Displaying items by tag: Willa Fitzgerald

REGRETTING YOU

US, 2025, 116 minutes, Colour.

Allison Williams, Mckenna Grace, Dave Franco, Mason Thames, Scott Eastwood, Willa Fitzgerald, Clancy Brown, Sam Morelos, Ethan Costanilla.

Directed by Josh Boone.

Based on a novel by Colleen Hoover might be enough recommendation for audiences to see this film. Her novels have been highly popular, especially in the United States. There is an appeal to younger generations as well as to older readers.

There was a film version of It Ends With You. Now there is Regretting You. And early in 2026 there will be Reminders of Him. And Colleen Hoover fans will be glad to hear that there will be another film towards the end of 2026, Verity.

The initial appeal of Regretting You is with the younger audience, two couples, early 20s, their lives before them. Two are quiet. Two are eager extroverts. And then the revelation that one of them, Morgan, played by Allison Williams, is pregnant. And the father to be is Chris, played by Scott Eastwood (reminding audiences of his father, Clint). The other two in the group are the very outgoing Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald) and the quiet Jonah (Dave Franco). But, this is just a prologue.

The main action of the film in fact takes place 17 years later. Morgan is the devoted mother of her daughter, Clara (Mckenna Grace) and most of the action concerns this relationship. Morgan has been married to Chris all these years and he is still rather happy-go-lucky. Jenny has also grown up and is pregnant – and the revelation that Jonah who had disappeared 17 years ago has now returned and is teaching at the local school.

Will this simply be a pleasant family story? Or what will be the implications of the title, the regrets.

Needless to say, there will be some complications. Especially in the relationships of the older generation. But, the centre of the film soon becomes Clara, enthusiastic teenager, devoted to her father, often having emotional clashes with her mother, feeling her over-protective. She is very friendly with Miller (Mason Thames), both the same age, school experiences, bonding, ups and downs in their relationship. Then there is a car accident which turns everybody’s lives upside down – with a great number of regrets.

Depending on your life’s experience, there will be sympathies for some characters, irritation with the behaviour and attitudes of others. And, when things become rather dire, can there possibly be a hope of a happy ending? But who wants to leave the cinema feeling emotionally down? So, the ending is not without hope!

1. The popularity of Colleen Hewitt’s novels? Adaptations?
2. The Middle America setting, the small town of Dillon, 30,000+? A story of ordinary Americans?
3. The setting, the youngsters together, School memories, the outings, Chris and Jenny, outgoing, the games, together? The contrast with Morgan and Jonah, more introverted? And the news that will Morgan was pregnant, Chris the father?
4. 17 years later, Morgan married to Chris, their life together, domestic scenes, Clara, her age, admiration for her father, her relationship with her mother, her mother protective, mortgage retirement, not fulfilling ambitions, devoted to family?
5. Jenny, Morgan’s sister, younger, Morgan helping bring her up? Her relationship with Jonah? His absence, return, teaching at the school? Jenny pregnant? The gatherings?
6. The focus on Clara, independence, her father, her mother and the arguments? Her friendship with Lexi? The encounters with Miller? Discussions, his girlfriend? Their encounters, the attraction? Miller, moving the signposts for pizza delivery? Clara giving him a lift, meeting his grandfather, his grandfather’s comments? Smoking, lungs, illness?
7. Clara and her devotion to Jenny, the birthday party, the making of the cakes? Clara and her texting Jenny? About Miller? About her mother? The sudden stopping?
8. The accident, the deaths, the revelation of the affair? The impact on Morgan? The impact on Jonah? Not telling Clara? The funerals? Clara leaving, going with Miller, smoking, her mother tracking her on the phone, the confrontation? The further difficulties? Clara and her confiding in Lexi?
9. Miller at the diner, his friendship with Ethan, the showing of the films, the dates, Ethan awkward but skilful with the camera, Lexi and the relationship with Ethan?
10. The baby, Jonah and his devotion, suspecting that the baby was Chris’s? His reaction, separation, yet dependence on Morgan? The cave and the baby? Clara and the baby?
11. Clara, with Miller, the discussions about sex, her inviting him over, the window, the condom, his care, her reluctance? Morgan finding her, the reactions?
12. Morgan and Jonah, mutual support, the love from the past, decorations, the kiss, Clara finding them? Reaction?
13. The drama, Clara and her puzzle about Jenny and the stopping of the texts, the car, her discovering the truth?
14. The awkward birthday party, Morgan inviting Miller, Lexi present, tensions, Miller leaving?
15. The happy ending, everybody together, Miller’s grandfather and the inheritance, the background of studies, Jonah teaching them, scholarship to school, Clara getting in, not telling Miller, his eventually getting in – and his showing of the film, happy times?

