The adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us movie has left me with mixed feelings, largely due to some questionable casting choices. I understand that aging up the characters made sense for the storyline—after all, Ryle is a neurosurgeon, and Atlas owns his own restaurant—but the casting of Lily was a major disappointment.
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It Ends With Us Movie Casting Concerns:
Blake Lively as Lily Bloom just didn’t work for me. While she’s a talented actress, Blake looked like she was in her 40s, and all I could see was an older Serena van der Woodsen. Her portrayal of Lily didn’t capture the character’s essence at all—neither in her mannerisms nor in her style.
It felt like she hadn’t read the book and instead based Lily on her own interpretation, which didn’t match the character I knew from the novel. For instance, Lily never said “baby” 100 times in the book, yet Blake’s Lily did, and it was incredibly annoying. Her loud, obnoxious laugh on the rooftop was also completely out of place and took away from the scene’s emotional depth.
I think they could’ve cast someone else as Lily—maybe Abigail cowen or holland Roden . It didn’t have to be someone drastically younger, but someone who could better embody Lily’s character. Blake’s portrayal just didn’t resonate with me, and her outfits didn’t help either—they felt off and didn’t suit Lily at all.
Atlas: A Bright Spot
On a positive note, Atlas was portrayed well by both the younger and older actors. Atlas was my favorite character in the movie. His overprotectiveness and the way he interacted with Lily were spot on, and his delivery was exactly what I hoped for. There’s really nothing bad to say about his character; he was one of the highlights of the film.
Ryle: Surprisingly Good
I have to admit, I was initially against the idea of Justin Baldoni playing Ryle. At first, I didn’t think he fit the character, and I know many people wanted someone like Theo James But I have to say, Justin did a really good job. It makes sense to age up Ryle, and Justin certainly looks like a neurosurgeon. He embodied Ryle well, showing the charm and handsomeness that made viewers almost believe he didn’t mean to do it and that he could change. That’s what the book is all about—how domestic violence victims fall into the same trap over and over. Justin painted that picture perfectly.
Supporting Cast and Details:
Ryle’s sister and her husband were also cast well. Even though she was originally a blonde in the book, I’ll let it slide because she nailed that role. Her personality was spot on, and she even outshone Lily in many scenes. I especially loved her outfits—they were better than Lily’s, which, as I mentioned, I wasn’t a fan of.
Young Atlas and Lily were perfect too; I didn’t see any issues with them. Owen Hunt from Grey’s Anatomy playing Lily’s abusive father made sense and didn’t surprise me at all.
What Was Missing from it ends with us movie
However, there were some crucial elements from the book that were missing in the It Ends With Us movie. The magnet scene, Ryle finding the journals, and most of the scenes with younger Atlas and Lily were all absent. On the rooftop, Ryle didn’t take Lily’s picture, which was a key moment in the book. Additionally, the movie changed the scene where Ryle hits Lily—unlike in the book, where she immediately knows what’s happening, in the movie, she doesn’t realize it until much later. These changes and omissions took away from the depth and emotional impact that the book delivered.
It Ends With Us movie Final Thoughts:
Overall, the It Ends With Us movie was just okay. It did portray the theme of domestic violence well, perhaps even better than the book in some ways. But the book focuses on so many other important themes—first love, building a life, and personal growth—that were lost in the film. With so much missing from the book and the casting issues, I’d say the movie falls short of being a true reflection of the it ends with us book by Colleen hoover.
Movie details and characters
Title: It Ends With Us- Director: Justin Baldoni
- Release Date: august 9, 2024
- Genre: Drama, Romance
- Runtime: 2 hours 11 minutes
- Main Cast:
- Lily Bloom: Blake Lively
- Ryle Kincaid: Justin Baldoni
- Atlas Corrigan (Older): Brandon Sklenar
- Atlas Corrigan (Younger): Alex neustaedtar
- Allysa (Ryle’s Sister): Jenny slate
- Marshall (Allysa’s Husband): Hasan minhaj
- Lily’s Father: Kevin McKidd