It Ends with Us spent 11 weeks atop The New York Times best-seller list in 2022.  It had been published six years earlier, but the popularity of Colleen Hoover’s novel surged after being discussed on TikTok (I missed the hype).  Given the unexpected publicity boost, it made sense to adapt into a movie as quicky as possible.  Blake Lively came on board in the lead role, shooting took place in 2023, and it’s now in theatres across the globe.

The film opens with Lily Bloom (Lively) returning home to Boston for her father’s funeral.  He was a widely regarded member of the community (a former mayor) but when pressed to eulogise his achievements, Lily comes up blank.  This is because the memories of her childhood which resonate most strongly are those where he was physically abusive towards her mother.  We’re provided a glimpse through flashbacks, but these are short and fractured – partly because Lily would rather forget, and partly because director Justin Baldoni doesn’t want to go too heavy on the audience.

We’re not given much information about Lily’s past decade but, in choosing to stay in Boston, two events provide her life with purpose and happiness.  Firstly, she rents a dilapidated, dust-laded store and transforms it into a neighbourhood flower shop.  Her mother thinks it’ll be a financial disaster (she learns on Google that 45% of flower shops fail) but Lily is giving it her best shot.  Secondly, she befriends Ryle (Baldoni), a handsome neurosurgeon who she meets by chance atop an apartment building.  It’s not long before they’re falling in love and living together.

I enjoyed the performances of both Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni (who also serves as the film’s director).  Romantic dramas tend to get bogged down with cheesy dialogue but that’s not the case here.  Their interactions have a whiff of simplicity and spontaneity which makes their lust feel more natural, more credible.  I wasn’t as enamoured with the over-exaggerated supporting characters, such as Lily’s mother (Morton), who don’t get the best material to work with.

As alluded to above, the film does have something to say about domestic violence.  This includes tragic chapters from our past which will forever shape our memories and personalities… through to abuse happening today which needs to be called out.  It’s an important theme and, without giving too much away, it’s delicately handled by Baldoni and screenwriter Christy Hall who highlight the ways in which it is often ignored or excused.

The film is too long, the finale is a head-scratcher, and Lily’s character needed more depth.  It’s weird she doesn’t have much of a backstory and we just know her as a simple, friend-less woman wanting a flower shop.  Yes, It Ends with Us has its flaws but when stepping back and looking at the bigger picture, it’s still a movie worth seeing and discussing.