FILM REVIEW
REMINDERS OF HIM
Rated PG-13
114 Minutes
Released March 13th
Based on Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name that was published in 2022, this is a heartfelt romance bridging tragedy and love, memories and hopes. The story is sincere and genuine. It relates the lows and highs of human emotion in a classic feel-good movie, and because of the natural talents and abilities of the actors, who portray authentic emotion, you can relate the story to your own life.
There’s nothing exotic or out of the ordinary about the characters. The two main characters. “Kenna” and “Ledger” are people that most of the audience will identify with, although the trajectory of Kenna’s life has been completely upended by a tragic event. She suffers one emotional blow after another but never feels sorry for herself. Ledger, her childhood friend, has his own obstacles.
The movie is set in a location intended to be Laramie, Wyoming, a small working-class town of around 33,000 people. The town was represented realistically, although Canada was the actual shoot location. The settings and buildings, some neat and tidy, some broken-down and bleak, others haphazard and disorganized, set a tone of sadness and hope. They match the characters’ lives.
Cinematographer Tim Ives, under the lead of director Vanessa Caswill, follows the characters gracefully and captures intimate moments and feelings as fluidly as he does his shots of the roads, the trees, and the mountains. Composer Tom Howe has chosen the music carefully, either when part of a scene or when used as background.
Author Hoover has sold over 20 million books, having begun writing in 2012 to give her mom something to read on her Kindle. Since then, she has published at least two dozen novels, mostly young adult romance novels. In 2023, she was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time Magazine. Married since 2000, Hoover now has a happy family with a husband and three children. However, she grew up in a household marred by domestic violence, and before becoming a writer, she was a social worker and a teacher.
Director Vanessa Caswill grew up in England. She has directed the BBC miniseries’ Thirteen and Little Women, as well as short films and music videos. Her first feature film was Love at First Sight, released in 2023. Caswill is another testament to my theory that often writers and directors are the most sensitive to a culture when they themselves grew up in an environment that is poles apart from that which they are depicting.
The two stars of the film are the magic that makes it sparkle. Maika Monroe plays Kenna. She has been acting since the age of 16, but did not begin her career with aspirations to be a thespian. She was born in Santa Barbara, where her dad introduced her to kite surfing. She became his protégé, and they moved to the Dominican Republic when she was 13 to train and compete full-time, while completing her education online.
She placed 2nd in the Red Bull Air competition. As a kiteboarder, Monroe inspired a lot of young fans. She started her own clothing line, “Airbound Apparel,” the proceeds of which she donates to charity. She has appeared on film and TV since 2009, using the dedication and energy she gained from her sport to advance her skills as an actress.
Tyriq Withers, who plays Ledger, grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, the son of a white mother and a black father, who separated when he was young. In high school, he worked to help mixed-race students fit into the social scene. As a kid, he played soccer, but then he played football at Florida State.
In college, he found that his passion was storytelling, so he moved to Atlanta to pursue acting. He brings realism to his role in a painfully personal way. His older brother, Kionte, with whom he was very close, was killed in a car crash in April 2021, leaving behind a fiancée and a son. This tragedy gave Tyriq intense focus on life and the importance of the people around him. He brings a uniquely personal spirit to his role in this movie.
Rounding out the cast are Bradley Whitford as “Scotty’s Dad” and Lauren Graham as his “Mom,” who both portray the nuances of a grief-stricken and conflicted but loving family.
Reminders of Him might have been a soapy TV movie, but the actors lifted the story to great heights with their genuine, unforced emotion and deep understanding of their characters. The gorgeous landscapes, mountains, and vast panoramas make the film well worth watching in a theatre.
The long shots of the open space set a beautiful but potentially lonely backdrop to the story. Small effects, such as Kenna’s well-worn notebooks that she meticulously writes in every night, will be personally identifiable to many. This is a beautiful date night film and an inspirational teen movie in which grief pulls everyone apart and slowly draws them back together, as they discover themselves through the spirit of their friend who is no longer there.
Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com.
