It ends with us (in the cinema)

“It Ends with Us” is a good movie for the right audience.

It’s an adaptation of an incredibly popular 2016 romance novel about domestic violence, with characters aged enough to attract fans who are now a little too old for the young adult genre. The domestic violence element isn’t neglected in the slightest—author Colleen Hoover based the novel on her own parents’ relationship—but the somewhat cheesy romantic element isn’t neglected either. Director Justin Baldoni handles the material thoughtfully, not sensationally, but seriously enough that the scenes of violence are horrifying. At the same time, his previous two features were the tear-jerkers Clouds and Five Feet Apart, and the stylistic fingerprints here feel very similar.

If you’re still interested after all of the above, the film is definitely worth checking out. Blake Lively brings depth and nuance to Lily, a woman who grew up in an abusive home and finds herself in an equally violent situation with a surgeon named Ryle. Baldoni makes Ryle convincing, making the line between charming passion and violence as dangerously thin as it can be in real life.

Early reports from fans of the book suggest that they think it’s a good adaptation, even if it’s not as drastic in some ways. For those of us who haven’t read the book, though, whether you like it or not depends entirely on whether your tastes run in that direction. If so, this film will satisfy you. If not, nothing here will convince you to change your mind.

Rating: Two and a half stars

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Harold and the Purple Crayon (in cinemas)

This is one of those films where the opinions of critics and audiences differ greatly.

Although Harold and the Purple Crayon uses the popular children’s books by Crockett Johnson as a jumping off point, it’s admittedly not that original. With Zachary Levi as an adult version of Harold who somehow gets transported to our world, the film itself is a pretty standard “overly innocent character with magical powers who gets transported to the real world and encounters challenges” (think Elf or Barbie without any social commentary). Zooey Deschanel’s presence reinforces the Elf comparisons, and Levi admittedly only makes a nod to the teenager in an adult’s body he played in the Shazam! films. This has all been done before, a state of affairs that critics are usually incredibly dismissive of.

But just because it’s been done before doesn’t mean it’s not nice to see again. If you’re looking for a solid, sweet family movie, Harold and the Purple Crayon has a lot to offer. The film pulls off all the familiar moments well and retells an old story so well that you still find yourself looking forward to the end. Levi is sweet, Deschanel anchors the film, and Jermaine Clement adds just the right amount of wackiness.

Even better, the film has a wonderful message about the importance of creativity. Even if you were to say that the film itself isn’t creative, it still wraps the idea in such warm, loving support that you just feel encouraged. And who knows – maybe even a little inspired.

Rating: Two and a half stars

Jenniffer Wardell is an award-winning film critic and member of the Denver Film Critics Society. Find her on Twitter at @wardellwriter or message her at [email protected].