‘Us’ succeeds with sensitivity despite failed marketing, missed opportunities to educate

Colleen Hoover has managed to become one of the most loved and one of the most hated authors in recent years, but that hasn’t deterred her from furthering her success and padding her bank account. On August 9th, the movie adaption of her popular novel, It Ends With Us, was released, sparking controversy. Surprisingly enough, the movie itself wasn’t what was so controversial--other than protagonist Lily Bloom’s questionable fashion sense--it was the drama surrounding it. 

It must be acknowledged that the primary focus of the movie is domestic violence, a topic the movie surprisingly handled with grace. From how easy it was to empathize with Lily, portrayed by Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), to the phenomenal acting displayed by Justin Baldoni (Jane The Virgin), who portrayed Lily’s abusive partner, Ryle Kincaid, It Ends With Us proved to be an emotional rollercoaster that exceeded fan’s expectations. 

Despite this, the marketing of the movie itself fell short, as many of the promotions portrayed Us as a floral-filled romance, disregarding the main topic of domestic violence. Both Lively and Hoover treated the film as though it was any other blockbuster, failing to acknowledge the heartbreakingly common topic of the movie. Lively’s social media even after the release of the film was centered on her floral outfits that embodied the essence of her character, who is a florist, but not once did she acknowledge the movie as anything other than a flowery romance. It wasn’t until August 12, three days after the film’s release, that Lively took to Instagram to provide resources for domestic violence survivors. The official social media accounts of the movie followed suit, also acknowledging the film’s heavy topic, though this should have been done far sooner. 

Baldoni, who not only portrayed Kincaid, but directed the film, was the only one of the three to recognize the movie for what it is: a drama about the reality of intimate violence. From a director’s perspective, Baldoni stated in an interview that he “wanted to make sure this film always had a female gaze and he was never putting himself into it.” It’s care such as this that made the film as powerful as it is, and this point was further proven when Baldoni posted an anonymous text message to his Instagram which read, “I’m leaving 10 years of absolute hell after seeing It Ends With Us, thank you. It ends with me, too.” Baldoni’s promotion of the book for its true colors is how the rest of the cast undoubtedly should have handled their marketing. 

Given Hoover’s history of portraying her books in the media, it’s no surprise that she would glaze over the main theme of the film during promotions of the movie, as it didn’t fit her romance-centered brand. In 2020, Hoover blew up, and her books were seen all over social media. This craze has since dwindled, as any fad does, but part of it has to do with controversy Hoover has faced since gaining popularity. The primary book that readers have dubbed “controversial” is It Ends With Us, because they feel the marketing was insensitive, similar to the movie. Not only that, but many readers claim that the novel glorifies abuse, portraying Ryle as an attractive, sought-after man, rather than the abuser he is. The primary concern with this is that while the book shifts to Lily realizing she’s being abused, many feel that it should have been clarified in the marketing as Hoover’s books have gained a younger audience than anticipated. Many worry that her young, impressionable audience will take Ryle’s behavior as something to be normalized, when it is anything but. 

Others combat this argument, saying that it’s an accurate portrayal of the mind of someone experiencing domestic violence, and feel that the book serves as a reminder that it can be hard to recognize an abusive relationship for its true nature. Regardless, it can’t be denied that Hoover’s marketing tends to be misguided, and the appropriate warnings should be provided. A book in which the main character gets into a seemingly perfect relationship, only to later realize she’s being abused, should never be marketed as a fairytale romance, and the same goes for the movie adaptation.

Less serious, though still strange, is Lively’s continued attempts to promote her husband, Ryan Reynolds’ recent movie, Deadpool and Wolverine. Many have speculated that this is Lively’s attempt to generate the next “Barbenheimer”. In this trend from July of 2023, moviegoers saw Oppenheimer, followed by Barbie, thus resulting in what was dubbed “Barbenheimer,” which fostered much popularity for both movies. Unfortunately for Lively, her attempt to generate further popularity for her husband’s movie failed, and Deadpool and Wolverine’s profits far surpassed that of It Ends with Us. 

The reality is that It Ends With Us isn’t a fun feel-good watch, it’s not the next “Barbenheimer,” and it certainly is not a romance of any form. Treating the movie as such only diminishes its true value, which is that it could help someone in an abusive situation realize the reality of their situation. Not only that, but it can help survivors of domestic violence feel both empowered, and less alone in their struggles. It’s time to reframe how It Ends With Us is viewed; otherwise, what is the point?

by Emma Toney

Published October 7 2024

Oshkosh West Index volume 121 Issue I