Verity Review

Verity, a film based on Colleen Hoover's novel, premiered recently. A Guardian article discussed how Hoover has become a global best-selling author, with one reader suggesting she writes for those who don't enjoy reading. Based on this premise, one could argue that the film adaptations of her work cater to people who dislike cinema.

Having watched all four films inspired by Hoover's prose – 2024's It Ends with Us, 2025's Regretting You, this year's Reminders of Him, and now Verity – the reviewer found themselves making that case. The reviewer found that these adaptations fail to elevate the mediocre narratives in Hoover's novels, prompting them to vow never to read another.

Verity was the most promising adaptation, with the story opening with a shocking scene and introducing Anne Hathaway's bestselling author, Verity Crawford, through interviews. She discusses the darkness in her writing, and struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson) meets her for a mysterious job opportunity. They quickly become entangled, and Johnson's character is pulled into the Crawfords' Vermont home to help finish Verity's unfinished novel series.

The female lead is portrayed as a one-dimensional "pick me" girl, and the script lacks depth in exploring Jeremy's character, relying on cliché tropes. The reviewer criticizes the pacing, calling certain scenes tedious and unnecessary. While Michael Showalter's direction is dull and fails to capture the vision of his other works, Anne Hathaway's performance is disappointing as her last 2026 appearance.

The reviewer concludes that a moratorium on Colleen Hoover adaptations is overdue, stating that this film proves such a moratorium is necessary.