it will head in a different direction.
The Plot of Reminders of Him - La parte migliore di te
In the adaptation of Hoover’s novel, directed by Vanessa Caswill (already the director of the Netflix film La probabilità statistica dell'amore a prima vista, 2023), it is the actress herself, or rather her character Kenna, who reappears in her old hometown after spending five years in prison. The woman, accused following a car accident in which her partner Scotty (Rudy Pankow) lost his life, tries to reconnect with the boy’s family, who have been raising her daughter. A child Kenna has never seen and whom she will try to approach with the help of Ledger (Withers), Scotty’s best friend who has taken care of the girl all these years, inevitably ending up falling in love with her.
The Narrative Pattern in Films Based on Colleen Hoover’s Books
Despite the many novels written by Colleen Hoover, it is curious to notice how the last two adaptations brought to the screen follow almost the same narrative pattern. In Regretting You there was also a car accident in which important people in the protagonists’ lives lost their lives. And if in the film directed by Josh Boone the characters eventually ended up with their respective relatives, once friends, to be clear, here something very similar happens. A handful of protagonists constantly entangled with one another: a choice that certainly makes the story simpler, but at the same time deprives the narrative of breath and imagination.
Reminders of Him and the Success of Cinematic Romance
Still, it’s a film that does what it is supposed to do: move the audience in line with Colleen Hoover’s stories (hopefully not like It Ends With Us) and succeeding precisely because it does not try too hard. This flattening leaves only the premise truly impactful, letting it carry the entire story. The plot moves forward without complications until its inevitable happy ending: accepting that you can fall in love with your deceased partner’s best friend and eventually earn forgiveness from his family.
The Next Films Based on Colleen Hoover’s Novels
And when it comes to film adaptations of Colleen Hoover’s novels, it doesn’t end here. This fall will see the release of the adaptation of Verity, the 2018 novel starring Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway, and Josh Hartnett. This time the tone changes: it will be a psychological thriller centered on a writer in a coma and another author who is tasked with finishing her work so it can be published.
