It Ends With Us - Film Review

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It Ends With Us stars Blake Lively as Lily Bloom, Justin Baldoni as Ryle Kincaid, Brandon Sklenar as Atlas Corrigan, Jenny Slate as Allysa, Hasan Minhaj as Marshall, Amy Morton as Jenny Bloom, Kevin McKidd as Andrew Bloom, Isabela Ferrer as young Lily Bloom, and Alex Neustaedter as young Atlas Corrigan. It will screen exclusively in movie theatres on 9 August 2024, and you can get your tickets here . Directed by Justin Baldoni and produced by Alex Saks, Jamey Heath, Blake Lively and Christy Hall, it is based on the book by Colleen Hoover. Two hours and 10 minutes long, it is rated PG-13.

It Ends With Us , the first Colleen Hoover novel adapted for the big screen, tells the compelling story of Lily Bloom (Blake Lively), a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life in Boston and chase a lifelong dream of opening her own business. A chance meeting with charming Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, Lily begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parent’s relationship. When Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), suddenly reenters her life, her relationship with Ryle is upended, and Lily realises she must learn to rely on her own strength to make an impossible choice for her future.


You may recognise the star and director of the film, heartthrob Justin Baldoni, from the popular long-running TV series and one of my favourites, Jane the Virgin- where he portrays love interest Rafael Solano. Blake Lively of course needs no introduction, and it's hard to believe the rather popular Gossip Girl in which she starred, was released in 2007, seventeen years ago and The Age of Adaline is already 9 years old. In It Ends With Us Lily Bloom is home in Maine for personal reasons, and later heads to the rooftop in the aftermath, to ponder her traumatic childhood and the emotional turmoil she feels, coming home. Her thoughts are soon broken, when suddenly, Ryle Kincaid comes through the door, lost in a hurricane of emotions, hurling steel chairs across the rooftop in anger before he notices he's not alone. Unafraid, their initial furtive chatter turns to playful patter, and Lily is suitably intrigued and drawn in by the handsome Ryle before the invasive tone of the phone ringing bursts the bubble and brings her down to earth. Ryle is called away to work, but not before he lets Lily know he'd like to see her again. He's let her know from the onset he's not into relationships, but she is, and they part ways on the night.

Aptly named, Lily Blossom Bloom is going to make one of her dreams come true back in Boston, to open her own flower shop. She picks her keys up to the unkempt property to transform it into what she's envisioned and starts cleaning up when a nosy passerby stops in. It seems Allysa has always held a curiosity about the property, has always wanted to see what it looked like inside, and was just waiting for the day to see what would become of it. Amidst her babbling, she inadvertently offers her services which was declined at first, and later withdrawn, and has her working side by side with Lily, becoming best friends. The transformation of this flower shop/florist is a sight to behold and is visually very satisfying. Opening day holds an unexpected surprise and Lily's budding romance hurtles Lily into a life she didn't imagine herself to be in.


It Ends With Us shines a light on domestic abuse, but doesn't paint the abuser as all bad. It tries to show an understanding of why, how, and who we become. It also highlights the power of lust as an all-consuming drug when in the midst of passion and love, red flags get waived. Scenes of Lily's past and present are interwoven with flashbacks to bring an understanding of who she is in the present. Though dealing with a serious topic, the film does not telegraph the importance of its subject matter. It's as light as it is melodramatic and is concerned with romance as much as it is with trauma - its tropes more at home in a romantic comedy. It doesn't preach but simply shows warning signs of how situations can slowly develop.

This isn't a bad movie at all, and is in fact at times quite good and enjoyable, even though it doesn't really tell you who Lily really is, beyond her childhood trauma. Perhaps it just wanted to touch on the subject lightly and make it an all-round coverage of all facets of emotions and situations. The chemistry between the male and female love interests is the most intense part of the film which will appeal to all the lusty and romantic parts of your being, and you'll wish there was more of it. Lively and Baldoni stand up to the intensity of close-ups and do their best to add emotional layers to their relationship. They easily transport the viewers on this emotional journey with them. Lively's character is almost devoid of female support, and her best friend Allysa and mother Jenny sadly underdeveloped and relegated to just a handful of scenes to keep the story moving. The film rating also keeps the violence and sex scenes to a minimum visually. Without the depth to match its subject matter, you could relegate this to a paperback romance novel - complete with good-looking protagonists, a love triangle, and lots of chemistry between them all. Luckily many of us love a good paperback novel.





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