The film adaptation of one of the most successful romance novels of recent years hits Italian cinemas on Wednesday. Since its release in 2016 And it ends with us, By American author Colleen Hoover, it has in fact sold millions of copies worldwide and was the third best-selling book in Italy in 2022, when it was published by Sperling & Kupfer after a massive viral hit on TikTok. The film project was therefore born with excellent prospects for success and high expectations on the part of many male and especially female readers, and was promoted with an impressive marketing campaign especially in the United States, where it was released on August 9 and has surpassed 100 million dollars in revenue.
However, the promotional tour was somewhat of a disaster, and for weeks the tabloids were talking about it because of the conflicts within the cast and things that went wrong, not because of the film itself. The film’s star and producer is actress Blake Lively, who is best known for her role in the series gossip girlShe is also very present in the Hollywood scene due to her marriage to the famous actor Ryan Reynolds. Instead, Justin Baldoni plays the role of the protagonist, who is also the producer and director of the film. However, the two stars have never appeared together in recent weeks.
And it ends with us In some ways, it’s a very traditional romance novel, about the love between Lily, a young flower girl, and Ryle, an older man with a great career. However, the story takes a darker turn at one point when the subject of domestic violence comes up (this is the more detailed plot, for those who don’t fear spoilers). Justin Baldoni, who starred in several TV series before becoming known for his role as Rafael on the TV series Jane the VirginI have acquired the rights to produce the film. And it ends with us In 2019 – before his massive success in 2020 – with his own production company Wayfarer Studios. In 2023, it was announced that the film would star Blake Lively, who would also serve as an executive producer, and whose last film was released in 2020.
The first rumors of a possible rift between Lively and Baldoni began to circulate in early August, after the film’s screenings in New York and Europe. Online, many fans of the book began to point out that no group photos were taken and that Baldoni never participated in interviews with the rest of the cast, but carried out promotional activities alone. It was assumed that this could have been a choice, so as not to romanticize the relationship between the two heroes, since the film also deals with domestic violence.
However, this theory was soon dismissed when news spread online that Lively, Hoover, and Reynolds had stopped following Baldoni on Instagram. A few days later, the gossip was partially confirmed by the news that Baldoni had hired Melissa Nathan, a well-known reputation and public relations expert who, among others, helped Johnny Depp during the highly-watched trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
However, it is not yet clear what happened between Baldoni, Lively and the others. At first it was believed that Baldoni had hired Nathan because of this. Page SixThe gossip section of an American tabloid newspaper New York Postpublished an article in which anonymous sources said he had behaved in an unpleasant manner on set, among other things, which made Lively have difficulty commenting on the changes to her body after her recent pregnancy. But later, it emerged that the mix-up between the two was due to Lively’s unwanted interference. In post-productionand to the over-involvement of Reynolds, who theoretically would have no role in the film. interview Done with a journalist from and! On the red carpet, Lively actually said that she and her husband always work together and that “my husband actually wrote the iconic scene from the movie on the roof, nobody knows, but now you know.”
Justin Baldoni at the film’s premiere in New York (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
In addition to the gossip about potential arguments between Lively and Baldoni, the promotional tour for And it ends with us It has been criticized for other reasons. For one, Lively seems to have used her appearance on the film’s release to promote things that have nothing to do with her, like her new hair product line, Blake Brown, and her brand of buzzy liquor, Betty. She also gave a lot of space, some would argue, to her husband’s new film, Deadpool Wolverineinviting co-star and famous actor Hugh Jackman to his presentation party.
Overall, Lively’s entire approach to promoting the film seemed carefree and frivolous to many, given that And it ends with us It is not a comedy, and above all with a lack of sensitivity to the subject of domestic violence that is central to the story (unlike Baldoni who has spoken about it on various occasions, referring to the services provided to those in difficulty).
Playing the character of a flower girl, much of the promotion for the film revolved around her floral dresses and trying to spark a grassroots initiative similar to the one that occurred in the film. Barbie And the color pink. A promotional video for him says, “Take your friends, wear something with flowers and go to the movies,” which seems to be what he wants to address. And it ends with us As a light romantic film suitable for a fun evening with friends, it has been criticized as being completely inappropriate.
Journalist Fox Alex Abad Santos books “Lively and her husband have become increasingly interested in the business side of their acting careers, perhaps more so than in acting,” and that they are “certainly better at selling their lifestyle and their names than they are at acting.” One conclusion is that Lively was tempted by the opportunity to produce and star in a film that had a high chance of success, but which in fact “talks about topics she doesn’t want her brand to be associated with.”
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