Regretting You

I really loved the story. I could relate to Morgan and Jonah’s story now. Made me teary. Blend of feelings and some humor in the movie.

One of the biggest failures of the year. 'Regretting you' is one of those films that fails spectacularly in every single one of its aspects. It is not merely a bad and uninteresting story—though it certainly is—but rather a series of creative decisions throughout the production that make the experience extremely difficult to defend. The issue lies not only in what is being told, but in how it is told. The screenplay is among the worst I have seen in a long time. Poorly justified narrative jumps, scenes forced to the point of nearly collapsing under their own weight, and dialogue lifted from simplistic, foolish teenage conversations. There is no sense of dramatic construction whatsoever, despite the film positioning itself squarely as a drama. Everything feels artificial; I am constantly aware that I am watching a scripted film—in other words, nothing feels natural, because it simply isn’t. The direction could have helped soften or disguise the screenplay’s many flaws, but it does precisely the opposite. It highlights them with a fluorescent marker, repeatedly drawing attention to everything that doesn’t work. In fact, there are scenes that collapse under the sheer weight of their own disastrous construction. They don’t support one another; they actively undermine themselves. It gives the impression of a film determined to remind the audience of its own narrative limitations. The cast features well-known names and charismatic figures. Dave Franco and Mason Thames stand out the most for me, yet the miserable roles they are given do no justice to how talented they truly are. Both have proven their abilities this very year in notable titles such as 'Black Phone 2' and 'Together'. They are capable actors with presence, which only makes it more frustrating to see them trapped in such poorly written characters. Dave Franco in particular is saddled with one of the worst roles I have ever seen in cinema. Mason Thames at least benefits from a minimal sense of narrative coherence, though he too cannot escape the overall superficiality. To be clear, these are not bad performances, but rather empty, poorly defined characters—despite the supposed narrative development they are given. Allison Williams and McKenna Grace fare no better. They carry nearly all of the film’s emotional weight. Both deliver competent performances, but the material they are given simply does not allow them to stand out or create anything memorable. There is hardly any need to mention the film’s predictability: from the very first scene, it is obvious how everything will unfold. There is no tension, no sense of surprise. The film takes no risks and shows no creative ambition. Despite You does not fail because of a single flaw, but because of the accumulation of many. It stands as one of the biggest disappointments of the year. I won't lie: if I don't give a bad rating to the film, it's solely because of the actors' charisma -not the characters-.

15+Review Trigger Warning: A teenage couple have sex with brief thrusting; no nudity.Some especially crude sexual references. There is frank discussion of sex, talk about "riding" and a couple sexual gestures and movements.Teenage girl shown in bra.Teens talk about sex, and plan to have sex. Its alright its like your classic romance film but i mainly watched this as it had a really good actress (Mckenna Grace) in it but its alright nothing too special

Personagens rasos, ritmo monótono. Os personagens até são bem construídos, mas de uma superficialidade impressionante. O que mais me chateia é o moralismo (sabemos que um personagem está fazendo algo errado por fumar maconha, e algo certo quando resolve estudar, e por aí vai). Com muitos lugares comuns, de câncer a fidelidades discutidas num nível bem de amor romântico, os acontecimentos vão ocorrendo sem muita emoção, dada a dificuldade da direção em sair do piegas. Esperava mais para algo tão aclamado.

"Regretting You" is a baffling romantic drama that reinforces why this genre, despite its loyal audience fanbase from Colleen Hoover books, has struggled to evolve.