It Ends With Us Review
It ends on screen or in court? A book adaptation of Colleen Hoovers 2016 novel which should have stayed in the book, was brought to the silver screen. With good intentions to bring awareness to domestic violence, spiraled into a real life nightmare. Was the film worth the hype or worth a skip?
Following Lilly Bloom, who opens a flower shop in Boston, meets Ryle a neurosurgeon. She tries not to fall for him, but she slowly does. However, the story takes a turn when he begins to turn violent. With her own past, and her father who was abusive she is determined to be different and to not let this define her. However, Ryle’s charming ways and apologies keep her coming back. Only when she comes across her first love does she begin to realize the truth, and one unfortunate event leads her into his home, seeking safety. Will she let the cycle of abuse end with her or will she end up in his arms once again?
The story had the potential to do something great, and really go dark, and to bring awareness to a topic that always gets covered. With the behind the scenes drama its hard not to fall into that, and have it effect your watching experience. Unfortunately it does, and it led me to turning off this film, 20 min before its end. This film is comparable to the first cut of Justice League. It made no sense, had a lot of missing parts, and very watered down. Which makes sense when you realize this cut was Blake Lively’s. An actor with little to no editing, or directing experience. Which I believe led to a poor watching experience. Knowing Justin Baldoni who has directed a number of films, I would like to see his cut. Or perhaps a redo with a new cast. One behind the scenes issues that kept into the film was Ryan Reynolds stepping in to write some scenes, specifically the rooftop scene where Lilly, and Ryle meet. It was filled with weird humor, and really set the tone for what the rest of the film would be.
Another issue that stuck out to me is the clothing, which was atrocious and made me wonder what did the original costume designer have in mind? Why did Blake find it necessary to step in and wear her own clothes. It just adds to the mess that was this movie. The 2 leads have different acting styles and it really shows. Also, to learn that Blake did not read the book really translated to the screen. Although, I really enjoyed the younger Atlas and Lilly so that was the only good part for me. This film was a hot mess, filled with behind the scenes drama that will affect your watching experience. It is safe to say there won’t be a sequel. So no need to bring your florals or your girls to the next one. There was an opportunity to do this film right, and bring awareness to domestic violence, and it’s a shame they weren’t able to do that.
Overall 1/5