It Ends With Us, the new film adapted from Colleen Hoover’s 2016 best selling novel, is a cautionary tale. For some, it may even be instructive.

The “it” in the title is the cycle of spousal abuse which sometimes continues through generations. The movie does have many light moments and some semi-steamy romance but there’s also a dark undercurrent. 

Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) is a thirtysomething Bostonian who returns home to Maine after her father’s death. At his funeral when she is asked to say a few words about him, she has nothing. Why? It is soon revealed that her father was physically abusive to her mom.

Lily meets Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) a Boston surgeon and a slowly simmering romance ensues. Lily gets signs that Ryle has a temper. In fact the first thing she sees him do is kick a chair in anger. 

Lily opens a flower shop and her first employee Allyssa (Jenny Slate) just happens to be Ryle’s sister who shares insight into her brother’s behavior.

Meanwhile, Lily’s old boyfriend from her hometown Atlas (Brandon Sklenar) reappears in her life when she and Ryle dine in his (Atlas’s) new restaurant. When Lily shows up later at Atlas’s joint with a bit of a shiner, the result of an overreaction by Ryle to a kitchen disaster, Atlas confronts Ryle. When Ryle later discovers that Atlas has given her his phone number in case of trouble, he gets upset again.

Lily has flashbacks to life back in Maine and the tension in her household. She also recalls her early times with Atlas. Young Lily (Isabela Ferrer) and young Atlas (Alex Neustaedter) also experience her dad’s volatile temper.

It Ends With Us maintains a simmering level of tension from start to finish. Lily’s mom tells her daughter that she loved her husband despite his abuse. Lily offers Ryle forgiveness for his transgressions. But how far will that go? What role will Atlas play in her encounters with him now that they are both adults? 

Blake Lively carries the film in a role that has her portrayal of Lily cover a spectrum of character types ranging from a sexy babe to a hustling business owner to an assertive woman who takes control of her life. She’s good!

Coleen Hoover has said that the story is based on the relationship of her mother and father. And that it was hard for her to write. Its success has spawned a sequel book and helped make Hoover a fan favorite.

A best-selling novel that generates a lot conversation should deliver a built-in audience for the film version. But since more people see movies than read books, the word-of-mouth opinions from early movie goers will determine if It Ends With Us has legs. I’m guessing it will. 

Rated R. Directed by the guy who plays Ryle, Justin Baldoni.