It Ends with Us

AND, WHAT IS EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE, IS THAT HE SOFTENS HIS TONE WHEN HE SEES LILY (BLAKE LIVELY) SITTING ON THE EDGE OF THE ROOF, & WARNS HER ABOUT THE DANGER OF SITTING TOO CLOSE TO THE EDGE. THIS SCENE IS MADE EVEN MORE POIGNANT BY THE FACT THAT WE HAD ALREADY SEEN LILY GO THROUGH THE AGONY OF HER FATHER'S FUNERAL. MS. LIVELY WAS ALREADY INCREDIBLY TOUCHING WHEN SHE CONVEYED LILY'S RELUCTANCE TO COMPOSE THE EULOGY FOR HER FATHER (PLAYED IN FLASHBACKS BY KEVIN MC KIDD) THAT HER MOTHER (AMY MORTON) REQUESTS HER TO WRITE, & WHEN SHE RUSHES OFF THE ALTAR AT HER FATHER'S FUNERAL WHEN SHE FINDS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO FULFILL THAT REQUEST. BUT IT IS MS. LIVELY'S EMPATHETIC RESPONSE TO AN INCIDENT THAT RYLE TELLS HER HE EXPERIENCED IN HIS NEUROSURGERY PRACTICE THAT MAKES US REALIZE WHY LILY FALLS IN LOVE WITH RYLE, & WHY SHE FINDS IT DIFFICULT TO LEAVE HIM IN SPITE OF THE INCIDENTS THAT HAPPEN LATER. AND, WHEN MR. BALDONI DELIVERS THE PHRASE "UTTERLY DESTROYED" TO DESCRIBE THAT INCIDENT, HE DOES IT WITH A QUIET PASSION THAT CONVEYS RYLE'S INNER TORMENT. THAT TORMENT BECOMES ALL TOO APPARENT IN THE RESTAURANT SCENE BETWEEN LILY'S FIRST LOVE, ATLAS (BRANDON SKLENAR) AND RYLE , & THE RIGHTEOUS ANGER THAT MR. SKLENAR DISPLAYS TOWARDS RYLE MAKES US REALIZE THAT ATLAS HAS NEVER STOPPED LOVING LILY. I ALSO LOVED THE FLASHBACK SCENES BETWEEN THE YOUNG LILY (ISABELA FERRER) AND THE YOUNG ATLAS.

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN HOLLYWOOD SEEMED DETERMINED TO TEACH VIEWERS ABOUT THE EPIDEMIC OF SPOUSAL ABUSE OF WOMEN: AS REPRESENTED BY DIANNE WEIST'S PORTRAYAL OF A BATTERED WIFE IN "INDEPENDENCE DAY" (WHICH WAS LATER RETITLED, "FOLLOW YOUR DREAM") AND IN JULIA ROBERT'S PERFORMANCE IN "SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY" & WITH FARRAH FAWCETT'S LEGENDARY PERFORMANCE IN THE TV MOVIE "THE BURNING BED." (THERE WAS ALSO ANOTHER TV MOVIE BASED ON A REAL LIFE BATTERED WOMAN CASE, WHICH I THINK WAS CALLED "THE TRACY THURMAN STORY," BUT I CAN'T RECALL WHO STARRED IN IT). IN RECENT YEARS, FILM MAKERS SEEMED TO HAVE LOST INTEREST IN COVERING THIS TOPIC, BUT I AM GLAD THAT COLLEEN HOOVER DECIDED TO REVIVE THIS DISCUSSION WITH HER BRILLIANT NOVEL & THAT DIRECTOR/LEAD ACTOR JUSTIN BALDONI DECIDED TO OPTION IT. IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN EASY FOR HIM TO DIRECT HIMSELF PLAYING SUCH A DISAGREEABLE CHARACTER AS THE WIFE-BEATING RYLE, BUT HE IS VERY EFFECTIVE AT CONVEYING THE DIFFERENT SIDES OF RYLE'S MANIC PERSONALITY. WHEN WE FIRST SEE MR. BALDONI ANGRILY KICK A CHAIR ON THE ROOF OF HIS APARTMENT BUILDING, WE RECOGNIZE HIS DANGEROUS SIDE. BUT, THEN HE SOFTENS HIS EXPRESSION.