Trigger/content Warning: This article mentions domestic violence. Please proceed with caution if you are sensitive to these topics. If you believe you or a loved one are at risk, feel free to call or text the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE), open 24/7.

The film It Ends With Us debuted in theaters on Aug. 9, directed by Justin Baldoni and featuring a screenplay by Christy Hall. The film stars several household names, most notably Blake Lively who plays the main character Lily Bloom.

Shortly after its release, the movie appeared to be a major hit, quickly grossing approximately $344.6 million– though not for the reasons one might expect. With an average rating of 57%—largely reflecting extreme opinions that balanced each other out—the release was riddled with controversy and poor promotional decisions made by both Lively and the film’s marketing team.

Based on the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover, It Ends With Us touches on many sensitive topics, including domestic violence. The novel follows the story of Lily, the owner of a flower shop. Having witnessed her mother fall victim to the patterns of domestic abuse as a child, Lily must choose to break this negative cycle when it happens to her.

“Her books usually touch upon more sensitive topics, not fairytales,” said junior Emma Wang, when asked about the material Hoover writes about.

The controversy stemmed from Lively’s refusal to recognize the film’s events as serious topics that require careful discussion and support for other victims of domestic abuse, portraying It Ends With Us as a lighthearted romantic movie to watch with friends.

“Grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it,” Lively exclaimed in a promotional TikTok that garnered over 32 million views. Many thought that this statement came off as tone-deaf and represented a misunderstanding on Lively’s part. Others were more willing to believe it was just a simple oversight.

Unfortunately, this pattern continued as Lively began her press tour–most notably separate from her co-star and the film’s director, Baldoni– which was overshadowed by her attempts to promote her products. Not only did she release her hair care line, Blake Brown, but also promoted her beverage company, Betty Buzz, featuring several It Ends With Us inspired cocktails. The cocktail ‘Ryle You Wait” drew additional criticism, as it was named after the abusive character from the film, Ryle Kincaid. 

“I remember the hair care line was a big topic for discussion because people started commenting about the terrible hair [Lively] had in the film,” said junior Alycia Lu, agreeing, however, that it was a strange topic to discuss in a film about domestic violence.  

This, along with her tone and responses in other promotional videos, led Lively’s critics to point out how dismissive she appeared to be about a film that addressed sensitive topics such as those in It Ends With Us. Much of the promotional material released involves Lively discussing the outfit choices in the film (most of which came from her closet) and bonding over zodiac signs with her co-stars. 

While this appears to be just one instance where Lively could not match the tone of her interviews and promotional material, the past weeks have uncovered more controversies she has faced over the years. These include an interview that depicted Lively ignoring the interviewer– an incident that reportedly made the interviewer “want to quit [her] job”– as well as her decision to get married on a plantation (which has negative connotations stemming from slavery). Lively has yet to address the controversies, though she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, have previously apologized for the plantation wedding. 

“The most interesting part was how quickly Lively’s social standing changed afterward,” said Lu, adding that she thought the controversy was “kind of silly.”

Meanwhile, Hoover’s 2022 release, Reminders of Him, has been selected by Universal Pictures for adaptation into a film. As with most of Hoover’s novels, it will feature a somewhat controversial topic (this time, a woman who has caused the death of her boyfriend in a drunk driving incident); only time will tell how this will be addressed.