History YMMV / WeNeedToTalkAboutKevin

** Repeatedly set up and then subverted.

* WTHCastingAgency: Franklin is described as a tall, broad, ruggedly handsome, WASP-y Republican with a shock of thick blonde hair. The movie instead casts character actor Creator/JohnCReilly, who is not the most traditionally handsome actor, is stocky with curly brown hair and looks as Irish-American as his name is.

* SeparatedAtBirthCasting: Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller quite convincingly play mother and son. Additionally, although neither actually are of Armenian heritage, many agreed that Miller, as well as the small children who play young Kevin, do somewhat pass as being of Armenian descent.

** The film adaptation moved the setting from New York State to Connecticut. One year later, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Hook_Elementary_School_shooting a school shooting happened in that very state.]]

** Kevin's violent behavior, which culminates in [[spoiler:shooting up his school]], became more discomforting once portrayer Creator/EzraMiller's real-life behavior turned out be [[https://www.screengeek.net/2020/04/06/ezra-miller-choking-fan-video/ very]] [[https://www.pajiba.com/celebrities_are_better_than_you/after-ezra-millers-arrest-the-matter-got-much-worse.php aggressive]] [[https://insidethemagic.net/2022/06/ezra-miller-mocks-authorities-searching-for-them-kb1/ itself]] (and that's not counting arrests for burglary and accusations of grooming).

** Kevin having a really nice time right in front of Eva.

** Kevin [[ADateWithRosiePalms having a really nice time]] right in front of Eva.

* JerkassWoobie:

** It's downplayed in the movie, but essentially the ''whole plot'' could have been avoided if Eva hadn't decided ''very'' spontaneously that she wanted a child, something she seemingly changed her mind about and became far less sure of ''before she and Franklin even conceived Kevin.'' Many of the things she bemoans before Kevin is born are shallow, silly things, like the fact that children are boring, make your life less fun and ruin your body. It's hard to feel ''that'' sorry for Eva when she practically decides from conception that she finds motherhood tiresome, especially because it was her who pushed to have a child. And ''that's'' what she's complaining about before Kevin even really becomes, well... Kevin.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: Despite Franklin's constant siding with Kevin over any evidence, when Eva tells him she wants another child he isn't wrong when he points out that she's an incredibly cold mother towards Kevin and interprets everything he does to be motivated out of spite towards her. Eva notably has no rebuttal to this and has to resort to getting pregnant in secret.

* MemeticMutation: After Ezra Miller's repeated scrapes with the law started making headlines, people started jokingly calling the film "We Need To Talk About Ezra", or joking that "it turns out ''We Need to Talk About Kevin'' was a documentary this whole time!"

* MemeticMutation: After Ezra Miller's repeated scrapes with the law started making headlines, people started jokingly calling the film "We Need To Talk About Ezra".

* WTHCastingAgency: Franklin is described as a tall, broad, ruggedly handsome, WASP-y Republican with a shock of thick blonde hair. The movie instead casts character actor John C. Reilly, who is not the most traditionally handsome actor, is stocky with curly brown hair and looks as Irish-American as his name is.