It Ends With us Review: Plot - Lily Bloom (Blake Lively), a florist, meets Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) by chance. The two develop a close bond and eventually marry. Everything seems perfect until Atlas (Brandon Sklenar), Lily’s ex-boyfriend from school, reappears as the owner of a restaurant in her neighbourhood. His return triggers something in Ryle that completely changes him, and their relationship takes a tragic turn, flipping their world upside down and shattering the illusion of a perfect life.

It Ends With Us Review: Analysis

The flip side of a happy marriage often reveals itself as a facade—what appears perfect is often too good to be true. Love stories that have been fed to us over generations typically feature attractive people in dreamy settings, wooing each other with grand gestures. However, most of these stories stop short of showing what happens after the lovers marry and live together, where the decorated world fades and reality sets in. That’s where real people live and where the real test begins. It Ends With Us, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s book, explores this reality and does so with an authenticity that mirrors a real relationship.

Adapted for the screen by Christy Hall and directed by Justin Baldoni, It Ends With Us demands strong belief and precision in its execution. Baldoni takes on the challenge of directing a film that might make him the most hated character in it—more on that later. 

On the surface, It Ends With Us is a breathtakingly beautiful story featuring characters who seem to be sculpted by God with the most precious material. Everything appears perfect, with an abundance of love so vast that even if we borrowed some, they’d still have plenty. But is perfection a fact or an illusion? Is the pursuit of perfection justified? These questions come to a head when the glass house gets its first crack, putting the entire illusionary castle at risk of collapse.

It Ends With Us is captivating because it mirrors a real relationship. Two people meet at a tragic point in their lives; they seem like a perfect match, and they look surreal together. The woman, Lily Bloom (ironically named), is a florist, and the man, Ryle, is a wealthy neurosurgeon with a colourful dating history. The film’s most powerful plot device is the way it draws you in with its beauty. There’s so much to obsess over—their efforts for each other, their curtains, her shop—but then the story takes an unexpected turn. It Ends With Us catches you off guard when it shatters the illusion of perfection and reveals the real demons lurking beneath the surface.

What you thought was a ‘perfect’ story is actually a tragic one. The woman, who was a warrior until now, killing people with sarcasm, has succumbed to a physically abusive relationship because, after all, it’s okay to give the person we love another chance. But does the person we love stop taking us for granted? Justin Baldoni and Christy Hall explore this question with such nuance that the slow-burning first half of the movie sets the stage for an intense, emotional impact. Kudos to whoever decided on minimal background music, allowing the characters’ sighs and breaths to take the spotlight. The intensity of the situation is heightened, forcing you to make your own judgement without any musical cues to guide you.

Baldoni, an advocate for feminism and equality, explores generational trauma and its accompanying pain with a relatability that resonates. Many of us fear becoming someone we despise, only to find ourselves unwittingly turning into them. The choice then becomes whether to come back from that transformation or fully embrace it. Lily stands at this crossroads, and the film’s climax unfolds brilliantly. The only downside to It Ends With Us is the brief soap-opera-like treatment it adopts at certain points. At one moment, it even shifts gears, speeding up the otherwise slow-burning narrative into a fast-paced story.

Blake Lively is pitch-perfect, with styling that’s spot-on. She plays Lily with such ease that it feels like she’s always known her—or is her. Lively brings a vibe that elevates Lily beyond just a character, which is a significant achievement. Justin Baldoni portrays Ryle with such conviction that he keeps his character’s secret well-hidden until the very end. Brandon Sklenar’s balanced and nuanced performance is commanding, which is essential for his character. Jenny Slate is a complete surprise package, with her character delivering a brilliant scene towards the end that becomes the emotional heart of the story.

It Ends With Us Review: Final Verdict

A man’s perspective that respects a woman who decides to prioritise herself after battling internal demons should be welcomed, as it fosters healthy dialogue between the genders. Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively deliver a film that is relevant, important, and convincing.

It Ends With Us hits the big screen across the world on August 9, 2024. 

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