Manuel São Bento
3/15/2026
Full review: https://movieswetextedabout.com/reminders-of-him-movie-review-maika-monroes-magnetic-performance-anchors-a-melancholic-journey/
Rating: B-
"Reminders of Him is an effective exercise in emotional catharsis that survives its structural flaws thanks to a committed cast and Maika Monroe in a state of grace. It’s a film that reminds us that objective judgment in cinema is an illusion and that, sometimes, we just need a story that validates the need for a second chance. The imperfect beauty of redemption proves that, even on the grayest days, love is the only light capable of illuminating the shadows of our past."
“Kenna” (Maika Monroe - though I kept seeing Jane Seymour) returns to her hometown, fresh from a long spell in prison, and tries to find herself a job. Nobody wants to employ an ex-con, but luckily she finds work packing bags at the supermarket. Why is she there? Well we quickly discover that she and her late boyfriend “Scotty” (Rudy Pankow) had been in a road accident - hence her incarnation, and that during that time she had given birth to “Diem” (Zoe Kosovic). His parents “Grace” (Lauren Graham) and “Patrick” (Bradley Whitford) have adopted her and together with his best friend “Ledger” (Tyriq Withers) live happily enough with the latter man a sort of surrogate uncle. “Kenna” wants to meet her daughter but knows that’s highly unlikely unless she gets an ally, so unwittingly at first them more deliberately targets the bar-owning “Ledger” who was her boyfriend’s best pal, but whom she had never met. He quickly puts two and two together, but he’s also taken a bit of a shine to her so might he be the hormonal one to act as a conduit between her and her almost in-laws? We are drip-fed some of the backstory to contextualise her predicament, and there are also some letters that she continues to write to “Scotty” to drown us even more sentimentality as the story proceeds as predictably as the sun coming up. Withers and Monroe struggle to inject much chemistry into their characterisations and there is quite a lot of repetition as their will they/won’t they rapport gathers pace amidst a film that has the odd power ballad from acting débutante Lainey Wilson mixed in, too. It isn’t a bad film, it’s just so very nondescript and I know I will never remember it.
