Netflix just added a major new movie to the popular streaming service. "It Ends with Us" was one of this year's most-anticipated releases for many people. Starring Blake Lively and based on a 2016 Colleen Hoover novel of the same, this romantic drama seemed destined for success.
By one measure, it absolutely succeeded. The movie brought in $350 million at the box office, making it one of 2024's biggest hits. And yet, by another measure, this movie may have missed the mark. Namely, many people didn't like it. The movie scored a meager 58% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Some also criticized it for its handling of the sensitive subject matter that the movie's plot is centered around — more on that later.
So now that it's crashed the top 10 and is the No. 1 movie on Netflix, let's dive into what "It Ends with Us" is all about and whether or not you should watch this polarizing motion picture.
What is 'It Ends with Us' about?
"It Ends with Us" is based on the popular Colleen Hoober novel of the same name. It stars Blake Lively as Lily Bloom, who has a meet-cute with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni). Before they can fully hit it off, he has to dash, but they meet again at Allysa's (Jenny Slate) birthday party, a woman who Lily hired to work out her flower shop, only to discover that she is Ryle's sister.
Unfortunately, this isn't quite a happy-ever-after love story. Ryle is abusive and it causes Lily pain, both emotionally and physically. Further complicating things is Lily reconnecting with her high school sweetheart Atlas (Brandon Sklenar), who is the head chef at the restaurant where she and Ryle go on their first date. Atlas knows of Lily's history with abusive men, and when he spots signs of Ryle's abusive behavior, he begs her to leave him.
What do critics and audiences say about 'It Ends with Us'?
OK, so the elephant in the room is a big one. If you've suffered an abusive relationship yourself, maybe skip this movie.
Granted, you may find it a cathartic or healing experience. In their review for Time Out, Phil de Semlyen gave it a largely positive review, saying, "This smart and sensitive movie version will more than satisfy the millions who’ve picked it up and found a bible of sorts for abuse survivors."
But others felt that its handling of domestic abuse missed the mark. In their review for The Blu Spot, Jeff Beck derided the movie's portrayal of domestic violence, calling it "clumsily handled in a story that's buried under a pile of cliches & extreme coincidences, resulting in a romantic drama that lacks the necessary ingredients to engage its audience."
Setting that aside, critics in general were mixed on the movie. However, audiences were not. While some critics panned the movie for poor dialogue and failed to plumb the depths of its source material, most audiences were satisfied with the adaption. It currently holds a 90% "Popcornmeter" audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is no small feat to accomplish.
So, in short, if you've personally suffered through domestic violence or find the subject matter triggering, you should perhaps tread carefully with this movie. But in general, it seems that this romantic drama is largely what fans of the genre want, even if it wasn't what critics hoped for. So feel free to watch it now, and then check out our picks for the five best movies like 'It Ends With Us' to stream right now.
Stream “It Ends with Us” on Netflix right now.
