Film Review – IT ENDS WITH US (2024): Blake Lively is Terrific in a Powerful Story About Overcoming Abuse

It Ends with Us Review

It Ends with Us (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by Justin Baldoni, written by Christy Hall and Colleen Hoover and starring Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar, Kevin McKidd, Amy Morton, Alex Neustaedter, Isabela Ferrer, Robert Clohessy, Robin S. Walker, Emily Baldoni, Adam Mondschein, Robyn Lively, Megan Robinson, Steve Monroe and Daphne Zelle.

It Ends with Us is an achievement that should not be taken lightly Directed by one of its principal stars, Justin Baldoni, it is a moving film which is based on a popular book by Colleen Hoover. This story deals with delicate themes and realistic situations that could occur behind closed doors in everyday relationships. While the picture focuses on abuse more than any other topic, there are many thematic elements that will hit home for just about any viewer who has ever doubted that a romantic partner is the “one.” Blake Lively is astonishing in a performance that ranks as her most heartfelt work to date. She almost single-handedly carries the weight of the movie on her shoulders and succeeds with flying colors thanks to the complexity and sincerity Lively brings to the role.

Lively portrays a woman named Lily Bloom who is called to speak at her now deceased father’s funeral. She has to write just five things about her father to read off at the eulogy. Lily’s mom, Jenny (Amy Morton) is surprised when Lily doesn’t really have too much to say about her dad. There’s a lot that’s happened in Lily’s past, though, and her father’s actions are key to understanding the crucial plot developments which occur later in the film. Lily meets a fairly wealthy neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni, the film’s director, himself) on a rooftop and they proceed to hit it off as they discuss certain things that they feel in the moment during their first encounter.

There is a great soundtrack here to progress key plot points along. For example, Cigarettes After Sex has a song on the soundtrack which helps move the action forward in the earlier stages of the picture. While the movie presents the current relationship formed by Lily and Ryle, it also goes back in time to when Lily was with a guy who she ended up losing her virginity to. His name is Atlas Corrigan and is played as a young man in flashbacks by Alex Neustaedter. Isabela Ferrer plays the young Lily. Turns out, Atlas was once homeless and suffered a couple of tremendous obstacles to fulfilling his desires and love for Lily. There is a secret that the audience learns later on which will shed light on the complexity of the situation at hand.

In the present, Ryle and Lily have an undeniable connection that seems grounded in some sort of reality. There is a problem with Ryle’s jealous side as he learns of Atlas and inquires about a small tattoo that Lily doesn’t want to talk much about. At first, when something’s accidentally burning in the oven, Ryle gets aggressive towards Lily but maybe he’s just angry at that particular moment. When he catches the grown Atlas (Brandon Sklenar) with Lily at Atlas’s up-and-coming restaurant, Ryle shows a more violent side. Atlas is concerned with a black eye that Lily has but she tries to convince Atlas that Ryle is not hurting her on purpose. Atlas may not be entirely convinced, however, that she’s right.

As is the case with films based on books, there is a lot of plot and several secondary characters as well. Jenny Slate is excellent as Allysa, Ryle’s sister. Allysa plays a pivotal part in the film as she reveals at one point the reasoning why Ryle’s other sibling tragically passed away. This film doesn’t spare the heavy dramatics but the scenes are compelling as the elements of the story line all come together to form a well-developed whole.

The vivid abuse sequences are also one hundred percent believable. Things border on jealousy with Ryle’s interpretation of events in the film but his insecurities spiral out of control and then some. Justin Baldoni amazingly captures the essence of his overworked character who doesn’t know how to trust the woman he loves so takes drastic actions which threaten to tear apart the very fabric of the relationship. Standing in Lily’s corner is the ever-loving Atlas but what will happen to Ryle and Lily’s relationship as Ryle gets more and more intense with each passing minor scenario?

Blake Lively is a revelation. She’s done good work before but this is the best turn she’s ever done. She makes Lily likable and plausible as a lead character. Lily is starting up a flower shop which, as her name may suggest, is her true calling. While I didn’t believe that both her flower shop and Atlas’s restaurant would crack the top 10 best spots in Boston in a popular magazine, I was won over by the characterizations by the principal players.

Baldoni has the most difficult role as a professional man with a sinister side to him. Underneath his hard exterior, there is a more understanding man inside him but it becomes too late as Lily eventually ends up unable to trust him until a certain plot development tests their love for one another. Baldoni’s role is difficult to play because it could be portrayed as a evil cardboard cutout. Instead, the actor reveals a three-dimensional character with serious issues who, perhaps, deserves to be dealt with by the legal system but the movie never explores that route.

That’s not to say Lively’s performance is any simpler to play. It’s just that her likability shines through and the actress gives the role the requisite depth it needs to be successful. The viewer will be with her right from the word “go.” Lively deserves tremendous accolades for her attention to bringing this character to life with heart, strength and determination.

It Ends with Us is a powerful, well-constructed picture that is adapted almost to perfection by Christy Hall. Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, the stars, are the standouts. But, Jenny Slate and Brandon Sklenar give sharp performances as well that support the stupendous work of the lead players. At the end, It Ends with Us will force the viewer to think deeply about the situations it proposes. It’s Lively’s performance which is the heart and soul of the movie and that role will deeply move audiences, even perhaps enough to applaud her character’s actions by the film’s end. This is a very good film.

Rating: 8/10

Leave your thoughts on this It Ends with Us review and the film below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more film reviews can visit our Movie Review Page, our Movie Review Twitter Page, and our Movie Review Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Mobile App, Google News, Feedly, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, Telegram, Mastodon, Flipboard, and Threads.