Movie review
March 11, 2026 · 114 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Not currently streaming in United States
Review
Reminders of Him is a 2026 drama romance based on Colleen Hoover's novel. It follows Kenna after she leaves prison. She served five years for a drunk driving crash that killed her boyfriend. Back in her small hometown, she fights to see her young daughter, who is being raised by the boyfriend's parents, but they block her at every turn. She forms a secret romantic connection with Ledger, a former football player and bar owner who has become like family to her daughter. Their relationship brings risks and leads toward forgiveness, heartbreak, and hope for a fresh start. The film features an all-female creative team and a prominent interracial romance in the central pairing.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Reminders of Him.
Woke representation / casting
Prominent interracial romance with Black actor Tyriq Withers as Ledger Ward (former NFL player and bar owner) opposite white lead Maika Monroe in a small-town setting with white family dynamics around the child; all-female filmmaking team (director, writers, producers) highlighted in marketing and interviews as fitting for the female-centric motherhood story; supporting authentic disability representation noted but not centered as identity. These choices create visible diversity in key roles without dominating the narrative as quota-style signaling.
Woke political dialogue
No activist speeches, identity lectures, systemic critiques, or politically charged lines; dialogue stays grounded in personal guilt, maternal longing, romantic tension, and moral reckoning over a tragic mistake.
Identity-driven story themes
Story centers on individual redemption after causing a death, the hardships of motherhood after prison, protective family resistance, and healing through love and truth-telling. Minor incidental diversity references exist in the source novel (such as bar hiring notes) but do not drive plot, conflict, or character arcs; themes remain personal and emotional rather than collective identity or social-justice focused.
Western institutional / cultural critique
No framing of traditional family structures, gender roles, community norms, or institutions as oppressive or toxic. Grandparents' protective stance and Ledger's supportive male role are presented sympathetically as responses to real tragedy, with resolution through personal accountability and compassion.
Woke character or canon changes
Film casts Black actor Tyriq Withers as Ledger Ward, a role whose race is not defined in the source novel and whose background as best friend to a white character and community figure in a small Colorado town adds a visible interracial romance element not specified or emphasized in the book; this stands as an adaptation choice increasing on-screen diversity in a prominent position. No other ideological alterations to source characters or events.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Sparse niche online comments mention Ledger's casting as a "race swap" in otherwise positive assessments of the film as free of lectures or agenda; no widespread social media outrage, news stories, or organized complaints accusing it of pushing woke, DEI, or identity politics messaging. Most discourse stays focused on emotional impact and story quality.
Creator track record context
Primary creatives show low-to-mild profiles overall. Colleen Hoover and Gina Matthews focus on commercial trauma-informed romance and mainstream films without activist patterns. Director Vanessa Caswill emphasizes women's stories and authentic representation in a classical sense. Co-writer/producer Lauren Levine has credits on family dramas with no notable political or identity-driven public activity. The team prefers female perspectives in storytelling but avoids modern woke or DEI framing.
Production
