It Ends With Us Is Not A Rom-Com, But It Will Give You All The Feels
It’s no secret that It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover has been a controversial book. Some readers love it, while others feel it glorifies domestic abuse. The story is deeply personal to author Colleen Hoover who was inspired by her own parents’ relationship to write the book — and now it’s been adapted into a movie starring Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, and Brandon Sklenar. In the film, Lily Bloom opens up her dream flower shop, while simultaneously exploring her dual relationships with a past love and an abusive current partner. Can she recognize the same patterns in her new relationship as in her parents’ and stop it in its tracks?
It Ends With Us begins as a typical romantic comedy starting with the rooftop meet cute between Lily and Ryle. Having read the book, I knew what was coming, so I couldn’t get into their relationship. Instead I was tense every time they were on screen together. Meanwhile, Lily and Atlas had some of the more heartwarming moments together, especially when we flashback to their younger selves. It’s insane just how much Isabela Ferrer looks identical to Blake Lively. It was perfect casting! Despite the rumored drama going on around the cast, I found that the actors really embodied their characters. Jenny Slate was a particular stand out as Lily’s best friend Allysa.
Justin Baldoni directs a strong adaptation of the source material, being sensitive to the touchy subject matter and including full circle layers that add more meaning to moments in the film. I was impressed by the way he handled the domestic abuse scenes, which weren’t overly gratuitous, but instead highlight how difficult it can be to accept that someone you love is purposefully hurting you. Lily calls herself an unreliable narrator at the beginning of the film and the abusive moments all look accidental at first watch. But then, when Lily can no longer lie to herself, we see flashbacks that reveal the truth of the abuse.
While the film does give off a bit of a Lifetime-style energy at times, I did sob throughout the whole third act of the film. The audience I saw the film with was very vocal, gasping at all the big reveals, which I think was in part due to the mixed promotional messaging. This isn’t a classic rom-com, but more a cautionary tale of a woman trying to break generational traumas.
It Ends With Us is playing in theaters.
