A story involving domestic violence and coercive control comes with an incongruously glossy sheen in this Boston-set adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, a vehicle for The Shallows’ Blake Lively that sees that pic’s shark recast as a handsome yet volatile neurosurgeon (Justin Baldoni, also director here).
While Lively’s Lily is deeply taken by Doctor Ryle’s bedside manner, warning signs blare like klaxons. The first time they meet, for example, he is furiously kicking a chair. Fortunately for her she has a white knight in Atlas (Brandon Sklenar), the homeless kid she took a shine to back when they were high schoolers (portrayed by Isabela Ferrer and Alex Neustaedter) in Maine.
