Sony announces It Ends With Us on digital, Blu-ray and DVD
Films focused on love stories have some of the widest range of options on where they could be heading and when it’s a place you don’t expect it can deliver something special. At the same time when not handled right it could miss the mark altogether. The latest is It Ends With Us starring Blake Lively, Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, and Brandon Sklenar from Clouds director Justin Baldoni also starring in the film, based on the book of the same name by Colleen Hoover. Could this film be something special that stands out or will it be as toxic as the relationship between them?
It Ends With Us follows the empowering story of Lily Bloom. Grappling with a painful past, Lily embarks on a new life in Boston, embraces her artistry, and passionately pursues her dream of opening her own flower shop. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, Lily begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her dangerous father. With the support of her friends and allies, Atlas Corrigan and Alyssa Kincaid, Lily must find her own strength to break the pattern, or the pattern will break her.
I had zero interest in this film and from all the hype and controversy surrounding the abuse and lack of promoting it had me thinking it was a different kind of film altogether. Sitting down to finally watch it I was surprised that it was not the film I expected it to be and while it didn’t fully resonate with me, I did end up enjoying it more than I would have thought. That being said, its not without its faults for me.
The first half of the film is this budding romance that rather annoyed me in its building. It was a constant back and forth with her constantly rejecting him and him pushing her to go out with him. That alone should have been the
red flag, but also not too off from the truth of how some of these relationships play out. I didn’t feel their initial chemistry at all, so I was not able to get invested in the romantic side they were initially trying to get you to see. This is an important element as it plays deeper on the other side in the second act.
When it gets into the abuse and troubles in their relationship, I find myself confused about the actions of both of them. While no kind of physical abuse is ever ok, the ideals of her not just being honest with her friend and the situation feeds into the problems. Again, that doesn’t justify any of the abuse but is just frustrating to watch when it can all be handled so simply. I do give them some massive props to how the narrative was handled to keep you wondering if there is actual abuse or misunderstandings before it is all revealed.
I thought both Blake Likely and Jenny Slate were great in the film and offered up some of the best scenes in the whole film especially when discussing the abuse. Slate has one like that is the perfect response to her friend’s situation and the kind of things we don’t see often in films like this and screams of her character. The other best is how the cycle of abuse is addressed in one of the final scenes between Lively and Baldoni which was the perfect end cap for their relationship and this story.
In the end the film works as a well-executed drama dealing with multiple layers of abuse, trauma, love and life in a way that was well done. I never read the book and have no idea how it connects to that audiences but hope it does just that.
Grab your copy of It Ends With Us available now on digital, Blu-ray and DVD from Sony Home Entertainment.