Wondering if the film adaptation of the popular book It Ends With Us is ok for kids? The book is not kid friendly, and while the movie is not as steamy as the books, the themes of domestic violence is not for the tween crowd. Here’s what parents need to know in this Parents Guide to It Ends With Us.
It Ends With Us Parents Guide
IT ENDS WITH US is based off of Colleen Hoover’s very popular book with the same title. It tells the story of Lily Bloom (Blake Lively), a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life in Boston and chase a lifelong dream of opening her own flower shop. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall in love, Lily begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents’ abusive and toxic relationship.
When Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan, suddenly reenters her life, her relationship with Ryle is upended, and Lily realizes she must learn to rely on her own strength to make an impossible choice for her future.
Parents should know that It Ends With Us does have intense scenes of domestic violence. Although promos for the film give off rom-com vibes, a lot of the film is about domestic violence and trauma.
Age Rating: Why is It Ends With Us Rated PG-13?
It Ends With Us is rated PG-13 for strong language, domestic violence, and sexual content which means some content is not suitable for kids under 13.
Language
Profanity is moderate including uses of sh*t, a**, damn, and g-ddamn.
Mature Content: Is It Ends With Us OK For Teens?
It Ends With Us ultimately is a story of generational trauma and abuse. Thus, there’s a lot of emotional heaviness to unpack. Flashbacks include scenes of a man hitting a woman and holding her down and also beating up and punching a teenager, causing them to go to the hospital. There are also scenes of abuse amongst a couple with a man hitting a woman and pushing her down the stairs.
Even if you’re an adult, if you’ve been a victim of assault or abuse, this film could be triggering for you.
There is no nudity in It Ends With Us. However there are scenes with implied sex as well as up close shots of a man and woman undressing and performing sexual acts. The audience sees a shirtless male in underwear and a female in her bra and underwear.
There is also use of some sexual phrases and mention of a prostitute and porno for comedic effect.
Some characters drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes.
Is It Ends With Us Appropriate for Kids Under 16?
You can expect to see sexual content, domestic violence, characters abusing others, and profanity used by some of the characters. To sum it up, It Ends With Us is not kid friendly for kids under 16 years old.
Abusive relationships can occur at any age, so the subject material is important. The final message of not only being a survivor, but also breaking cycles of abuse and being able to move on is noble.
However, I was hoping the film would fix some of the problems with the book, and it didn’t. First, it was hard to be invested in Lily’s and Ryle’s relationship, because it wasn’t believable. There was no chemistry or connection between them besides being two attractive people.
Lily’s wardrobe did not help. I’m unsure what they were trying to portray. It gave off more disheveled than boho chic. There was plenty of time for character development with a runtime of over 2 hours, but some of the important backstory from the book was left out and glossed over.
And also, they still didn’t seem to take the issue of domestic violence seriously enough. It’s almost as if there are two different tones. Fun and rom-com and victim of abuse. At the very least I wish there would have been a message and number for resources for victims of assault and abuse. Some key details of the book were left out that would have added to the story of why Lily was so deeply connected to Atlas. And the film doesn’t give enough time to how Lily does overcome the trauma and how she processes her grief and journey.
A bright spot was Jenny Slate as Lily’s best friend and Ryle’s sister. She stole every scene she was in, not just because she added some comedic levity.
If you are a fan of the book, I think you’ll be a fan of the movie. It was pretty true to the story, apart from the ages of the characters. It Ends With Us borders on a soap opera version of domestic violence, instead of being handled like the serious issue it is. However, ultimately the important messaging of the film does make it worth a watch.
