Few 2019 releases inspired as much passionate fandom — or as much critical eye-rolling — as After. Adapted from Anna Todd’s viral Wattpad fanfiction-turned-novel, this bad-boy college romance became a genuine box office success despite savage reviews, kicking off a five-film franchise that’s still going strong years later.
Overview
After is a 2019 American romantic drama directed by Jenny Gage, based on Anna Todd’s 2014 novel of the same name, which began as One Direction fanfiction on Wattpad before becoming a publishing phenomenon. It stars Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Tessa Young, a dutiful, high-achieving freshman, and Hardin Scott, the magnetic, brooding bad boy who upends everything she thought she knew about herself.
Basic Details
| Details | Info. |
|---|---|
| Genre | Romance, Drama, Teen |
| Runtime | 1 hr 46 min (106 minutes) |
| Director | Jenny Gage |
| Based On | After by Anna Todd |
| Cast | Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Selma Blair, Inanna Sarkis, Dylan Arnold, Jennifer Beals, Peter Gallagher |
| Release Date | April 12, 2019 |
| Where to Watch | Available to rent or buy digitally (Amazon, Apple TV) |
| IMDb Rating | 5.3/10 (Rotten Tomatoes: 19% critics’ score) |
| Expected Season | First installment in a five-film series: After We Collided, After We Fell, After Ever Happy, and After Everything |
Plot Summary
Tessa Young arrives at college as the picture of dedication: a devoted student, a loyal girlfriend to her high school sweetheart, and a dutiful daughter with carefully mapped-out ambitions for her future. That carefully guarded world starts to unravel the moment she meets Hardin Scott, a magnetic, tattooed literature student with a reputation for trouble and a habit of pushing every boundary Tessa has built around herself.
As Tessa is drawn deeper into Hardin’s orbit despite every warning sign from friends and family, the two spark an intense, all-consuming connection that forces her to question everything she thought she wanted out of life. What follows is a volatile, push-and-pull romance defined by secrets, betrayal, and the kind of consuming first love that reshapes both of their identities — setting the stage for a much longer, messier story still to come.
Why People Keep Watching It
- Strong lead chemistry, even critics admit. Despite overwhelmingly negative reviews, several critics acknowledged that Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin’s on-screen chemistry helped the film remain watchable.
- A launching pad for its franchise. As the first of five films, it’s essential viewing for understanding the sprawling saga that follows, which continues to draw dedicated audiences years later.
- A snapshot of Wattpad-era romance culture. For readers who grew up on the platform’s fanfiction-turned-published-novel boom, this remains one of the most visible, successful examples of that literary movement making it to the big screen.
- Genuine commercial success against the odds. Made on a modest $14 million budget, the film earned nearly $70 million worldwide, proving built-in fandom can overcome brutal critical reception.
Fair warning: critical consensus here is genuinely harsh. Reviewers have consistently criticized the film for a cliché-heavy, predictable narrative, thin character development, uninspired dialogue, and pacing that drags in places. If you’re looking for a critically respected romance, this isn’t it — but if you’re already a fan of the books or simply want an unapologetically dramatic, trope-heavy college romance, it delivers exactly what its built-in audience wanted.
Recommendations
If After worked for you, here’s where to go next:
- After We Collided (2020) — The direct sequel, continuing Tessa and Hardin’s tumultuous relationship.
- Beautiful Disaster — Another Wattpad-to-screen adaptation built around a similarly intense, damaged love interest.
- Boulevard (2026) — For more of the same “bad boy, good girl” Wattpad romance formula in a more recent release.
- Me Before You — For more of that same intense, emotionally consuming romance, in a story built around impossible circumstances rather than a bad-boy hook.
- Fifty Shades of Grey — For an older-audience example of a similarly viral, fandom-driven romance adaptation.
Conclusion
After was never going to win over critics, and it didn’t try to — it set out to give a massive built-in fanbase exactly the intense, melodramatic romance they fell in love with on the page, and on that front, it succeeded well enough to launch an entire franchise. If you’re already invested in Tessa and Hardin’s story, or simply curious about one of the biggest Wattpad-to-screen success stories of the last decade, it’s worth the watch, brutal reviews notwithstanding.