Lily Bloom’s father has just died. Her mother Jenny wants her to eulogise him at his funeral, but she can’t. Why not? That introduction sets in motion a chain of events that will see the sins of the father visited on the child.
As a teenager, Lily struck up a loving relationship with a fellow student, Atlas Corrigan. He was struggling and homeless after trouble at home. But for all the mutual affection, that relationship was doomed to fail when her father intervened. Now, in the present day, Lily (Blake Lively) remains reticent. While trying to process her reaction to her dad’s passing, she unexpectedly meets a hot-headed man, Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni, who also directs). He turns out to be a neurosurgeon who shows more than a passing interest in Lily.
Though that initial meeting is short-lived, circumstances see them meet up again months later. By then, Lily has opened a funky florist shop (she has always had an affinity with plants) and employed Ryle’s married sister without realising who she is. Now Ryle – who hasn’t exactly been the settling kind – pursues Lily relentlessly. He charms and engages her. But all is not as rosy as it first appears and things get even more complicated when Atlas (Brandon Sklenar) re-enters the frame.
Christy Hall wrote the screenplay based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 book. The movie unfolds in two time-frames, as it pieces together the back stories. The very serious subject of domestic abuse is cloaked in thick layers of syrup – including longing looks, physical heat, soft focus, and romantic music. Some will feel that, as director, Baldoni (Five Feet Apart) has laid it on with a trowel. Mind you, his juxtaposition between hot and cold is jarring; which has merit because it drives the plot.
The leads play their part most effectively. As Lily, Blake Lively switches gears convincingly. She plays sexy, smart and traumatised. Director Baldoni doubles as the male lead, bringing his own smouldering sex appeal to Ryle. I was also taken by Jenny Slate, who generates a “Carrie Bradshaw” sense of style to Ryle’s sister Allysa.
Notwithstanding my earlier remark about pulling focus, It Ends With Us is an attractive looking film. The settings and cinematography by Barry Petersen (My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3) give us a good sense of place.
My main reservations are around the picture’s soap-opera feel. In other hands, this film could have been far more subtle, which I believe would have benefited the final product.
Alex First
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Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.