Film Review: It Ends With Us

Dear friends and colleagues, After a few moments of watching this film, extreme discomfort set in. Marketed in the "romance genre," many will see "It Ends With Us" over the holiday weekend. The film offers an alarming resolution. Women and children die at the hands of batterers, and holiday periods can be perilous. The resolve offered in this film cannot be trusted in the real world.

by SaraKay Smullens, MSW, LCSW, DCSW, CGP, CFLE, BCD

“I want people to devour my books in one sitting because the storyline and dialogue are too gripping to put down. I don’t try to write heavy books that educate, inform, and impress. My only goal is to entertain, and hopefully that’s what I’m doing.” Colleen Hoover 

What follows is a review of the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel, It Ends With Us, which addresses domestic violence. It is not a review of the book the film is based on, which I have not read. Hoover has fully endorsed all aspects of the film, describing herself as “extremely happy“ with its completion, and á la Hitchcock, is seen in a fleeting scene.   

After an introduction to Hoover, a remarkable social media genius with a strong presence on BookTok, I will discuss the film in detail. Its positives—all discussion of domestic violence leading to societal and personal awareness is meaningful. Plus, the acting and set/costume design of the film, even when in contradiction to the character portrayed, provides a gifted ensemble and A-plus entertainment/diversion until, as the drama unfolds, discomfort sets in. The film’s dangers—it presents an over-simplification of the complex topic of domestic (or intimate partner) violence, where the circumstances of the woman abused and her path to peaceful resolve offered in the film are pure fantasy.     

Colleen Hoover has seen domestic violence up close. Her earliest memory is being awakened at age two by screaming as she witnessed her dad throwing a television set at her mom, who subsequently divorced him. Hoover’s followers are aware of her respect for, devotion to, and cherishment of her mom, echoed by their matching heart shaped tattoos inside their wrists.

Read the full review on socialworker.com