It Ends With Us Controversy: The Real Problem With The Movie & Press Tour, Explained

The Take Film TV Movie

Bu video Dailymotion Python SDK ile yüklendi.

Transcript

00:00It ends with us. The new film, based on the TikTok viral book of the same name by Colleen Hoover,

00:05has rocketed to the top of the box office since its release. But most of the movie's press

00:10hasn't actually been about the movie itself. Instead, alleged behind-the-scenes drama has

00:16dominated the headlines and overshadowed the real message of the film. So what's really going on

00:22here? Let's take a moment to separate the production's problems from the movie's problems

00:26and analyze how they've intersected and sparked their own issues. Plus, we'll actually dive into

00:32the real important message that's getting lost in all of the drama.

00:36God, I love you. I know, I love you too. What's the problem?

00:41It ends with us became a huge viral hit on BookTok, so no one was surprised when it was eventually

00:46optioned to be turned into a film. It ends with us by Colleen Hoover has sold 8 million copies

00:52and is currently number one on the New York Times paperback bestsellers list.

00:57As with every adaptation, there were initial worries from fans that the movie would make

01:01huge changes to the characters or just not live up to the story they had imagined in their minds

01:07while reading. You know, a lot of times adaptations get a lot of flack for not sticking to the book,

01:13and I really feel like this one has been very faithful. On the flip side, people who did not

01:18think the book handled its themes well were worried that the film would come across as totally

01:23glamorizing and abusive relationship in the vein of some other big hits. But the actual drama that's

01:29ended up happening around the film isn't really quite what anyone had anticipated. Whispers of a

01:35rift between star and producer Blake Lively and director and producer Justin Baldoni began as soon as

01:41the promotional tour started, as people began to realize that the pair were never together during

01:46interviews or other promo. All of the cast seemed to be separated from Baldoni, and he was left to do

01:52interviews by himself. He even hired a crisis PR firm that has worked with some pretty shady

01:57characters in the past, which isn't a great look. And Blake has been hit with an avalanche of

02:02criticism for her behavior as well. But it seems that all of the issues began much earlier during

02:07the film's production. Apparently much of the rift stems from disagreements on how the story should play

02:13out, lading to two separate cuts of the film being made, with Lively's winning out in the end. But it

02:18seems she also had her husband Ryan Reynolds come in and rewrite parts of the script too, unbeknownst to

02:25the actual screenwriter. We worked together so much that the iconic rooftop scene in this movie,

02:29my husband actually wrote it. Nobody knows that but you now. Initially, there were reports that the fight

02:34was over Blake's desired change to the ending, which we'll explain in a moment. But actually,

02:38Baldoni agreed that the change was good. So it seems that the real rift came from elsewhere.

02:44The focus of the press tour has been odd as well, to say the least. While Baldoni has been more direct

02:50about the content and message of the film, that is, it being a harrowing story of a woman getting

02:55pulled into and trying to escape from an abusive relationship.

02:58The question that's always asked is, why did she stay? And that's the wrong question.

03:03What we need to be asking ourselves is, why do men harm?

03:06Blake, on the other hand, has seemed to be avoiding the topic nearly completely,

03:11to the point that many feel she's been dismissive of the larger message of the film,

03:15instead preferring to focus on getting to use best friend Taylor Swift's music in the film,

03:19and her red carpet fashion.

03:21Your floral fashion continues flourishing this whole press tour. How much fun are you having

03:25with these best?

03:26It's so pretty. Look at it. You guys are not getting it in the shot.

03:30As more and more people began to point out just how incongruent the press tour has been

03:34with the darker content of the film,

03:36He's making a list and checking it twice. Grab your red coats and come see my new movie,

03:41Schindler's List, starring a hunk with a very particular set of skills, Liam Neeson.

03:45Lively did eventually post some information about domestic violence to her Instagram stories.

03:51Some have pointed out that much of the promo on Lively and Reynolds' parts seem to be some

03:55kind of attempt to recreate the Barbenheimer phenomenon from last summer,

03:59as the release coincides with a new Deadpool movie. But no one's really taking the bait.

04:04While all of the drama surrounding and overshadowing the real story of the film has bothered book fans,

04:09it's also led to other audience members having no idea what to expect when going into the film.

04:14Because so much of the promo has framed it as more of a straight-up romance,

04:19some are going into the film unaware of the much darker themes they'll be encountering.

04:24So let's take a deeper look at the actual story and how the rollout of the film has done it a

04:29disservice. The film, like the book, follows Lily Bloom, who owns a flower shop, as she becomes

04:34trapped in an abusive relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle. There were some changes to

04:39the characterizations for the film. For example, both were aged up, especially Lily,

04:43who was only 23 in the book. And while book Lily was more financially beholden to Ryle,

04:49movie Lily seems much more well-off judging by her incredibly expensive wardrobe.

