“It Ends with Us” Ends Abuse Awareness
By Lauren Law Sept. 25, 2024
The movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s popular romance novel “It Ends with Us” released in theaters on Aug. 9. However, many fans are criticizing Blake Lively—who plays main character Lily Bloom—for publicly ignoring serious themes present in the film.
“It Ends with Us” follows Bloom as she moves to Boston to pursue her career as a florist. There, she meets and falls in love with a neurosurgeon, Ryle Kincaid. However, as their relationship blossoms, Ryle’s dark and violent side is revealed. At the same time, Lily reconnects with Atlas Corrigan—her first love. Stuck between lovers, Lily faces the difficult decision between staying with Ryle or leaving him and breaking a cycle of abuse.
The novel “It Ends with Us” received skyrocketing popularity from the “#BookTok” community on TikTok when it was released in 2021; many fans resonated with the heavy themes and new perspectives on abusive relationships. On the surface, the novel details the unavoidable threat of domestic abuse throughout Lily’s life, yet it also highlights themes of empowerment, resilience and courage.
Despite receiving extensive praise, many have accused “It Ends with Us” of glamorizing domestic abuse. For example, Hoover released an “It Ends with Us” coloring book last year, which critics argued inappropriately trivialized the serious issues in the novel by making light of trauma. Additionally, according to Bristol Film Fest, Hoover’s son Levi faced sexual harassment allegations in 2022; Hoover received backlash for failing to adequately address these allegations. In spite of the controversy, Sony Pictures still adapted “It Ends with Us” into a movie which has grossed $206.7 million worldwide since its release.
Lively’s co-star Justin Baldoni, who played the role of Ryle, also directed the film. However, Lively and Baldoni promoted the movie in completely contrasting tones; the two did not appear for promotional interviews together and were never photographed with each other. This unusual distance led to questions about whether there were tensions on set.
In Lively’s interviews during her press tour, she brushed over themes of abuse and instead promoted her husband Ryan Reynolds’s new movie, “Deadpool and Wolverine,” as well as Blake Brown, her haircare company. Lively encouraged audiences to watch the film with their friends while wearing floral outfits, marketing the movie as a lighthearted romance. In an interview with Jake's Takes, Lively was asked how fans could connect with her if they were struggling with domestic abuse. In response, Lively mocked the interviewer and sarcastically answered by asking if she should give out her phone number, address or location.
“She also released a line of alcoholic drinks based on the movie, including one named after the abusive character. Lively deserves the blame because she is using the exposure for her benefit to promote her own products,” Freshman Sheena Kamali said.
On the other hand, Baldoni discussed the empowering message behind the movie in his interviews. He provided support to victims of domestic violence by sharing a link to the No More organization—which aims to take action and break the silence of victims—in his Instagram biography.
Lively and Baldoni also had conflicting opinions on creative directives in the movie. Lively wanted to alter Lily’s style to be more modern than it was in the novel and incorporate Reynold’s scene ideas, while Baldoni wanted to follow the book as closely as possible. According to USA Today, many fans noticed the tension between the two stars early on, as Lively and majority of the cast unfollowed Baldoni on Instagram succeeding the premiere. Yet in July, Baldoni praised Lively for her professionalism and contributions to the film in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“The team should have followed Baldoni’s ideas because they stayed more true to the book. Blake’s ideas merely focused on the outfits and her haircare line, which dampened the serious themes of domestic violence,” Senior Zadela Valero said.
Despite the drama between Baldoni and Lively and controversies surrounding Hoover’s novel, Baldoni has made attempts to provide domestic abuse victims by raising awareness about the realities of abusive relationships through the “It Ends With Us” film.
About the Contributors
Lauren Law
staff writer
Lauren Law is a junior at Leland High School who is a staff writer for the Charger Account. She likes to listen to music and hang out with friends. Her favorite artists are SZA and Drake.
August Grinfeld
guest artist
August Grinfeld is a sophomore at Leland High School and a guest artist for the school newspaper. They enjoy creating visual art, voice acting, and learning about science related topics in their free time.
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