It Ends with Us
IMDb Rating
50K+
IMDb Votes
65%
Rotten Tomatoes
$351M
Box Office
Synopsis & Review
Lily Bloom returns to her hometown to open a flower shop and reconnects with Atlas Corrigan, her first love from a turbulent adolescence, just as her relationship with Ryle Kincaid, a charming neurosurgeon, deepens into marriage. As warning signs in Ryle's behavior escalate from isolated incidents into a recognizable pattern, Lily must confront painful echoes of the relationship between her own parents and decide what kind of life — and what kind of love — she's willing to accept for herself and her daughter.
Adapting Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel for the screen required threading a difficult needle — depicting domestic abuse with enough honesty to respect survivors' experiences without turning the violence into spectacle — and Justin Baldoni's film, working from a screenplay by Christy Hall, mostly succeeds at that balancing act, even as its marketing campaign drew significant criticism for emphasizing the story's romantic elements over its core subject matter. Blake Lively brings real vulnerability to Lily, whose growing awareness of the pattern repeating from her own childhood unfolds with believable emotional logic rather than melodrama, while Baldoni's own performance as Ryle wisely resists turning the character into an obvious villain from the outset, making the audience's initial investment in the relationship a deliberate, uncomfortable part of the film's design. The flashback structure, contrasting Lily's first love with Atlas against her present-day marriage, occasionally undercuts its own pacing, and certain stylistic choices drew real debate among critics and survivors alike. Still, the film's final act, when Lily makes her decision about her marriage, lands with genuine clarity and earns its message about recognizing and breaking generational cycles of abuse.
Content note: this film centers on domestic abuse. If this subject affects you personally, support is available — in the US, the National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233.
Why Watch This Movie?
Blake Lively's Most Emotionally Layered Performance in Years
Lively navigates Lily's growing recognition of an abusive pattern with restraint and believable emotional logic, avoiding easy melodrama in favor of something more unsettling and real.
A Faithful, Conversation-Starting Adaptation of a Bestseller
The film tackles Colleen Hoover's source material's central themes around domestic abuse and generational cycles directly, sparking widespread public discussion about how the story should be told and marketed.
A Deliberately Uncomfortable Structural Choice
By building real audience investment in Ryle's charm before the warning signs escalate, the film mirrors the disorienting experience of recognizing abuse within a relationship that initially felt safe.
A Clear, Resonant Message About Breaking Cycles
The film's central thesis about choosing not to repeat a parent's relationship patterns lands with genuine emotional clarity by its conclusion.
Cast & Crew
Director
Justin Baldoni
Screenplay
Christy Hall
Studio
Columbia / Wayfarer
Lily Bloom
Blake Lively
Ryle Kincaid
Justin Baldoni
Atlas Corrigan
Brandon Sklenar
Allysa
Jenny Slate
Original Score
Rob Simonsen
Official Trailer
© Sony Pictures / Columbia Pictures. Trailer embedded via YouTube.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Ends with Us based on a true story?
No, it's a fictional adaptation of Colleen Hoover's 2016 novel of the same name, though Hoover has spoken publicly about drawing on patterns of domestic abuse she witnessed growing up to inform the story's themes.
Why did the film's marketing draw criticism?
Much of the film's promotional campaign, including press tour styling and tone, leaned heavily into the story's romantic elements, which many viewers and domestic-abuse advocates felt downplayed or obscured the seriousness of its central subject matter, sparking public debate about how stories involving abuse should be marketed.
Is there a sequel planned, following Colleen Hoover's It Starts with Us?
Hoover's novel has a direct literary sequel titled It Starts with Us, and a film adaptation has been discussed, though no official production timeline had been confirmed as of this writing.
Does the film handle its depiction of domestic abuse responsibly?
Critics were divided. Some praised the film for portraying the early warning signs and escalating pattern of abuse with psychological accuracy, particularly its depiction of how charm and good moments can coexist with controlling or violent behavior, while others felt certain stylistic choices undercut the seriousness of the subject matter.
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