KSL Movie Show Review: ‘It Ends With Us’ is puzzling
Aug 8, 2024, 7:00 PM | Updated: Aug 14, 2024, 2:57 pm
The movie adaptation of "It Ends With Us" is a romantic drama, highlighted by the main character's traumatic past.
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SALT LAKE CITY — Occasionally, I’ll walk into a movie with little idea of what I’m about to see. Sometimes, that’s good. Other times, not so much.
I knew going in that this was a romantic drama featuring the radiant Blake Lively. I was confident that was all I needed to know. As it turns out, I might be the only one who didn’t know that this was partially about her character’s traumatic childhood and how it would affect her later, adult relationships.
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The first sign of trouble comes as Lily Bloom (Lively) hesitates over going home for her father’s funeral. Then when she’s encouraged to speak at the services, she simply can’t do it. What in the world is going on here? By the film’s tone, it feels like we’re being told to just tuck that thought away, suggesting they’ll get back to it.
Back to Boston, enter a handsome stranger
Now, Lily is back in her adopted home of Boston. She’s quietly sitting on a rooftop overlooking the city, when a handsome stranger comes bursting out of the door, obviously distraught, kicking a patio chair, not realizing that he has company watching his antics.
They strike up a conversation. He’s a neurosurgeon who’s had a rough day at the office. Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) apologizes for his behavior. They chitchat. He makes an awkward advance. She retreats. But as fate would have it, they will meet again, this time when his sister Allysa (Jenny Slate) goes to work with Lily who has just opened a flower shop in a chic area of Boston.
Meanwhile, suddenly we’re taken back to when Lily was in high school. She has befriended a homeless boy named Atlas, who has taken up residence in a vacant house behind Lily’s. Their friendship blossoms into a secret romance. It will be her first love.
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Back and forth we’ll go between past and present, with each new scene pointing to the essence of why Lily is struggling in any kind of meaningful relationship.
The struggle (with “It Ends With Us”) begins
Here is where the story also begins to struggle. Now I’m aware that this film is based on a wildly successful novel by Colleen Hoover. Those who have read the book described it to me as being “weird.” Since I can only speak to the movie, I must admit, there were a few puzzling things.
For example, Lily keeps insisting that she and Ryle can only be friends, but then does and says other things that would massively suggest otherwise. Also, when she eventually does run into a grownup Atlas (now played by “1923” star Brandon Sklenar) she flirts with the memories of their time together, while now being in a committed relationship with the handsome doctor. Plus, when a couple of misunderstandings erupt, she does little to explain why this or that was not the case.
That doesn’t mean I excuse the behavior of any of the reactionary men in this drama. They screwed up royally. It’s just that she could have helped mitigate some of the escalation by being as outspoken, strong-willed and direct as she is in other moments of the film.
It felt like she was suddenly out of character when it was convenient for the film’s theme to exist.
I’ll shut up now, since it feels like I’ve really stepped in it. But that’s just how “It Ends With Us” came off for me.
IT ENDS WITH US (B-) Rated R for domestic violence, sexual content and some strong language. Starring Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj and Brandon Sklenar. Directed by Justin Baldoni (“Five Feet Apart” “My Last Days” TV series) – filmed in New Jersey and New York. Running time: 130 minutes.
