It Ends with Us – Film Review
by Fran Winston
Director – Justin Baldoni
Writers – Christy Hall, Colleen Hoover
Stars – Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Jenny Slate
No, you are not seeing things. Justin Baldoni, the lead actor in this film, is also the director. While Blake Lively’s name may be all over this, Baldoni optioned the hit Colleen Hoover novel for a film adaptation, to be produced through his Wayfarer Studios company back in 2019.
He plays neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid who meets Lively’s Lily Bloom on a rooftop one night. Although they are obviously attracted to each other it takes them quite a while to end up together in what seems to be a picture-perfect romance. But the return of Lily’s childhood sweetheart Atlas Corrigan (Sklenar) complicates their relationship and Ryle begins to show his insidious side.
This film deals with the serious issue of domestic abuse and seems determined to treat it earnestly. This is a noble idea, but the result is some clunky scenes and a rather meandering first two acts. It takes ages to get to the point, dedicating half the movie to the fledgling romance between Lily and Ryle.
The result of this is a very rushed second half which tries to cram in the bulk of the story. Whilst I appreciate they were trying to show how abuse builds in a relationship this would have benefited hugely from shaving half an hour off the beginning of the film.
While all the actors have wonderful chemistry and Lively is incredibly likeable as Lily it often feels dragged down by its own subject matter. It is beautifully shot, and the abuse scenes are treated sensitively. However, this almost serves to dilute the more provocative elements of the story.
While not completely disappointing this does let down its source material and doesn’t quite get the true terror of domestic violence across. It is a good movie but not the great one it aspires to be.
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No More Workhorse 
I agree with your points. I’ve read the books, and liked that they were more or less faithful to the source material, with a few changes here and there. Most notably, the Ellen DeGeneres subplot is cut down to a few lines, and the ending is more realistic.
But the best friend character is aware of how violent her brother is, yet she encourages his relationship with Lily, without warning her in advance. The way they meet is also a little convenient.
They point out how ridiculous their names are (Lily Bloom runs a florists’, Ryle gets easily riled up), and I appreciated that they addressed how an individual who was exposed to domestic abuse growing up could experience it in their own relationships. But it might have been better had they foreshadowed it more.
I liked the younger versions of Lily and Atlas, as they embodied their older counterparts well, and Blake Lively is as charming as ever. But I would warm those who’ve experienced abuse against seeing it, as it might trigger their trauma.