'It Ends With Us' Reviews: "Justin Baldoni’s film adaptation uses an ace script and stellar performances -- particularly that of lead Blake Lively -- to elevate Colleen Hoover’s story to its cinematic peak"

         On August 9, 2024, Columbia Pictures releases 'It Ends With Us', which has received predominantly positive reviews from critics, currently holding fresh at 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, which is based on the bestselling novel by Colleen Hoover, a woman that had a traumatic childhood must choose between her first love and her current boyfriend, a neurosurgeon that is comparable to that of her parents. The ensemble cast includes Blake Lively, Jenny Slate, Justin Baldoni, Hasan Minhaj, Amy Morton, and Brandon Sklenar. Read the full review round-up below.

        Jonathan Sim of ComingSoon.net writes, "The film’s theme of how abuse occurs in generational cycles is powerful as we see Lily’s aim to break the cycle that exists so commonly in the world. All we can do throughout is hope that it ends with her."

        Carla Hay of Culture Mix praises the film, stating, "Talented performances from the principal cast members give emotional resonance to the melodrama in It Ends With Us. This worthy book adaptation effectively shows how abuse and generational trauma can be toxic when mixed with love and loyalty." Continuing, "Alyssa and Marshall are the movie’s occasional comic relief on the surface. But the more sobering reality is that Alyssa and Marshall are so busy trying to impress people by doing their own version of curating the “perfect couple” image, they don’t see signs when people close to them might be hurting. There are complicated ways to look at what Alyssa and Marshall should or should not do, considering the fact that Lily and Ryle are adults who responsible for their own lives and their own choices. Lily’s mother Jenny represents the choices that people make to stay in an abusive relationship and how those decisions can affect children who are involved. Morton gives a wonderfully nuanced performance as a mother who is emotionally wounded and desperate for love and affection wherever she can get it—even if it means putting up with a loved one being awful to her. Jenny doesn’t fully comprehend or understand that Lily has been avoiding her partly out of resentment for Jenny staying in abusive marriage and partly because Jenny represents a past that Lily wants to forget."

         Lena Wilson of IGN Movies says, "It Ends with Us is an occasionally schlocky and saccharine novel, but Justin Baldoni’s film adaptation uses an ace script and stellar performances -- particularly that of lead Blake Lively -- to elevate Colleen Hoover’s story to its cinematic peak." Adding, "That’s not to say that this film isn’t, like its source material, occasionally ridiculous. It is. But you’re more likely to laugh your way through the ridiculousness than you are to cringe at it, and you might even catch yourself tearing up."

         Benjamin Lee of Guardian says, "It’s a plot of hackneyed soap tropes but there’s a real maturity to how it unfolds, a story of abuse that’s far less obvious than we’ve grown accustomed to, the details far knottier than some might be comfortable with." Concluding, "Taken with 2015’s Age of Adaline, an underrated high-concept sleeper of equally grand sentiment, Lively seems determined to reintroduce the kind of melodrama that we haven’t seen an awful lot of in recent years – or at least we haven’t seen it done as well as it is here. She’s a warm and instinctive performer and has distinct, effective chemistry with her two male leads (a younger version of her character, played by Isabela Ferrer, is an eerily perfect physical choice) as well as with her best friend, played by a winning Jenny Slate."

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