In 2007, high school senior Morgan (Allison Williams, M3GAN 2.0) is dating star athlete Chris Grant (Scott Eastwood, Fast X), while her best friend Jonah (Dave Franco, Together) is dating her younger sister Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald, Reacher). Even though there is a definite connection between Morgan and Jonah, neither has ever acted upon it. And when Morgan discovers that she is pregnant, that’s the end of it anyway. Shortly after graduation, Morgan and Chris get married, and spend the next 16 years living in the same town, and raising their daughter Clara (Mckenna Grace, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) together. Morgan had to put her ambitions and dreams on hold to raise her daughter, but 17 years later, she still has no regrets and wouldn’t change that. Jonah disappeared from town shortly after graduation, but recently reunited with Jenny and had a one-night-stand that resulted in a baby. Now he has moved back to Dylan to help raise his newborn, getting a job as a teacher, and discussing potential plans of marriage with Jenny.

16-year-old Clara is pretty much your typical teenager, always eager to test limits and push buttons. Though she’s a good student and an aspiring actress, and likes to hang out with best friend Lexie (Sam Morelos, That ’90s Show). One day, while driving home, she has a meet-cute with “the coolest boy in school”, Miller Adams (Mason Thames, How to Train Your Dragon, The Black Phone), as he attempts to move the town’s City Limit sign on the side of the road. Miller is an aspiring film student who works at the local movie theater, and lives with his ailing grandfather (Clancy Brown, Good Cop/Bad Cop, Spongebob SquarePants). There is an instant spark and connection between Clara and Miller. The only problem is that he already has a girlfriend.

Just as things seem to be going well, tragedy strikes, and the circumstances surrounding the accident reveal some awful truths and betrayal. The characters’ worlds are turned upside-down and thrown into chaos. Everything they thought they knew appears to be based on lies. Clara blames herself for what happened, but all of them must now try to put their crumbling lives back together. As questions of blame and disbelief arise, a wedge starts to form between Clara and her mother. At the same time, a blossoming new first love starts to develop between Clara and Miller, which is just what Clara needed in this time of grief. However, Morgan worries that her daughter may be headed down the same path that she was at age 16. While Morgan doesn’t regret her choices, because otherwise she wouldn’t have Clara, it’s not what she wants for her daughter. Meanwhile, could Morgan and Jonah to have a second chance at discovering a love that never was?

Regretting You is based on bestselling author Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name. I was unfamiliar with the book, and went into the movie knowing nothing about the story. It’s difficult to explain the premise of the film while also fully avoiding any spoilers—there are plot points revealed in the film’s trailer that I tried to scoot around. While at a quick glance, it may sound like this film could be depressing, with topics of lies, deceit and grief, but it is actually quite sweet, and ultimately tells an uplifting and hopeful story of finding love, whether that’s a teenager finding her first love, or two people re-discovering a second chance at love that they never explored. A lot of the film’s drama is peppered with comedic moments to keep things light and fun. This blend of drama and humor is really well done. One of the my favorite scenes is a particularly awkward birthday dinner that finds a lot of passive-aggressive arguing between mother and daughter, and some laugh-out-loud moments with Clara’s best friend Lexie trying to relieve the tension.

The cast is quite delightful, especially Allison Williams and Mckenna Grace, who get to play both loving family members, but also verbal sparring partners, and romantic leads. Mason Thames, who’s having quite the year at the box office, is also quite charming in this role, as a genuinely good guy who falls in love with Clara during a particularly rough time in her life. The film has something for everyone, though it sometimes feels like a Hallmark movie (not that that’s a bad thing—I’ve also been binging through this year’s Countdown to the Holidays marathon on Hallmark this weekend) as Morgan and Clara both find their soulmates. I first saw this film in the theater, but watched it again on digital. It was fun to see some of the things I missed the first time around—some Easter eggs and comments that set up some of the reveals later in the film.

Paramount has released Regretting You on Digital, and it will be coming to disc later on. I was sent a digital code redeemable at iTunes for this review. The 4K presentation looks and sounds excellent. The picture is crisp and clean with an excellent level of detail, especially in close-ups. I can’t really imagine this looking any better. The audio track provides clear dialogue throughout, and also makes nice use of the stereo and surround channels to give a rich, immersive ambiance. The release contains some entertaining bonus material, which is available in the iTunes Extras. This consists of 4 behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and crew, totaling about 19 minutes, 8 deleted scenes and a fun alternate-takes outtake reel.

What’s Included:
Specs may vary by provider

Film: (1:55:50)

• 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Dolby Vision
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English 5.1 Dolby Digital,
• Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

• Adapting You (7:31)
  The cast and crew discuss translating the book to a movie, what makes a good adaptation, the challenges, the characters, the dialogue, the themes, the tone, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with author/executive producer Colleen Hoover (“Regretting You”), director Josh Boone, writer Susan McMartin, and stars/executive producers Mckenna Grace (“Clara Grant”), Allison Williams (“Morgan Grant”) & Dave Franco (“Jonah Sullivan”), and star Mason Thames (“Miller Adams”).
• Love in Loss (3:17)
  The cast and director discuss the relationship between Morgan & Jonah and Miller & Clara. Includes interviews with director Josh Boone, and stars Allison Williams, Dave Franco, Mckenna Grace & Mason Thames.
• A Life Without Regret: (4:04)
  The cast and crew talk about what the word “regret” means to them. Includes interviews with director Josh Boone, author Colleen Hoover, and stars Mckenna Grace, Sam Morelos (“Lexie”), Willa Fitzgerald (“Jenny Davidson”), Allison Williams, Mason Thames, Scott Eastwood (“Chris Grant”) & Dave Franco.
• Promposal (3:50)
  The cast and crew talk about promposals, and recount their own personal stories and thoughts on the concept. Includes interviews with director Josh Boone, author Colleen Hoover, and stars Mason Thames, Mckenna Grace, Sam Morelos & Scott Eastwood.
• Deleted Scenes (5:27)
  Collection of 8 deleted scenes. Play All, or select from:
  • Morgan takes a pregnancy test (:26)
  • Clara confronts Miller (:39)
  • Jonah carries Clara to bed (:44)
  • Morgan puts Clara to bed (:32)
  • Morgan checks on Clara (:19)
  • Clara remembers Dad at the movies (1:05)
  • Lexie threatens Miller (:34)
  • Lexie tells Clara she’s dating Efren (1:06)
• Line-O-Rama: Morgan (:46)
  Montage of humorous outtakes and alternate lines from the scene when Morgan scolds Miller through her car window.

Final Thoughts:

I wasn’t familiar with the book Regretting You was based on, but I was pleasantly surprised by the film. It’s a delightful, heartwarming and uplifting film about hope, grief, and finding love—whether for the first time, or rediscovering a love that never was. The cast is charming, and the relationships between the characters feels natural and real. Paramount’s 4K digital release looks and sounds great, and includes some entertaining bonus material. This is an easy recommendation for fans of the cast or of romantic stories with some humor.