★★★★½ out of 5 -- Rated: PG-13 -- Run time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
On Wednesday night, I went to a preview screening of the new romantic drama “It Ends with Us.”
As the film is based on the best-selling novel by Colleen Hoover that’s sold over 4 million copies and has been translated into more than 20 languages, I figured the open-to-the-public event would be popular. It was.
Every seat was filled and the 70% female audience was riveted, despite the failure of the theater’s air conditioning and a temporary breakdown of the projector 10 minutes into the show.
I got the distinct sense this movie is going to be popular. One note: I saw the film not having read the book and will be mindful about giving away too many plot points.
Former “Gossip Girl” star Blake Lively plays Lily Bloom, a single woman with a bit of a Helen Hunt vibe who returns to her hometown for the funeral of her father. We get the sense there’s a lot of tension regarding her dad and mom, but those reasons will be revealed later.
Lily goes back to Boston and ponders her life while sitting on the rooftop of a luxury apartment building, where she encounters a handsome, brooding neurosurgeon named Ryle who seems to have an aversion to shaving.
The stubbly bad-boy doctor is played by Justin Baldoni from the TV series “Jane the Virgin.” Baldoni also directed the film and crafted. an effective, sexually-charged scene where the two quickly get to know each other.
In this initial chat, Lily reveals she lost her virginity back in high school to a troubled fellow student named Atlas whom she hasn’t heard from in years. Hmmm. I wonder if Atlas will reappear in the story? (He does, and is played by very likable Brandon Sklenar from the “Yellowstone” spin-off series “1923.”)
Lily decides to open a flower shop, which allows for the introduction of her new best friend -- a slightly neurotic woman played by the scene-stealing Jenny Slate who you might remember as a cast member on SNL and who is also the co-creator and voice of the popular Marcel the Shell with Shoes On children’s character. She’s a delightful bundle of neuroses who utters lines like, “A normal person would just leave and go to therapy.”
The script by Christy Hall (whose credits include “Daddio”) smoothly slides back and forth in time to follow the relationship between the teenaged Lily and Atlas (Isabela Ferrer & Alex Neustaedter) as well as Lily’s budding romance with the doctor.
As a director, Baldoni has created a very visual, stylish film filled with incredible apartments, beautiful restaurants, lots of sparkly dresses, and some wild footwear. Even more impressive is his subtle touch in creating ambiguity regarding what happens in some pivotal scenes, reflecting the denial the character of Lily is experiencing.
“It Ends with Us” has a lot to take in: Passion, love, jealousy, and the awful toll of being in an abusive relationship.
Although I didn’t completely buy some aspects of the ending, this is certainly one of those movies you’ll be thinking about and discussing after leaving the theater.
