It Ends With Us

The smash hit novel It Ends With Us, penned by author Colleen Hoover, has become a smash hit over the years thanks to a large following on social media. The 2016 novel, loosely based on events from Hoover’s own life, is the kind of romance novel that is accessible to read on a sunny day on the beach, while managing to grapple with the very serious subject of abuse. The film adaptation, starring and produced by Blake Lively, is a richly performed, well-made drama that will delight fans of the book, and audiences who have never read a single page.

Courtesy Sony Pictures

After the death of her abusive father, Lily Bloom (Blake Lively, who also produces) seeks to begin a fresh new start in her new home of Boston, making her dream of opening a floral shop into a reality. She meets the handsome and charming Neurosurgeon Ryle (Justin Baldoni, the film’s director), who just so happens to be the brother of her new best friend Allysa (Jenny Slate), but is initially unwilling to jumpstart a new relationship. Despite her hesitation, the two fall madly in love. Amidst their passionate romance, Lily runs into her childhood sweetheart Atlas (Brandon Sklenar), who now runs an upscale restaurant. Things get even more complicated when Atlas senses all is not well with Lily’s relationship, causing her relationship to reach a boiling point. Now, Lily must find it within herself to do what is best for her future.

Directed by Baldoni, It Ends With Us tackles difficult subject matter, depicting generational abuse and domestic violence with nuance. Deliberately presented as a love story, Baldoni’s initial set up has all the trappings of a fantastical rom-com. A meet-cute set on a scenic rooftop, Lily is able to open an avant-garde flower shop with no mention of how she got the funds for it, lavish house parties with guests, most notably Lively, wearing red carpet-ready wardrobe; these aren’t your everyday middle class citizens. Although the film deals with tough, very real topics, the world in this does not always feel so real. It’s as the film moves along as we’re presented with flashbacks to Lily and Atlas’ young love, we become more aware of the situation at hand, providing carefully-constructed context to Lily’s modern-day relationship.

The script, written by Christy Hall (Daddio), will often lift direct lines from the book, but unlike other book-to-film adaptations, the book’s dialogue is utilized effectively. Most of the dialogue, save for a few on-the-nose exchanges, feels authentic to the characters. Of the 100 or so pages of the book I have read, fans will be pleased that much is intact, while making the necessary changes to fit the needs of a motion picture. It’s quite refreshing to see a mainstream romantic melodrama film tackle these kinds of topics with a stark clarity. In a departure from the novel, Baldoni masks specific character motivations until later in the film, making revelations hit harder with a larger dramatic impact. Utilling unreliable perspectives and slick editing to alter specific scenes, he nearly gaslights audiences in ways Lively’s character is. It’s an effective gamble that pays off, significantly.

Courtesy Sony Pictures

Baldoni’s direction is almost deceivingly simplistic early on, which makes the second half of the film hit much harder. The early exchanges between Lily and Ryle are shot in tight close-ups for much of the first hour, while the more intense confrontations are held in longer wide shots, conveying the volatility of their relationship. It’s a seamless, deliberate directorial choice that aids in the film’s immediacy.

Baldoni’s direction is skilled, but he’s the weakest link in the cast. Lively and Baldoni have an immediate chemistry with one another, but Baldoni’s performance lacks depth. While it’s by no means a bad performance, it suffers from being completely upstaged by his surrounding cast. Lily is much more independent and resilient in film form than on the page, likely due to the age difference between the characters original form versus Lively’s portrayal. Lively is radiant while understated as Lily. Her growth is largely depicted internally, making it a less showy performance than one would expect given the genre. During their explosive confrontations, we will see her beg and plead with her partner, often in a harrowing blend of pain, horror and trauma, but we’re not necessarily clear which emotion is prevalent. Lively takes a delicate role and transforms it into a fabulous performance.

Brandon Sklenar is far and away the more interesting character, and actor, of the two leading men. While not given the material of Baldoni’s Lyle, Atlas is a character that has more development through the flashbacks — young Atlas is effectively portrayed by Alex Neustaedter — but Sklenar has a charisma to him that resembles a young Bill Pullman or Burt Reynolds.

Courtesy Sony Pictures

It Ends With Us is a sensitively-told and compelling romantic melodrama. Blake Lively gives a raw and delicate performance in a film adaptation that effectively portrays the novel’s complex story.

It Ends With Us is now playing in theaters.