Kenna returns to her hometown after seven years in prison hoping to reunite with her young daughter. Along the way, she starts a sensual new romance even as she is reminded of her lost love. Reminders of Him contains about as much sexual content, coarse language and drug use as you can fit into a PG-13 flick.
There’s a small, wooden cross on the edge of a Wyoming road—a roadside memorial to Scotty Landry, who lost his life in a car crash seven years ago.
A taxi stops along the road, and a young woman steps out. She approaches the cross … then kicks it loose from the roadside gravel. After all, she tells herself, Scotty always hated memorials.
The young woman, Kenna Rowan, makes her way into town with Scotty’s cross tucked under her arm. She rents a dingy apartment and starts looking for work. Although it seems everywhere she goes, there are reminders of Scotty, and it’s painful for Kenna.
Why? Kenna and Scotty were in love. A tragic accident took Scotty’s life—but not before they conceived a child. A daughter. A baby girl who was pulled from Kenna’s arms just after birth so that Kenna could return to prison for her part in Scotty’s death.
Now that Kenna has been released from prison, her sole purpose is to reunite with her daughter.
It won’t be easy. Scotty’s parents—who have custody of Kenna’s daughter, Diem—still blame Kenna for their son’s death.
Complicating matters is Kenna’s run-in with Ledger, Scotty’s childhood best friend. Ledger is close with Scotty’s family and devoted to Diem. Despite his mixed feelings, he takes an interest in Kenna.
But will Ledger’s attention help or hinder Kenna’s efforts to reunite with her daughter?
Kenna works hard to find her footing so she can prove to Scotty’s parents that she is responsible and trustworthy enough to have a relationship with her daughter. She wants to have a presence in Diem’s life, not because she “deserves her” but because she is Diem’s mother and loves her.
Though Scotty’s parents have custody of Diem, Ledger has become something of a surrogate father to the young girl in the wake of his best friend’s death. He is gentle and loving with Diem and has sacrificed things in his own life to be more invested in hers. (We get the impression that prior to Scotty’s death, Ledger would not have been so altruistic.)
Scotty’s parents love Diem, too, and have done their best to raise their granddaughter well.
Despite her challenges, Kenna chooses to “live in hope” that she will be reunited with her daughter. Ultimately, Reminders of Him shows that even tragedy and difficult circumstances can result in reconciliation and redemption (as presented from a secular perspective).
As mentioned, Scotty’s roadside memorial is a wooden cross that features prominently throughout the film. A man’s shirt seems to feature a pop art depiction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Another man wears a cross necklace. Someone mentions “karma.” Songs heard throughout the film mention Jesus and angels.
Reminders of Him is, first and foremost, a romance—and unfortunately, the movie leans into smoldering sensuality and sexual content.
The focus here is on Kenna and Ledger as the two develop a relationship. They kiss passionately on a few occasions. One such occasion ends in a sexual encounter that shows a lot of bare skin (though nothing explicit) and suggestive movements. They are seen in bed together later, covered by sheets.
We also get flashbacks to the relationship between Kenna and Scotty. The two kiss and declare their love for each other. In one scene, they go skinny dipping, and Scotty’s naked backside can be seen. Obviously, their relationship is sexual, and results in the birth of Diem.
A landlady mentions that she and a tenant used to date. (And it seems there is still some interest there.) A woman is asked out to dinner and for her phone number. We hear that Ledger broke off an engagement.
Ledger is frequently seen without his shirt. Women wear revealing and/or form-fitting clothing. Someone’s discarded bra is seen. There is a joke about a sexually transmitted infection, and a reference to the dating app, Tinder. Characters talk about sex in a few scenes.
A flashback shows Kenna and Scotty get into a car crash. The couple is thrashed around as the vehicle rolls, and Scotty strikes his head. Following the crash, both Kenna and Scotty are bloodied. Scotty dies from his injuries. Kenna, the driver, is later charged with vehicular manslaughter.
A man punches Ledger, drawing blood. Someone takes a short tumble from some playground equipment.
The f-word is used twice, and the s-word is heard six times. God’s name is misused seven times, often paired with “d–n.” Jesus’ name is abused twice.
Other profanity uses include “d–n,” h—,” “a–,” “a–hole,” “b–ch,” “p-ssed” and “p-ss off.”
Ledger owns and operates a bar, and several scenes take place there. People drink and talk about drinking. We see shelves lined with liquor bottles and signs for beer. A recovering alcoholic works in Ledger’s bar.
In flashback, Kenna and Scotty consume a marijuana gummy—and they are still under its influence when they have their accident. (Which is why Kenna, who was driving, gets charged with manslaughter.) Kenna initially refuses the drug before taking it at Scotty’s urging. Another flashback shows Ledger and Scotty after getting high—a bong sits between them.
Kenna gives birth to Diem under guard—she is incarcerated at the time—and her daughter is taken from her shortly after birth. Kenna returns to prison immediately afterward, and we see evidence that she is lactating, causing dark spots on her shirt.
Diem’s grandma lies when the little girl asks questions about Kenna. She and her husband are afraid Kenna might try to kidnap Diem, so they file an unsubstantiated restraining order against her.
A woman retches after a traumatic incident. A menstrual hygiene product is referenced. Diem asks how old she will be when her grandma dies (this comment is played for laughs). Kenna writes letters to the deceased Scotty in a notebook as a means of therapy. Initially, Kenna has trouble getting a job after getting released from prison because she has a criminal record.
Hollywood’s infatuation with Collen Hoover novels continues with Reminders of Him. And while this rom-dram gratefully skips domestic abuse or teenage sex as plot points (unlike some other Hoover adaptations), it packs in about as much sensuality and vulgar language as you can get away with in a PG-13 movie.
That isn’t to say there isn’t anything good here. When Diem’s parents are taken from her, Scotty’s parents and Ledger rally around the little girl and give her a loving and happy life. The driving motivation of the story is a mother’s desire to reunite with her daughter. And there are some good (if underserved) themes of reconciliation and forgiveness.
But those positive moments too often take a backseat to the movie’s real focus—Kenna’s steamy, newfound romance with Ledger.
Reminders of Him is both exceedingly saccharine and sensual, with brief nudity, foul language and drug use thrown into its discomfiting mix.
Bret loves a good story—be it a movie, show, or video game—and enjoys geeking out about things like plot and story structure. He has a blast reading and writing fiction and has penned several short stories and screenplays. He and his wife love to kayak the many beautiful Colorado lakes with their dog.
