Regretting You shows us the struggles of a mother and her teenage daughter in the wake of tragedy and betrayal. This film has some nice moments, but more often the story is wrapped up in sensual romances, which include sex scenes and suggestive dialogue. Teens and adults alike abuse drugs and alcohol, and profanity can be harsh, too.
Morgan Grant has just endured a terrible tragedy: Both her husband, Chris, and sister, Jenny, were killed in a car accident.
That’s enough to grieve on its own. But though Morgan puts on a brave face through the condolences and the funerals, a painful question still gnaws at her:
What were Chris and Jenny doing together?
They said they would be at work. Instead, they checked into a hotel—Chris’ car was found in the hotel’s parking lot, his and Jenny’s things in a shared bedroom.
Just because a question has an obvious answer doesn’t make it hurt any less.
What’s more, Morgan’s 17-year-old daughter, Clara, adored her father and her aunt. If Clara knew the truth of what had been going on, it would crush her. And so, Morgan suffers in silence. But that silence begins to drive a wedge between her and her daughter.
Clara doesn’t understand what Morgan is going through. How could she? From her perspective, her mother is spiraling into a wine-fueled depressive haze, trying to erase any memory of Chris and Jenny.
It makes Clara angry. Fortunately, she has found an escape in Miller Adams. He’s handsome, charming and supports Clara’s artistic pursuits. The two teens strike up a romance. Meanwhile, Morgan reconnects with old high school pal—and Jenny’s widower—Jonah. But these budding relationships only exacerbate the tension between mother and daughter. Morgan thinks her daughter is moving too fast with Miller. Clara feels that her mother is using Jonah to replace her father.
And as the wedge between Morgan and Clara continues to grow, so do their conflicts … and regrets.
Though it becomes strained as they navigate the loss and betrayal of Chris and Jenny, Morgan and Clara have a loving relationship. Morgan got pregnant in high school, and we hear that she made significant personal sacrifices to raise her daughter. She talks to Jonah about the need to put someone (in this case, a child) before yourself. And despite the hurt that Chris has caused her, Morgan says she doesn’t regret having been with him, because their relationship led to Clara.
Clara encourages her mother to “find her passion” or some personal goal she can strive toward. When Jonah passes off the responsibility of parenting his newborn son to Morgan, it’s Clara who sets him straight.
Miller cares for his sick grandfather and expresses a willingness to put his own dreams on hold to look after the elderly man. He tells Clara that his grandfather basically raised him, and the two have a strong bond.
A funeral service is held in a church, where a speaker quotes Romans 6:4. A hospital chaplain is seen with a Bible in hand. A song mentions Jesus.
Morgan makes a joking reference that her “soul is dying.” In a reality TV program, people drink a toast to “burning in hell” and discuss the concept of “outer darkness” in Mormonism.
Though Regretting You is rated PG-13, it does contain a couple sex scenes, one involving an unwed adult couple and another involving teens Clara and Miller. The scenes are not especially graphic—some skin is shown along with limited movements—but it’s clear what’s going on.
Morgan catches Clara and Miller in bed together, and we learn that Clara had sex with him to “get back” at her mother. When Miller realizes what Clara was using their intimacy for, he gets upset, telling her, “The one thing that should have been most personal wasn’t personal at all.” But while Miller believes that sex should be personal, some of his earlier comments suggest that he doesn’t care if it’s exclusive to marriage.
Morgan and Chris were sexually active with each other in high school, which led to Morgan’s pregnancy as a teenager. After having a baby with Jonah out of wedlock, Jenny figures the next step is to get married—comparing their experience to that of Chris and Morgan.
Jenny and Chris had a secret (and apparently longstanding) affair. Morgan and Jonah discover evidence of this after their spouses’ deaths—including lingerie and love letters.
Characters profess their love and/or desire for one another. Couples kiss passionately and remove clothing. Someone discusses plans to lose her virginity. Women wear revealing clothing. A few shirtless male torsos are seen. We hear a few crude sexual jokes. Clara’s friend lies about her age to access the Tinder app.
Jenny advises her niece not to get involved with a boy who already has a girlfriend—a wise though slightly hypocritical comment.
Though it happens offscreen, Chris and Jenny are killed in a car accident. After learning of her husband and sister’s betrayal, an angry Morgan repeatedly hits Chris’ car. She also kicks through a flimsy door in frustration.
One f-word is used, along with 10 s-words. God’s name is misused 20 times, paired once with “d—.” Characters abuse Jesus’ name twice. Additional profanities include “h—,” “d—,” “a–hole,” “b–ch” and “p-ssed.”
A character uses a rude hand gesture.
Regretting You contains lots of drinking and some drug use, both of which, at times, involve minors.
In a flashback, we see Morgan, Jonah, Chris and Jenny attend a party in high school which involves lots of underage drinking. Chris makes a hurtful comment that his favorite version of Morgan is when she is drunk. As adults, Morgan and Jonah drink to excess. Indeed, Morgan is hardly seen without a wine glass in hand, even while caring for an infant. And her excessive drinking negatively impacts her relationship with Clara.
After leaving her father’s funeral, Clara tells Miller that she feels like “getting high.” Miller replies that, while he doesn’t smoke marijuana, he knows where he can get some. He’s good on his word and provides Clara with a joint. (She briefly smokes it and chokes on the fumes.) Later, Clara gets drunk with a friend and experiences a hangover the next day.
Miller’s grandfather tries to smoke a cigarette, but Miller takes it from him. We hear that Miller’s father is in prison for selling drugs.
Someone purchases beer even though they are underage.
When Jonah learns about Jenny’s affair with Chris, he abandons his infant son, leaving him with Morgan: He fears that the boy is not biologically his. (After a reality check from Clara, Jonah corrects this mistake, returning to his son.)
Morgan and Clara have several heated arguments throughout the film. Morgan can be overprotective, though she seems to exercise little control over her daughter. Clara, in turn, can be extremely disrespectful to her mother.
As mentioned, Clara uses Miller on a few occasions to get back at her mother—which understandably makes him upset.
Miller’s grandfather has cancer. Characters vomit. Someone says they need to “pee.” An embarrassing story is told about a person defecating in their pants as a child. People lie to each other. A running gag involves Miller moving the sign for the city limits little by little so that the local pizza shop will deliver to his grandfather’s house.
Regretting You is another romance drama based on the works of Colleen Hoover, whose most recent film adaptation was 2024’s It Ends with Us. While Regretting You doesn’t deal with the heavy topic of domestic abuse, that doesn’t mean this tale is light—on content or otherwise.
The crux of the story centers around an illicit affair exposed by a tragic accident. The subsequent fallout drives the main characters toward sexual promiscuity, substance abuse and deception.
The movie is full of sensual content, including sex scenes (some of which occurs between teenagers) and suggestive dialogue. Language can be harsh, including one use of the f-word and frequent misuses of God’s name. Teens and adults are seen abusing drugs and alcohol. Characters lie to one another constantly.
As Regretting You trundles toward familial reconciliation and a clichéd, happily-ever-after romance, it does convey some positive messages. But the film more frequently stumbles into content issues, making Regretting You a cinematic experience that families won’t regret missing.
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.
