It Ends with Us

It's a major letdown. While the story had the potential to be emotionally gripping, the movie feels rushed and shallow, failing to convey the depth and rawness of the book's themes. What makes it worse is Blake Lively's portrayal of Lily - she feels miscast here, her performance lacks the vulnerability and emotional nuance needed to make Lily's journey believable. At times, her delivery feels flat and detached, which makes it hard to connect with her character. The chemistry with the other cast members also feels forced, which only adds to the film's overall lack of impact. This adaptation could have been so much more, but instead, it falls short on almost every level.

I normally don't take to reading IMDb reviews and when I do I rarely agree with them, with that being said I wholeheartedly agree with every review that is giving the film the same score as I am if not a tad bit lower. Having grown up in an abusive household, the film did hit pretty close to home. Ryle Kincaid (Jason Baldoni) gave a stellar performance which genuinely encapsulates how unpredictable an abuser can be and how manipulative an abuser can be in a dv (domestic violence) relationship. With that being said that's where the entire score for my review comes from; baldoni's performance and direction.

Blake Lively (Lily Bloom) went ahead and gave us basically nothing. There were moments during her performance I thought she had something, and then she lost it as simple as that. It felt like we as the audience were there more so for her outfits and hair than we were for her performance. Reading up on articles that state people have noticed two different films mixed into one, I couldn't help but agree with that. Baldoni's direction was centered around portraying an accurate picture of dv, and actually showing us the viewers this depiction, whereas Blake's version of the movie (as per sources) comes in through her one dimensional performance, weird placement of music in scenes that didn't require the music and if they did the music was just off and again showing us her outfits and luscious hair.

I sincerely hope that if there is a baldoni cut of this film that it gets the light of day as the film I watched just didn't quite do it for me.

In a few words: great message, stunning visuals, and impressive videography. However, the plot feels one-dimensional, as does the character of Lily, who lacks the depth needed to make her truly relatable or memorable. Sure, we're shown her trauma and backstory, but it doesn't fully draw you in or create a genuine emotional connection. It feels like there's a disconnect, as if her struggles are presented more as a narrative requirement than as a lived experience, making it hard to truly immerse yourself in her journey.

The narrative structure also falls flat at times, creating a sense of frustration as it hints at greater potential that it never fully explores.

If I were Justin Baldoni I would redo the film without Blake. She was not a good fit for Lily. When you have a book that centres around domestic violence you really need to have the characters playing them believable and Blake was definitely not believable. She couldn't even promote the film properly. What does that tell you.

It's also so very sad to watch everything that is going on in the media right now, concerning this film and all the players. Not only have they tarnished their own careers but everyone else involved as well. No one wants to hear about a he said she said kind of argument. I get it that there is a lot at stake but to what cost. Like I said, Justin Baldoni... you need to recast this film and put it back out there.

I honestly feel the hate this movie is getting is unwarranted. I personally wouldn't nominate it for any awards, but I enjoyed watching it. I read the book and I felt it was pretty true to the original story. At no point did I roll my eyes due to poor writing - nothing in the writing was distractingly bad. I also think the actors all did a good job. I didn't want to like the actor who played Ryle, but I came around to him. The casting was honestly pretty perfect. I am a Blake Lively fan, and I feel she performed just as well in this as she usually does. I would say I got exactly what I expected from this movie, and nothing more or less.