It Ends With Us Review
A uniquely romance mired amidst a relatively tightrope-walking depiction of domestic violence, It Ends With Us is, if anything, a star vehicle for the fantastic Blake Lively.
After escaping a violent upbringing, Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) is setting up her new life in Boston - opening up her own flower store. She meets Ryle (Justin Baldoni); a wealthy neurosurgeon, who immediately begins a flirtatious romance with her. When her first love Atlas (Brandon Sklenar) pops up in Boston, however, Lily feels conflicted; and it spurs a violent streak in Ryle. As Ryle continues to abuse Lily, and their relationship grows deeper and more progressed, she has to decide whether her conflicting feelings with Atlas, and her understanding of the violent nature of her partner, mean that she has to make sure the cycle of violence ends with her.
Directed by Justin Baldoni (who has absolutely no business being this frustratingly talented in two spheres), It Ends With Us is the sort of film that, when announced as an upcoming adaptation of the book, felt like a disaster. What a tightrope to walk - to sensitively deliver a tale touching on such tough subjects, while also making it a fun and sexy romance where you root for all the characters, and doing so in a way that avoids some of the cringier elements of Colleen Hoover’s novel?
Remarkably, they pull it off.
Baldoni does a fantastic job balancing the competing elements of his story. The DV and gaslighting is dealt with in a way that is not too heavy handed to overshadow the romance of the film, but is certainly enough to have strong opinions against Ryle. On the romance front, he never trivializes the drama of the DV and the complexities of Lily’s situation throughout the film, while still manage to make you feel authenticity and sparks in Lily’s relationships with both Ryle and Atlas.
Blake Lively is tremendous in the lead role, managing to embody both the hard-hitting drama (the single tear is a strong player here across the board), and the fun, flirty, sexy romance with both male supports. Baldoni and Sklenar are equally fantastic in their roles; Baldoni perhaps showing a little more range with a performance that always feels dangerous, while Sklenar’s Atlas is a bit more taciturn.
Jenny Slate is also a standout as the comedic relief. Her character also has a lovely moment in the third act of true companionship with Lily, and that is a beautiful moment in the film.
Ultimately, It Ends With Us is a very unique film; it’s the sort of romance that will have broad appeal, working well for dates, solo viewing, or as a group of friends, but also it has a deeper, more meaningful story at its heart that it conveys well, without ever making it feel ‘un-fun’.
