When Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni were announced as the leads of Colleen Hoover’s hit novel, “It Ends with Us,” the internet exploded. Lively, a star since “Gossip Girl,” and Baldoni, the heartthrob of “Jane the Virgin,” couldn’t have been more appealing to Hoover’s romance-obsessed fandom. However, days after the film’s release, speculation stirred on the behind-the-scenes drama and Lively’s pristine reputation slowly tanked.

 

“It Ends with Us” follows Lily Bloom (Lively), a budding florist in Boston that falls for Ryle (Baldoni), a neurosurgeon. The two start dating, move in together and get married as Ryle grows aggressive and, eventually, outright abusive. Through this, Lily’s first love, Atlas, arrives back in the picture, revealing himself as the reason Lily moved to Boston. Lily grapples with breaking the cycle of domestic abuse she was raised in as she faces Ryle’s behavior, ultimately escaping him.

 

I saw the film with my mom in one of those oddly fancy movie theaters, where the seats are not only extendable, but heated. Both of us had read the book (a key factor for analysis). My first thought upon the movie’s start was: Who wears a black leather pantsuit to a funeral? My second thought was: How old is Blake Lively supposed to be? But as the plot thickened, I focused up. I found the film to be, as a whole, entertaining. There were undeniable elements of interest — a star-studded cast, plot twists and turns and a recognizable soundtrack. There was character development in not only Lily, but Ryle, presenting an often underdeveloped angle of abusive characters. The dialogue was uncomfortably cheesy but expected of a Colleen Hoover novel adaptation. It deserved the solid viewership numbers it received.

 

Where the project went wrong was not necessarily in the film itself, but its awkward marketing and horrific PR. Lively and Baldoni were never seen side by side during the premiere, didn’t conduct a single interview together and every cast member supposedly unfollowed Baldoni on Instagram — including Hoover. Lively took the bulk of the fall for diverting questions, serious or not, with a fluffy reply on the film’s “florals” and “romance,” while mentioning her newly released hair product line. In one online clip, an interviewer asks how fans who have experienced domestic violence might reach Lively, given the plotline of the film, and she responded, “Are you asking for my address, or my phone number … or I could just location share you.” While she then followed this quote with a more sincere answer, her inability to answer seriously on the first attempt left viewers with an uneasy feeling.

 

Clips and quotes surfaced attacking Lively’s character, and the questions surrounding the movie became “What do you think of Blake Lively?” instead of “What did you think of ‘It Ends with Us’?” Her downfall serves as a fresh reminder to Hollywood — people care a lot less about if you’re a celebrity and more about if you’re making good choices. The choices made to market “It Ends with Us” were far from good, and Lively has since paid the price.