First off, “It Ends With Us” is a romantic drama, not a rom-com and definitely not a date movie. Fans of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 best-selling novel, that the film is based on, have expressed disappointment at leaving out certain key facts and moments. However, at just over two hours the film feels like a bit of a slog. Approaching the movie like a fluffy rom-com, even though the trailer encourages one to do just that, would be a complete disaster.
The film opens with Lily (Blake Lively) returning home for her father’s (Kevin McKidd) funeral. When her mother, Jenny, (Amy Morton) asks her about the eulogy she is to give, she admits to not writing it. She has nothing to say at the funeral staring down the empty bullet points on a serviette and abruptly walking out of the service.
Sitting on the ledge of a high rise trying to process her feelings, she meets an impossibly handsome stranger, Ryle (Justin Baldoni), and the two form a connection. Ryle lives in the apartment block and is a neurosurgeon. Lily, whose middle name is Blossom and whose surname is Bloom, loves flowers and wishes to open a florist shop. One almost wishes to agree with Ryle that her parents must have hated her something fierce.
Lily goes ahead and opens a totally ‘gram-able florist called Lily Bloom’s. As she is cleaning the store, Allysa (Jenny Slate), walks in and after saying she hates flowers, agrees to work for Lily. Despite Ryle preferring to keep things casual and Lily wanting a commitment, the two continue to see each other and their feelings deepen for each other.
Simultaneously, there are flashbacks of young Lily (Isabela Ferrer) forming a bond with a homeless boy, Atlas (Alex Neustaedter). Lily, Ryle, and Atlas (there is nothing subtle about the names) have to process childhood trauma before they can move forward to make something of their lives. When Atlas (Brandon Sklenar), now a chef running a successful restaurant called Roots, reenters Lily’s life, she sees a side of Ryle that is a major cause for concern.
The film delves into the complexities of abuse, relationships, and personal growth. “It Ends With Us” is coy in its portrayal of domestic abuse, perhaps in a bid not to glamourise it, or have it devolve into gratuitousness. But the fuzzy frames and sharp cuts also divorce the viewer from the happenings on screen.
. The reason given for one of the character’s abuse is troubling.
Despite its lack of subtlety, the script tries to tackle important issues but misses the mark in terms of execution. The scene towards the end in the hospital, with deciding on the baby’s name and divorce from the postpartum bed, is so overwrought that one cannot help snickering. Acting-wise, Lively works with the material at hand while the men do not have much to do apart from providing eye candy and looking hurt or hurtful by turns, which they do competently.
The aesthetics of the film are noteworthy. The houses and lighting are beyond beautiful and have one gnashing teeth in envy at the spotless surfaces. The shoes are eye wateringly good, the clothes not so much. Apart from Marshall (Hasan Minhaj), Allysa’s husband, and a doctor in ER, “It Ends With Us” is overwhelmingly white.
Financial issues seem to be a non-entity in this story. With Lily sporting Louboutins, which cost upwards of $1000 a pair, a neurosurgeon and a successful restaurateur, money is obviously not an issue for the principals. “It Ends With Us” plays out like a longer version of “Sex and the City”, with its attendant gains and losses.
In terms of criticism, it’s worth noting that the decision to make the film more than just a simple adaptation of Hoover’s book led to some key moments and facts being omitted, much to the disappointment of the book’s fans. This choice arguably contributed to the movie feeling a bit slow at times, failing to capture the brisk pacing that readers might have expected.
Blake Lively’s performance stands out, though. She brings a level of complexity to Lily that the script sometimes doesn’t support, making her internal struggle and eventual growth feel genuine, even when the plot itself stumbles. The men, however, largely exist to either charm or cause distress, and while they do this ably, they are given little room to truly stretch.
Overall, “It Ends With Us” is a film with good intentions and moments of genuine emotional impact, but it ultimately doesn’t fully succeed in translating the depth and nuance of its source material to the screen. While visually stunning and featuring a strong lead performance by Lively, it falls short of delivering on its promise. The movie is currently running in theaters.
