This article contains mention of domestic abuse.
Summary
- Justin Baldoni changed the ending to It Ends With Us.
- Baldoni explains that the movie's original ending made him and others involved uncomfortable, leading him to make the change.
- The book's optimistic ending was altered to make Ryle confront the consequences of his actions.
Justin Baldoni explains why It Ends With Us changed the ending from the book. Baldoni is the director and star of It Ends With Us, the new romance movie based on the Colleen Hoover novel of the same name. In the film, a woman named Lily gets romantically involved with a neurosurgeon named Ryle, only to find herself caught in an abusive relationship similar to her parents. Blake Lively plays Lily opposite Baldoni's Ryle, with a supporting It Ends With Us cast that includes Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, and Kevin McKidd.
Speaking with TheWrap, Baldoni explained why he changed a key aspect of Ryle's ending in the movie. The director and star revealed that the movie's conclusion was originally different, showing Lily and Ryle having a short conversation after Ryle drops off "their child to Lily." However, he "wasn't fully comfortable" with this ending for the character, noting that it opens up a can of worms question-wise, including whether "a man like Ryle [should] be allowed to co-parent." Check out the full quote from Baldoni below:
In the original draft, we had a scene in the epilogue where we see Ryle dropping off their child to Lily, and they have a short conversation. It was written in a way that showed that they’ve overcome a lot over the last two years.
And I wasn’t fully comfortable with it. And no one wasn’t fully comfortable with it, and we were trying to find a way to make it work, to honor the book, but too much had to be done in such a short window to explain how they could possibly be co-parenting.
I don’t want to open up a can of worms and have a conversation about, you know, should a man like Ryle be allowed to co-parent? You know, what’s an acceptable amount of work that that someone has to do in that situation? It was just way too much.
The truth is, from our research and from our partners, we know that the majority of men go back to being abusers, and that’s the fact. And then it didn’t feel right to tell a story about a man who was a minority in that, because that wouldn’t be honoring the original intention of why we were trying to tell the story.
So the best ending for Ryle was to look at his wife and kid, and the life that he could have had, the life that he blew up, and to walk out the door and for us not see him again. And that was, for me, what felt the best in adapting the book and turning into a film is to say bye to him there.
Why It Ends With Us Ending Change Is Likely A Good One
By removing Ryle's co-parenting part from the movie, the ending change for It Ends With Us entirely shifts the narrative tone for Lily and Ryle. The book's ending could be interpreted as hopeful, emphasizing that the couple has overcome their differences and can move forward in co-parenting after the traumatic events. However, the It Ends With Us movie ending does not give Ryle that sense of optimism, instead forcing the character to confront his awful actions.
Combined with the ending tweaks, Baldoni's adaptation is taking intentional and smart steps to differentiate itself from the book enough to deem the movie version less problematic and controversial.
The treatment of Ryle's character was one of the most highly-contested parts of the controversial It Ends With Us novel. While Hoover's book portrays a story of domestic abuse, some readers felt that it romanticized the abuse plotline in the story, which was especially evident in the fact that it was marketed as a romance novel. Ryle's ending also had similar criticism, with readers feeling like the character was given far too much sympathy.
Related
Between the score and the soundtrack, It Ends With Us pulled together the perfect music to shape the movie's tone and the audience's expectations.
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However, Baldoni changes many elements in the It Ends With Us movie. This includes the main characters' ages by making them in their 30s rather than having a decade gap difference, with the director arguing that the change made the story seem more universal. Combined with the ending tweaks, Baldoni's adaptation is taking intentional and smart steps to differentiate itself from the book enough to deem the movie version less problematic and controversial.
Source: TheWrap
It Ends With Us
Drama
Romance
Based on Colleen Hoover's 2016 novel, It Ends With Us is a drama-romance film directed by Justin Baldoni. The film follows a recent college graduate named Lily, who meets a man named Ryle and falls in love with him. However, a traumatic incident compounded with her former high-school sweetheart re-entering her life complicates her plans.
- Director
- Justin Baldoni
- Release Date
- August 9, 2024
- Studio(s)
- Columbia Pictures , Wayfarer Studios , Saks Picture Company
- Distributor(s)
- Sony Pictures Releasing
- Writers
- Christy Hall , Colleen Hoover
- Cast
- Blake Lively , Justin Baldoni , Brandon Sklenar , Jenny Slate , Hasan Minhaj
- Runtime
- 130 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Romance
