The book ‘It Ends With Us’ by Colleen Hoover is an international best-seller with over 8 million copies being sold worldwide and 140 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list. Now, the Hollywood adaptation has hit theatres – but the buzz may not be what producers were hoping for.
‘It Ends With Us’ has come with controversy. The story surrounds aspiring florist Lily Bloom, played by Blake Lively in the screen adaptation, and her experience of domestic violence with her current husband Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) – as well as her past relationship with her childhood love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Kkelnar) the homeless boy she bonded with, whose mother kicked him out of the house due to her abusive boyfriend while Lily’s mother was also being abused by her husband (Lily’s father). Lily later leaves her own husband Ryle following the birth of their daughter to ensure her daughter doesn’t go through this same cycle of abuse hence the title ‘It Ends With Us’.
The reason this book is often seen as problematic is because of Hoover’s approach to domestic abuse including the detailed violence within the book alongside many claiming that she romanticizes domestic abuse. This was further exacerbated by Hoover’s announcement that she was releasing an ‘It Ends With Us’ colouring book which sparked outrage with social media users claiming that this romanticised domestic violence. Hoover then responded to these comments claiming she could see how this was ‘tone-deaf’ and the project was then cancelled.
It is not surprising that fans of the best-seller were excited when it was announced that ‘It Ends With Us’ was going to become a film, however, many were very unhappy with the choice of casting feeling it wasn’t true to the book with the characters being aged up in contrast to the original novel.
When reflecting on the film itself, while the incidences of domestic violence come across as very real, raw and difficult to watch at points (much like the book that is difficult to read at points), the film feels very idealised and glossy through the Hollywood lens. For example, the fact that the main character named Lily Blossom Bloom just happens to be an aspiring florist with the addition of the extensive use of flowers in the film’s visuals alongside her eccentric wardrobe and rich attractive neurosurgeon husband who is consistently shirtless. It just feels like the issue of domestic violence is being sugar-coated by these factors and this is something that has been picked up on before by readers of the original book who as previously mentioned feel domestic abuse has been romanticized in the story. It is also important to note the lack of trigger warnings for the film which may lead to viewers unfamiliar with the plot becoming distressed by some scenes. It seems that this film adaptation has only further romanticised the original book with the addition of this glossy Hollywood lens alongside the marketing campaign that has the tone of a light-hearted chick flick.
The marketing surrounding the ‘It Ends With Us’ motion picture has been very controversial, this is mainly because it has been deceptive of the true message of the film and original story. While the reality of the film surrounds the heavy subject of domestic abuse, it comes across as a light-hearted rom-com involving a love triangle-type scenario within the promotional campaigns. Furthermore, the subject of domestic abuse has been rarely discussed in any interviews or promotional materials for the movie. The extensive use of florals throughout the marketing campaign highlights this. It is clear that the focus is wrong and rather than centring advertising around Lily Bloom’s passion for flowers because it looks pretty, they should have focused on the very real and serious issue of domestic abuse. It definitely seems like a missed opportunity to spread awareness. Furthermore, Lively’s comment “grab your friends and wear your florals” in a promotional video similarly doesn’t fit with the heart of the film nor does it seem appropriate when considering the heavy topics at hand and Lively has been extensively critiqued online as a result of this. Also, when looking at posters for the film Lively is central to these, making her seem like a figure of celebrity endorsement in which her famous name is being used to persuade people to go and see the film rather than letting the message of the film speak for itself.
