Last year, none other than Deadpool’s own wife booted “Deadpool & Wolverine” out of the box office number one spot. That is to say, at a time when “Deadpool & Wolverine” was seemingly unbeatable at the box office, star Ryan Reynolds’ wife Blake Lively hit number one with her adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel “It Ends with Us.” The movie might well be mired in controversy following accusations of sexual harassment on-set, but the “It Ends with Us” behind-the-scenes drama can’t take away from the movie’s success.
The romantic drama stars Lively as Lily Bloom, a woman confronting the reality of her abusive relationship, with the “Gossip Girl” alum delivering a solid performance in a film that otherwise failed to wow critics. But that surely doesn’t matter to Lively, as her $25 million movie not only managed to dethrone her husband’s superhero blockbuster, but also grossed $350 million worldwide.
Now, while we await more news on whether “It Ends with Us” will get a sequel and, indeed, end with that one movie, Lively is at least enjoying a small Netflix renaissance. Nine years before the release of “It Ends With Us,” Blake Lively starred in a film that currently bears the exact same Rotten Tomatoes score as her recent box office triumph (the critic score is, unhappily, decidedly less triumphant at 55%.) Now, this 2015 romantic fantasy is making a run up the streamer’s charts.
Blake Lively’s romantic fantasy is charming the Netflix charts
“It Ends with Us” sees Blake Lively play a woman who, having experienced a traumatic childhood, moves to Boston to start a new business before meeting neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (played by director Justin Baldoni). Their relationship slowly morphs from romantic to re-traumatizing, however, as Kincaid begins to show tendencies that recall Bloom’s parents’ tribulations. She is then forced to confront her own history with toxic relationships.
Despite good intentions and committed performances, “It Ends with Us” couldn’t escape the curse of Colleen Hoover’s book, and managed just 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. Interestingly enough, another Lively film with the exact same Rotten Tomatoes score is now making its way up the Netflix charts right as the fallout from “It Ends with Us” plays out in very public fashion.
According to FlixPatrol, a site that tracks and aggregates streaming viewership numbers, the actor’s 2015 effort “The Age of Adaline” is currently at number seven on the Netflix U.S. most-watched film chart. The romantic fantasy debuted on the charts on January 12 in the number 10 spot, and has since jumped three places, suggesting that we could be witnessing a significant Netflix resurgence for what remains one of Lively’s best performances.
The Age of Adeline is a worthwhile watch for It Ends with Us fans
In 2010, Blake Lively starred in what remains her highest-rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes, playing Krista Coughlin, the ex of Ben Affleck’s Doug MacRay, in “The Town.” The movie is hardly a showcase for Lively, however, as she only appears in a few scenes. While “The Age of Adeline” is nowhere near the top of her Rotten Tomatoes rankings, it’s certainly a much better demonstration of the actor’s talents, and will no doubt be an enjoyable watch for fans of “It Ends with Us.”
Though her breakout role was undoubtedly that of Bridget Vreeland in Ken Kwapis’ 2005 effort “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” Lively’s performance as Adaline Bowman in “The Age of Adeline” is surely one of the actor’s defining moments. Though the film wasn’t a massive critical success, it has its fans, and Lively clearly gave her all to playing a young woman who stops aging at 29 after being involved in an accident. As Adaline continues to age, her youthful appearance never changes, and she maintains her distance from others in order to keep her situation a secret. Of course, this being a romantic fantasy, it’s not long before a handsome love interest emerges, this time in the form of philanthropist Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman). Things get complicated, though, when Ellis’ father William (Harrison Ford) recognizes Adaline as a former lover, putting her newfound romance in jeopardy.
If that sort of thing sounds appealing, then now’s the time to join Netflixers in pushing this Lively effort up the streamer’s charts — though it will have to overcome the might of a couple of “Despicable Me” movies and the French thriller “Ad Vitam,” which is currently at number one, to do so.