It Ends With Us: The Press Tour Stole The Show

Originally a bestselling novel written by Colleen Hoover, this movie focuses on the story of Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) who aims to start a new chapter in her life. While falling in love with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni), she discovers his troubling side. Eventually, Lily finds herself both grappling with her past and struggling in her present.

The PR nightmare of the press tour has sullied the reputation of this movie, which is unfortunate because it was better than I anticipated. I've heard commentary from others who believe that this movie glamorized abuse, but I would disagree. I think it discussed heavy themes like domestic violence with both care and transparency. Blake Lively masterfully personified the resilience and heartbreak of being an abuse survivor. She had to carefully balance her desires: her love for Ryle and her need for personal respect. The movie didn't shy away from revealing the emotional and psychological trauma involved in these experiences.

While Lily's relationship with Ryle progresses, she's reminded of and reunited with her first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar). We discover their relationship in flashbacks, which I didn't love. For some reason, it felt like I was disassociating further from the story rather than becoming more deeply ensconced in it. The flashbacks just seemed abrupt, and weren't smoothly transitioned in. Because of that, I had a difficult time believing in the chemistry between their younger selves.

Adding onto my qualms about this movie was the limited inclusion of Lily's father. He was instrumental in her development but was hardly shown on screen. That might be because his impression wasn't a good one on her and she'd rather not associate with it, however I don't feel that it should've been minimized like it was. Especially since her opinion of him was so impactful in her adult life. Aside from minor issues, I overall enjoyed watching this movie which still surprises me. I had my preconceived ideas that it would be terrible, but joke's on me. It portrayed emotional depth very clearly and explored how navigating past complexities can ultimately help in making decisions about one's future. And she took it in her own hands.