This fall, grab your best girl friends or your toxic boyfriend and go see “It Ends With Us.” Maybe wear your favorite floral prints or bring five tissue boxes because the film is an emotional rollercoaster that’ll have you awe-ing, cringing and crying.
Based on the novel by Colleen Hoover, “It Ends With Us” was released in theaters on Aug. 9 and stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
The plot follows protagonist Lily Bloom (Lively), a florist, through her new relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni, who also directed the movie).
While the two fall in love, instances of domestic violence occur. As Lily grapples with her predicament, the story flashes back to a younger Lily in her first relationship with the homeless but compassionate boy-next-door, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar).
My friends and I were super excited to watch “It Ends with Us,” especially those of us who had read the book and enjoyed it.
Before watching the movie, I had doubts about the movie’s accuracy in relation to the book’s descriptions of characters.
While the movie itself was beautifully executed, several similarities and differences distinguish the movie from the book.
First, some of the scenes of Lily and Atlas’ childhood were removed from the movie, which took away from the youthful magic of their story. The movie had fewer scenes displaying the healthy relationship between Lily and Atlas, and instead focused on the more abusive and toxic relationship between Lily and Ryle. In addition, the domestic violence scenes with Lily and Ryle were downplayed heavily from the book’s descriptions.
The cinematography of the movie made the scenes of domestic violence confusing so that viewers who didn’t read the book might only realize late into the movie that the incidents Ryle named “accidents” are actually deliberate violent acts.
While the obfuscation of Ryle’s aggression portrays Lily’s initial desire to forgive Ryle, it minimizes the severity of the domestically violent situation in the book.
Another contrast from the book was the characterization of Lily Bloom. When the original casting decision came out that Lively was to play Lily, many fans of the book — myself included — were skeptical of the choice. Lily Bloom is written as a younger woman in her mid 20s, while Lively is in her late 30s.
Additionally, Lily is a redhead while Lively is — and almost defined by it from her breakthrough role as Serena Van der Woodsen in “Gossip Girl” — a natural blonde. Although Lively did dye her hair for the film, it was difficult to unsee her blondeness.
Similarly, the costuming of the movie further ruined the aesthetic of Lily. I found the mismatched patterns and baggy pant outfits of the movie more eccentric and hippie than I would have imagined the wardrobe of the simplistic and humble Lily described in the book.
The movie has also been shrouded in controversy. Having allegedly bought production rights from Colleen Hoover, Baldoni, the actor who plays Ryle, was also the director and was the original producer of the film. But when Lively was cast as Lily, she agreed to take the role only if she was granted a producer credit as well.
The rumors that followed say that Baldoni and Lively’s creative visions for the film clashed, creating a divide among the cast, resulting in the entire cast unfollowing Baldoni on Instagram. In the press tours that followed, Lively and Hoover were interviewed and photographed with the rest of the cast, while Baldoni was always seen alone.
Another controversial aspect of the movie was shown in interviews with Lively where she chose to promote the movie with a lighter touch, speaking of it almost like a rom-com. An example of this was when she told viewers to bring their best girlfriends and wear their favorite floral prints, undermining the serious tone of the movie. She also used the press to promote her new hair care line and her husband’s new movie rather than to address the issue of domestic violence that the movie depicts.
In interviews about the movie, Lively does not seem to be promoting the movie as it is: a heartbreaking story of domestic violence, leading me to wonder about the impact of her choice on viewers. Even the decision to omit the essential element of domestic violence from the trailer was odd. Perhaps it was meant to preserve an element of surprise, but instead it dumbed down the message of the story.
Meanwhile, Baldoni’s interviews are more serious, as he speaks truthfully about the struggles of playing an abusive character and brings awareness to the issue of domestic violence. These contrasting messages led viewers and the media to call out Lively for not taking the movie’s central message more seriously. These critiques also line up with old interviews that deem her an out-of-touch “mean girl.”
While the movie portrays the harsh reality of domestic violence and its victims, marketing the movie as a rom-com and using the press for personal promotions is ignorant. A topic such as domestic violence that is not often enough acknowledged, shouldn’t be portrayed lightly. The message Lively sends, intentionally or not, is disheartening to generations of women who face domestic violence and sends the wrong message.
The movie aimed to bring Lily’s journey to life on screen, but the end product’s accuracy is questionable. While the movie was stunning, missing elements from the book and having controversial press that mislabels the overall message is disappointing. With all of this in mind, “It Ends With Us” is still a worthwhile watch and soulful experience.
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, you can get help by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or texting “START” to 88788. Their website is https://www.thehotline.org/
