From cheating spouses to teenage romance to two major deaths in the first 10 minutes, “Regretting You,” the newest film adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel of the same name, has it all. Directed by romantic drama veteran Josh Boone — best known for “The Fault in Our Stars” — “Regretting You” premiered in the United States on Oct. 24.

The film follows mother-daughter duo Morgan (Allison Williams) and Clara (Mckenna Grace) as they navigate the aftermath of a tragic accident which killed both Morgan’s sister Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald) — Clara’s aunt — and Morgan’s husband Chris (Scott Eastwood) — Clara’s father. Jonah (Dave Franco), Jenny’s fiancé and the father of her baby, struggles to move on after he and Morgan discover that their respective partners were cheating on them with one another. To make matters more complicated, all four adults went to high school together, and the film uses flashbacks to illustrate the complex relationships between them.

The film promises drama, and it delivers. However, weak dialogue, plot holes, and a completely unnecessary cheating subplot means that to fully enjoy “Regretting You” requires a lot of suspension of disbelief to get through a movie that, with an ending that’s far too neat, might not be worth it after all.

The story is, however, undoubtedly entertaining at times. The plot itself sets up an interesting premise and plenty of conflict between the characters, who each have their own secrets and ways of navigating the loss they all share. Morgan tries to put on a brave face for her daughter, while Clara tries to escape her grief through a budding romantic relationship with her classmate Miller (Mason Thames). At the same time, Jonah and Morgan grow closer, but ultimately make a discovery that threatens to push them apart for good.

Grace gives a standout performance as Clara, capturing all of the teenage angst and poor decision making that the character calls for. In the scenes where she and her mother argue, Clara often comes off more sympathetic, even as she’s slamming the door in her mother’s face.

The writing for Williams’ character, in fairness, doesn’t always lend itself to convincing acting. When trying to discipline her daughter for various misdoings, Morgan can’t bring herself to say anything decisive nor particularly striking. Dialogue like “just go to your room, I guess” or a response of “forever… like…” when Clara asks how long she’ll be grounded start to feel more like throwaway lines, rather than a mother laying down the law for her rebellious daughter.

Grace’s performance, though more solid, also suffers from weak writing, but in her case this is linked to inconsistencies in the plot. Upon hearing that both her aunt and father happened to die in a car crash on the same day, she never makes the connection that all the adults immediately do: They were having an affair. This odd lapse wouldn’t be especially significant, if not for the fact that her mother’s attempts to keep the secret from Clara become a major plot point. It’s not clear what exactly Clara made of the accident; it seems more that the writers were hoping audiences would, like Clara, not read into it too much.

Adding to the drama but not the appeal, Miller is on-and-off dating another girl at the time he and Clara start showing interest in each other. The other girl, Shelby, never makes an appearance in the film, existing as an occasional obstacle to Clara and Miller’s happy ending rather than as a person. The decision to include Shelby in the movie doesn’t add anything meaningful to the plot and only serves to instill a slight squeamishness whenever Miller gets too close to Clara after Shelby is mentioned. This effect only becomes more jarring at the end of the movie when Miller plays a video he made before he and Clara officially started dating, which is sweet until Miller spontaneously reminds Clara, and the audience, that he was in a committed relationship at the time of making the video.

Until the end of the movie, it’s almost possible to enjoy the plot in spite of all its little errors. However, the ending itself misses the mark. In a few short minutes, the writers rush to resolve every conflict, including a ludicrous reveal that renders Miller’s selfless, mature decision to put off college and take care of his sick grandfather useless. Loose ends are tied up in an overly neat fashion, to the point where the feel-good ending glosses over characters’ hardships and learning experiences. Extending the runtime by a few more minutes to allow each story to come to a more satisfying conclusion might have been preferable to an ending that cuts short any possible closure.

Though entertaining at times, to enjoy “Regretting You” ultimately seems to ask for more work than the writers put into making it. The story itself is set up to hit the right marks, but trips up at the wrong times, rendering the movie a tolerable, if not totally worthwhile watch.