It Ends With Us does not trade in subtleties. Visually, it is defined by sequined dresses and star Blake Lively’s gigantic crimson perm. Lively’s character, a florist named Lily Blossom Bloom, says the title of the film out loud .
.. twice.
But a big-screen adaptation of a Colleen Hoover novel is no place to look — or listen — for nuance. The soundtrack’s needle drops are used like narration, often conveying Lily’s emotional state more vividly than the script does. If you happen to run to the bathroom during a pivotal scene, don’t worry, some tune from Spotify’s Sad Girl Autumn playlist will catch you up on what you missed when you return.
Hoover’s book, which is loosely based on her own experiences with domestic violence growing up, was met with equal acclaim and derision when it was released in 2016. Some readers praised the way the author handled touchy subjects, while others claimed the story romanticized abusive relationships. While the film’s screenplay is crafted with a touch more grace than Hoover’s novel, its soundtrack is not.
And while some of those music cues might flirt with glamorizing the heavy topics at hand, the real risk here is taking the audience out of the movie entirely. It Ends With Us ’s song choices are all so literal that it’s difficult to choose which might be the most distracting. Is it the one that plays as the people onscreen start acting out the lyrics? The one sung by the lead actor’s mega-famous best friend? Maybe it.