Reminders of Him Has Heart, but Pulls Its Punches

Reminders of Him

★ ★ ★

Reminders of Him stars Maika Monroe as Kenna Rowan, a young woman just released from prison after serving a seven-year sentence for manslaughter. She was driving when her car crashed, injuring herself and killing her boyfriend, Scotty (Rudy Pankow). To make matters worse, she’s accused of fleeing the scene of the accident.

The film is based on the novel of the same name by bestselling author Colleen Hoover, whose recent film adaptations include It Ends With Us and Regretting You. Notably, Hoover was first self-published before signing with Atria Books in 2012. She also co-wrote the screenplay.

Maika Monroe as Kenna and Tyriq Withers as Ledger
© 2026 Universal Pictures

When Kenna returns to her small town, her mission is to get a job, get back on her feet and connect with her daughter, Diem (Zoe Kosovic), to whom she gave birth while in prison. Diem is being raised by Scotty’s parents Patrick (Bradley Whitford) and Grace (Lauren Graham). Patrick and Grace have full custody of Diem and want to protect her from Kenna.

Kenna meets Scotty’s best friend Ledger (Tyriq Withers) when she visits his bar for a cup of coffee. This might seem odd, but before she went away, Ledger’s bar was the town bookstore and coffee shop.

It’s not long before Ledger and Kenna develop feelings for each other, despite a rocky start. Ledger comes to realize there’s more to Kenna than the police report and prison record say about her.

Kenna in a holding cell
© 2026 Universal Pictures

From the start, we sense that Kenna isn’t a bad person. The moment Monroe steps on screen, she gives us a woman who’s been broken and just a little misjudged. She tries hard to do the right thing, and Monroe plays the anguish of a mother desperately trying to reunite with her daughter with heartbreaking conviction. Monroe’s roles tend to be serious in nature, from horror to dark drama. Here, she shows a hopeful side beyond the dark and brooding.

Tyriq Withers as Ledger
© 2026 Universal Pictures

I have a soft spot for movies like this. Maybe I’m a romantic at heart, but these were the kinds of movie nights I grew up on with my mother and sisters. They weren’t about to watch Die Hard, so I learned to enjoy a bit of onscreen melodrama. Just know that after everyone else went to bed, John McClane was confronting Hans Gruber with his ‘Yippee-ki-yay’ line.

This film is certainly melodramatic, darker-themed than a traditional Hallmark film and more sophisticated than a typical Lifetime original. It ticks most of the boxes a romantic drama requires. The characters are well thought out and fit neatly within the predictable, sometimes captivating plot.

Maika Monroe as Kenna Rowan
© 2026 Universal Pictures

It’s a good story, ripe with heavy, complex material, but I wish it had gone deeper. When the story gets to a heavy point, it pulls back from the drama instead of socking us hard in the gut. It gets close to the deep end of the pool, then quickly paddles back to the shallow side.

These dark caverns the film presents are meant to be thoroughly explored. Instead, we get more of a guided tour. The film settles for good enough when it could have been more than just an entertaining reminder.