This article contains brief references to abuse and racism.
Spoilers for It Ends With Us are ahead!
Summary
The movie adaptation ofIt Ends With Usmakes significant changes to the “Ellen” journal from the Colleen Hoover book, a necessary change that saves the movie from potential backlash. In July 2019, Justin Baldoni optioned Hoover’s most popular book for a film adaptation, and the movie finally came out on August 9. Like all movie adaptations,It Ends With Uschanges parts of the bookbecause of the differing needs between a novel and a movie. However, this specific adaptation also had added challenges because of the controversy surrounding the source material.
One of the defining characteristics of the book by Colleen Hoover is that it’s part traditional fiction and part epistolary fiction – the latter genre tells the story through letters. Because Lily thought she was above writing in a diary as a teenager, theIt Ends With Uscharacterformatted all her diary entries as letters to Ellen DeGeneres. These letters, woven into the story,provide important context for the reader on Lily’s upbringing, her abusive father, and her history with Atlas.However, the movie removes almost all references to the comedian, a choice that is for the better.
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It Ends With Us' Movie Changed The Ellen DeGeneres Journal To Traditional Flashbacks
The Flashbacks Provide The Same Context As The Ellen Journal In It Ends With Us
Rather than showing Lily’s past through the Ellen DeGeneres journal, the movie adaptation ofIt Ends With Usincludes her background through traditional flashbacks that are strategically placed throughout the movie. The only reference to the journals occurs in the first flashback to Lily’s childhood.The movie adaptation shows Lily writing an Ellen letter in her journal for 2 seconds– an Easter egg for fans of the book. However, the journal is never addressed through the dialogue.
Additionally, Lily is only shown watchingThe Ellen Show, her favorite show in the book, for a moment when Atlas first comes over to Lily’s house. The movie also provides zero references toFinding Nemo, despite it being a movie Lily and Atlas bonded over as teenagers. Lily and Atlas watch the movie together in the source material. Lily even goes so far as to give her daughter the middle name Dory in theIt Ends With Usbook, which doesn’t happen in the movie adaptation.
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Why Leaving Out Lily’s Journal In The Movie Makes Sense
It Ends With Us Avoided Controversy By Minimizing Lily’s Ellen Journal
Though it may disappoint some fans, the choice to leave out almost all the references to Ellen DeGeneres in the movie adaptation of It Ends With Us was ultimately the best choice that the creative team could have made. Thecontroversial 2016 book by Colleen Hooveralready had enough problems that the movie needed to overcome to win over skeptical readers. They didn’t need to add to their problems.
The Ellen DeGeneres references weren’t considered controversial by most readers becausethe book was published before the 2020 allegations about Degeneres’ racism, toxic workplace, and intimidation. Still, many reviews after Colleen Hoover became big on BookTok noted that the references aged like milk. It would have been in poor taste and controversial if the creative team behind the movie adaptation ofIt Ends With Uskept the Ellen journals and references in the story knowing the allegations.
