Walking into the movie theater to watch It Ends with Us, I didn’t have high expectations, especially considering the backlash it’s been getting on social media and the drama surrounding Blake Lively. Many people on TikTok have criticized the movie, claiming the quality was subpar with subpar performances. 

     Throughout the movie, I found the acting quite disappointing at some points. I thought Blake Lively lacked emotion and found her a little cringe inducing in some moments. I thought the story was well written and overall had a good message about domestic violence, but the performances were not believable enough to sell me on the film. In my opinion, the actors were too old for the part, considering they were much younger in the book. Blake Lively is 35, while Lily, the character in the book, is 23, so her performance didn’t feel as real as it should have felt. 

     Besides all the negatives, I liked how director, Justin Baldoni, villainized the character Ryle  and didn’t glorify domestic violence. Domestic violence is a topic that isn’t discussed enough and I was happy to see a movie exemplifying the danger of being in that situation. The movie showed that it is possible to walk away from domestic violence and that there is hope for yourself if you are in a similar situation.

     I would give the movie a three out of five star rating. Even though the film showcased  disappointing performances, the message was still well told. I did like how it was based on a book and I encourage people to read it. Personally, I think if they were to redo the film, I believe the casting directors should find a new cast to portray these characters.