“A DRAMATIC TALE OF ROMANCE, JEALOUSY AND DOMESTIC ABUSE”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
IT ENDS WITH US is well acted. However, the script has too many coincidences in it. This undermines the movie’s credibility and quality. Also, two scenes in the third act seem to contradict the emotional thrust of the movie’s moral message against domestic abuse. That said, the movie’s moral condemnation of domestic abuse makes some important points and accurate descriptions about the issue. However, IT ENDS WITH US offers a secular, somewhat feminist perspective and solution. It also has a secular, feminist position on romantic relationships, living together and marriage. IT ENDS WITH US also has lots of foul language. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution.
CONTENT:
Mixed pagan worldview with a Romantic, feminist, humanist, and rather secular perspective on romance, marriage and domestic abuse, though movie is strongly opposed morally to domestic abuse, plus an engaged couple seems to have a Christian marriage ceremony, and there’s a slightly Christian funeral service that, however, is cut short abruptly, but there’s no other Christian content;
About 13 obscenities (including one “f” word), one profanity about Jesus, three GD profanities, 26 light profanities, and five “h” words during a song over the end credits;
Man accidentally hits wife on the side of head when he cuts his hand during an oven accident but then pushes her downstairs during an argument, man fight with his wife’s former high school lover in the other man’s restaurant when the ex-boyfriend sees the woman’s bruise on the side of her head, high school boyfriend tells girlfriend his mother hooks up with guys who beat her, and she can relate because her father beats up her mother, and father beats up daughter’s boyfriend, sending him to the hospital, when he catches them in bed together, and references to a young boy accidently being shot dead by his young brother while they’re playing with a real gun;
Implied fornication between two adults and two older high school students, scenes of passionate kissing, unmarried couple lives together before getting married, and implied incestuous rape in one scene;
Upper male nudity shown in at least one scene;
Some alcohol use;
Brief smoking but no drugs; and,
Man becomes consumed by jealousy, and a character makes a comment that a pregnant woman can choose to abort her unexpected baby if she wishes, but the woman keeps the baby.
MORE DETAIL:
IT ENDS WITH US is a romantic drama about domestic abuse where the female owner of a new flower shop in Boston begins a romantic relationship with a neurosurgeon, but their growing relationship faces a big challenge when the woman’s high school boyfriend shows up after eight years, and the neurosurgeon gets jealous and suspicious. Though well-acted, IT ENDS WITH US has too many coincidences, which undermines the movie’s quality, and offers a secular, somewhat feminist perspective and solution on the issue of domestic abuse, and a secular, feminist view of romantic relationships and marriage.
The movie opens with Lily Bloom traveling to her small hometown in Maine to attend her father’s funeral. Lily is supposed to give the eulogy, but when it comes time to say the words, she can’t even list one good thing about her father. So, she leaves the funeral ceremony and returns to Boston, where she’s about to open a new flower shop named Lily’s Blooms.
Before turning her store property into a flower shop, Lily has an accidental meeting with a handsome neurosurgeon named Ryle. Sparks fly between them, but Lily is reluctant for the relationship to go any further. Especially when Ryle gets a medical emergency call and has to leave.
A few days pass. Lily completes the deal for owning her property. The first day she starts cleaning up the property, a young married woman, Allysa, enters the shop. The two get to talking, strike up a friendship, and Lily hires Allysa to work there.
The first day the shop opens, Allysa’s husband, Marshall, and her brother stop by the shop. In the first of several coincidences, the brother turns out to be none other than Ryle, the neurosurgeon. Ryle also turns out to be Lily’s first customer. He sends the flowers he orders to be sent right back to Lily, with a clever note.
Lily and Ryle begin dating and eventually start living together. As their relationship grows, the movie flashes back to Lily’s first serious boyfriend in high school, a homeless boy named Atlas. He tells Lily that he left his alcoholic single mother’s house because she kept hooking up with guys who beat her. Lily can relate to his story because her own father hits her mother.
As time passes between Lily and Ryle, Atlas unexpectedly re-enters Lily’s life. He’s owner of a successful restaurant in Boston, just as Lily’s flower shop is now becoming successful.
The rest of the movie reveals how Lily and Atlas traumatically lost track of one another. When Ryle learns about Atlas, he becomes jealous and suspicious. Lily reassures him, however, that she loves only him. Circumstances intervene and more secrets are revealed. For example, the movie reveals why Lily couldn’t say anything positive about her father. The answer to that question led directly to Lily and Atlas losing track of one another.
Eventually, the movie becomes a drama about the causes and effects of domestic abuse. It also includes some thoughts about how best to handle situations of domestic abuse.
IT ENDS WITH US is well acted, but the script has too many coincidences in it. This undermines the movie’s credibility and quality. IT ENDS WITH US also has two scenes in the third act that seem to contradict the emotional thrust of the movie’s message against domestic abuse.
That said, the movie’s moral condemnation of domestic abuse makes some important points and accurate descriptions about the issue. For instance, domestic abuse can and often does have a generational impact on children. Also, once a person starts abusing his or her spouse or family, it often tragically becomes a habit.
However, IT ENDS WITH US offers a secular, somewhat feminist perspective and solution on the issue. It also has a secular, feminist position on romantic relationships, living together and marriage. So, the movie’s moral condemnation of domestic abuse isn’t as strong as it could be, especially from a biblical perspective. Romance and marriage are hard enough if the people involved don’t have a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and a biblical perspective on romance, marriage and the relationship between a husband and a wife. IT ENDS WITH US also has lots of foul language, including several strong expletives and many light exclamatory profanities. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution.