Blake Lively Shines in the Emotional Adaptation of It Ends with Us – Review

It Ends with Us is a dramatic journey through love and trauma.

As I sat in a packed theater for an early screening of ‘It Ends with Us,’ the film based on the wildly popular novel by Colleen Hoover, I was hit with a sense of deja vu. Just over two years ago, I screened the film adaptation of ‘Where the Crawdads Sing,’ another insanely prominent paperback, in a theater full of fans of the book. When it comes to ‘It Ends with Us,’ I was once again surrounded by dedicated admirers of the source material, eager to view a film they had been anticipating for a while. The excitement was palpable, regardless of the fact that what would ensue was a dramatic and dark story of love and abuse.

‘It Ends with Us’ tells the story of Lily Bloom (Blake Lively), a woman who has overcome a traumatic childhood and is starting fresh by opening her own flower shop in Boston. A surprising encounter with a neurosurgeon named Ryle (Justin Baldoni, who also directs) leads to a passionate love story before Ryle shows his darker side. Things become even more complicated when Atlas (Brandon Sklenar), Lily’s first love, reemerges in her life.

Films based on popular romance novels can sometimes fall into several tropes.

They tend to be overlong, melodramatic, and a tad predictable. While ‘It Ends with Us’ certainly checks some of those boxes, it’s on the better end of these types of adaptations, anchored by a notably strong performance from Blake Lively. Lively is able to harness the emotions of someone who has suffered from intense trauma and undergoes startling relationship issues yet still can remain strong on the outside. She’s doing some heavy lifting, and the film rests comfortably on her shoulders. It’s worth noting that newcomer Isabela Ferrer portrays the younger version of Lively’s character, Lily, and she’s a dead ringer of a young Lively to a nearly startling degree. I questioned at first if they had digitally de-aged Lively for the role before realizing it was a different person.

Baldoni’s Ryle is aggro and questionable from the start, as we are introduced to him violently kicking over a chair on a rooftop. Baldoni has enough charm to convey why Lily would fall in love with Ryle, but audiences will sense his darkness immediately. Interestingly, Baldoni, who also serves as the film director, would cast himself in the role. On the opposite end is Atlas, portrayed by Brandon Sklenar (who looks remarkably like a young Joel Edgerton mixed with a Hemsworth brother). Atlas is a handsome protector with a history with Lily, and while Sklenar is fine in the role, there’s just not as much depth that must be shown on screen.

The film handles some extremely triggering topics, and those with a history of abuse in relationships should tread with caution. These themes are executed well in the film and aren’t overdone to sell an idea. What’s most interesting is how the story is able to deftly wrap things up in what could have been a complicated mess.

Verdict

‘I give ‘It Ends with Us’ 3 out of 5 stars. It was likely never going to surpass the novel that came before it, but as an adaptation, it seems likely to make fans of the book content. At times, it feels like no one else can match what Lively is doing on screen, but it’s a good showcase for her despite some pacing issues and dramatics bringing the overall experience down. Find local showtimes here.

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