Lily Bloom grew up in a family where her father was regularly abusive to her mother. Moving on with her life following her father’s passing, she opens a flower shop and begins a relationship with an attractive neurosurgeon, but quickly comes to see echoes of her abusive childhood. The relationship between the two is complicated further when Atlas, a disadvantaged person from her past, is thrust back into her life. Will the cycles of abuse truly end, or is Lily condemned to repeat her past history?
Apparently, the novel IT ENDS WITH US was a huge seller; the public screening I attended at AMC Town Square was jam packed with people of all ages, mostly female. I was not among those who’ve read the source book, but was certainly curious given the lofty reputation of the book. A day after my screening, I’m still not quite sure what I watched. Although beautifully shot and directed with some great dialogue, the production has no idea what it once to be. Is this a romantic comedy? A romantic drama? A cautionary tale about familial abuse, toxic masculinity, and domestic violence? IT ENDS WITH US tries to be all of the above, and the end result is one of the biggest mixed bags when it comes to 2024 cinema.
I’ll give the film credit for the things it does well. The casting is quite good. Blake Lively does a good job bringing Lily Bloom to life; we can truly believe that this is a woman with a rocky past who wants to forge a better future and make her dreams come true. The rest of the cast fares quite well, including Justin Baldoni (who also directed) as her husband who may not be all he seems, and Brandon Sklenar as her old flame returning into her life. But the true highlight of the film in terms of casting is Jenny Slate as Bloom’s employee, and the brother to her lover. Slate injects plenty of humor into even the dourest of circumstances, and is this movie’s true shining jewel.
The movie also scores points for atmosphere, taking place in Boston and the surrounding areas. This is a refreshing change from literally every movie being set in New York City or Los Angeles. Even if other aspects of this film don’t fare nearly as well, I won’t deny that IT ENDS WITH US is a gorgeous looking and well-shot film.
Unfortunately, IT ENDS WITH US has no idea what it wants to be. The opening sequences imply that we’re going to be in for a hilarious romantic comedy, complete with the funny friend, goofy romantic first encounters with laugh-out-loud moments, and bar hopping in onesies (don’t ask). The movie even spends plenty of time in this mode, but when we hit the halfway mark, things quickly begin changing. It becomes a dark and depressing film about abuse, which feels like a totally different movie than the one that was being set up earlier. How did we go from a hilarious rom com to a movie where people physically assault and abuse each other to near death? The screening I attended was packed, with a group of young teenage girls sitting behind me, probably middle or high school-aged. While hearing some of their reactions to the more romantic and kinky moments was hilarious (arguably funnier than anything in the film), I do truly question whether some of the darker material in this movie was appropriate for an audience of their age. IT ENDS WITH US was given a PG-13 rating by the MPA, but in its darker moments this movie is absolutely not appropriate for young ones. I advise parents planning on seeing this movie to do research before taking the kids.
The film is also awash in every romantic movie cliche you can think of. Rooftop conversations. Luxury apartments with beautiful city views. The goofy friend. Every person looking drop-dead gorgeous with no bodily flaws or imperfections. A rushed and convenient ending. I’ll give our heroine credit for her actions at the end of the film, but it can’t stop parts of IT ENDS WITH US feeling like they were lifted verbatim from other romantic films.
The narrative structure is also something of a mess. Flashback sequences feel like an afterthought and often show up at the most inconvenient times. There are huge jumps in time that come out of nowhere; I can’t remember any time in history I’ve seen a movie where women get pregnant and have babies so quickly.
IT ENDS WITH US is a mess of a movie that has no idea what it wants to be. It’s at its best when it’s in full rom com mode with Jenny Slate making the audience laugh. But when it descends into its more depressing, abusive, and dramatic moments, the joy is gone, and it’s hard to believe that these two radically different approaches and themes exist in the same movie. The PG-13 rating for the movie is absolutely inappropriate given the darker content it explores as it progresses; this was a film made for adults that should only be seen by them. Despite ambition, a good cast, direction, and some beautiful scenery and cinematography, I can’t recommend this one. If you’re curious, wait for it to hit streaming services.