It Ends With Us is a romantic drama targeting a younger audience, particularly fans of Colleen Hoover’s popular novel. Since I haven’t read the book, my review focuses on the film as a standalone work, which may offer a different perspective from those familiar with the novel. As a note of caution here, expect minor spoilers ahead. If you want to go and watch the film with a completely clear mind, I would suggest not reading too much about the film.
Here then is my take on It Ends With Us. I had seen the trailer for this film, and it seemed mildly interesting, although not particularly memorable in the context of the many other trailers I watched around the same time. Nonetheless, it was good enough that I wanted to check out the film. Like I mentioned, the movie is based on Colleen Hoover’s novel and the story is about a young girl, Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) who has not had a happy childhood. There have been some incidents in her childhood that have left a negative impact on her, and her adult life is unfolding in a similar manner. With past scars, she sees things differently and feels that she needs to take a stance on certain aspects. She is supported in her journey by other characters, in particular a friend, Allysa (Jenny Slate) who also happens to be related to another main character, Ryle (Justin Baldoni). Lily is also pursuing her own career as a florist. Without going into too much details about the plot, it is sufficient to say that there are few characters in the story and the film revolves primarily around three main characters. A younger version of Lily (Isabela Ferrer) is also seen in the film along with another central character, Atlas (Brandon Sklenar) and his younger version (Alex Neustaedter).
While the story is simple and rather straightforward, it does not make for very engaging viewing in the first half. Some of the dialogue comes off as either juvenile or cringeworthy. The dialogue delivery is not great either. While the actors cast are all good-looking and of diverse origins, you feel that some of them may have been miscast. As the film goes along, things do get better, and during the last 45 minutes, the film manages to redeem some of the panache and verve that it initially lacks.
In conclusion, It Ends With Us offers some engaging elements in its second half, but overall, it feels like a run-of-the-mill film with limited impact. While it might resonate more with fans of the novel, others may find it forgettable.
Film Comments Rating: 2.5/5 stars
What do you think?