RELAY

US, 2024, 112 minutes, Colour.

Riz Ahmed, Lily James, Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald, Jarad Abrahamson, Pun Bandhu, Elsa Davis, Victor Garber.

Directed by David Mackenzie.

For most of the time, this is one of those paranoid thrillers that were popular decades ago, industrial espionage, technological surveillance, threats, dangers, counter surveillance.

The setting is New York. The issue is a big company, food company, working on developments but finding debilitating side-effects in their products, concealing the documentation. And these situations which lead to conscientious whistleblowers, pursuit of the whistleblowers, the recovery of documents.

In this case, the whistleblower is Sarah Grant, played by Lily James, in hiding, with documents, menaced by the company’s agents, taken on by a mysterious personality, a broker (the original name for this film). He is played very effectively by Riz Ahmed, able to live a shadowy existence, master of disguise, unobtrusively infiltrating situations. And, significantly, his mode of communication with Sarah Grant as well as her pursuers, is via at tri-state communication system, Relay.

With Relay, messages are typed for the central exchange and then voiced to the recipient by the staff. This is a method used for hearing impaired people. It also offers an opportunity for voice disguise and identity anonymity.

The group of pursuers is led by Sam Worthington. (Interesting that this New York story is directed by Scottish David Mackenzie and the two leads are British and Sam Worthington, born in England, growing up in Australia.)

What brings some humanity to the film is a gradual revelation of the broker’s story, Muslim background, New York City, 9/11, work on Wall Street, business exposes and his becoming a freelancer broker. But, the way this is revealed is through his attending of AA meetings, bringing some more personal depth to his character.

And, as might be expected, there is a twist in the drama. For this reviewer, the twist was too much, throwing too much doubt on the “realism” credibility of all that we had seen previously. And, while weapons previously were verbal threats and challenges by Relay, the culmination brings us to guns and knives, desperate chases…

Some have relished the dynamism of the story and for most of the film this is quite strong Others have found the twist and its consequences too much.

1. The original title, The Broker, and the focus on –? The film title and the focus on the communication system, tri-state, for hearing impaired, for voice disguising? Its use throughout the film?
2. The New York settings, the city, apartment blocks, the streets, offices, Grand Central station, since in Poughkeepsie? The musical score?
3. The initial situation, setting the tone? Hoffman, the meeting with McVie, with Ash? Documents, payments, at the train station? The introduction to Ash?
4. The new situation, Sarah Grant, the company, third development and experimentation, concealing failures in research, whistleblower, needing protection? Her presence, her character, communication with Ash via Relay? Her speaking, “Go ahead”? The quibble about “all right”? Her isolation, needing protection, the documents?
5. The character of Ash, seeming loner, a lonely life, the importance of the AA meetings, the discussions with Wash? After the meetings? The later meetings and his revelation about himself, Muslim, in New York, 9/11, his drinking, Wall Street, his tasks, broker and cover-ups? The explanation of himself, his personality?
6. The dealings with Sarah, the relay calls, his watching her, his various disguises? Her vulnerability, alone, jogging?
7. The corporations group, their personalities, working together, pursuit, the van, the phone calls through Relay?
8. The details of the plans for the documents, Ash and his cupboard, using US Post, the details, forwarding, collecting them? The news about the missing pages, Sara apologising, her mistake? The plan to put them in the newspaper, the group watching, the false tracking, photos and the use of many cameras, identifying Ash?
9. The plans for the money, sent to California, to be forwarded to Poughkeepsie? The plan is to save Sarah? Her being taken by the group, the Schubert concerto, Ash pulling the alarm, the escape?
10. The twist in the plot, credible or not? Undermining the realism of everything that had gone before, especially Sarah’s character and performance? The extreme detail in presenting the pursuit and finding the truth about it?
11. The shift from menace, paranoia, phones and cameras, Relay? The van, the tasers, guns, capitation his escape, the running, wounded? His previous phone call to Wash, the police arriving, the arrests?
12. The credibility of Sarah, the situation, the reality, her harsh toughness after the seeming romance?
13. Audience interest in this kind of thriller, espionage, psychology – but how much affected by the final twist and the ending?