04:53This all does change the dynamic between the two, shifting it away from the more obvious

04:58power dynamics of the age and finance gaps. But it doesn't actually make the relationship

05:02any less realistic. Independent, strong, and capable people are just as able to get pulled

05:08into abusive relationships as anyone else. There is often a thought that one can be too smart or

05:14too tough to allow oneself to get into that kind of situation. But that's faulty thinking,

05:20because that's just not how real life works. Predators are able to find holes in even the

05:25strongest of armor and use that to their advantage.

05:28And that's the thing with abusers. They have tactics to get to your heartstrings and make

05:35you stay. And the seed for this story apparently came from Hoover watching this play out in her own

05:40life, watching her mother grapple with and eventually escape the abuse of her father.

05:44My first memory of being alive, and I remember my sister and I hiding in our bedroom, and I peeked out

05:52right as my dad threw a TV at my mom.

05:54She wondered how and why someone as strong as her mother could get stuck in such a relationship,

05:59and attempted to use fiction as a way to better understand the situation.

06:03This has been a big point of contention with the book and now the film. Is it glamorizing the abuser,

06:09or just attempting to really unpack how these kinds of people are able to, for a time,

06:14present themselves as glamorous and alluring to pull in their victims?

06:18And it's so hard when it's sprinkled in at first, and then it builds and it builds,

06:23and then you start to believe that it's you and you go through all these emotions and all this

06:27mental struggle. It's not as black and white as going, you commit DV, screw you, I'm leaving.

06:32Many believed that, even if it was attempting to show how abusers hide their true colors and play

06:37as charming, the book went too far in romanticizing Ryle, especially with the ending being that Lily

06:43allows him to stay in their child's life so that they can co-parent. Thankfully, that ending was

06:48changed for the film. The film does seem to showcase the parts of Ryle that drew Lily in while unpacking

06:55the reality of how such a relationship can make you question if things are really that bad, even when

07:00they clearly are, without romanticizing it or him too much.

07:05I personally believe that they romanticized the abuse in the beginning of the movie for a reason,

07:13to confuse you, to make you constantly have to remind yourself that he was an abuser. He is an abuser.

07:19Yes, he is wooing her. Yes, he is really good looking. Yes, he's doing all these amazing things,

07:25and he is an abuser. But that just makes the trailers framing it as a regular romance story,

07:31the promo tour, and the general refusal to engage with the grittier sides of the story

07:36all the more odd. To some degree, one could argue that the promo might just be a poorly done attempt

07:42to mirror the abuse scenario that plays out in the film, drawing in viewers with romance and steamy

07:48times, only to confront them with something much darker. But if so, that is a pretty messed up way to

07:54promote a film, for the obvious reasons and because people should absolutely be able to

07:59have prior knowledge of that kind of content taking place within a film before they go in,

08:04so that they can prepare themselves for it. There needed to be disclaimers before the movie

08:08and before the book. I felt like I was hit by a train. I was so caught off guard because I went into

08:14it thinking that I was going to read a girly pop love story. And they shouldn't have to hunt down a

08:19spoiler synopsis to find out about it. It's unfortunate that, given that those involved with the film did

08:24seem to see where the book went off course and worked to fix it to some degree, that everything

08:29has so completely fallen apart in the promotion of the film. It Ends With Us was a great opportunity

08:35to elevate awareness about domestic violence and really open up a larger conversation around the

08:40reality of how one can become ensnared in such a situation and why it can be so difficult to leave.

08:47Domestic abuse affects so many women across the country every day. According to the National

08:52Domestic Violence Hotline, intimate partner violence alone affects more than 12 million people

08:57every year. And one in four women have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate

09:02partner in their lifetime. And because it isn't talked about enough, women often feel ashamed or

09:07like they have no way out. So the promo around this film would have been a great time for everyone

09:12involved, especially the biggest star on the project, to really open up the conversation and uplift

09:18affected voices. There is nothing weak or embarrassing about finding oneself in an abusive

09:23relationship, and it takes a lot of strength to realize it, and a lot of resilience to pull oneself

09:28out. Domestic abuse isn't just a plotline in a summer blockbuster. It's a real issue, and you aren't alone.

09:35That's the take! Click here to watch the video we think you'll love, or here to check out a whole

09:39playlist of awesome content. Don't forget to subscribe and turn on notifications.

09:44And make sure to subscribe to our Patreon for exclusive new videos.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended