Yes, it’s *that* movie. It’s a shame most people know about it due to the publicity generated by Blake Lively’s lawsuit and her co-star’s counter suit because it’s a good movie, but I think a lot of people might be turned off by the he said/she said of it all. I know I certainly got tired of reading about it.
Based on a bestseller by the same name (which I have not read), it’s about a woman who grows up in an abusive household and goes on to meet and marry an abusive man. But she manages to save herself, and the violent scenes are clear without being graphic, so the violence is not as hard to watch as it could be.
Back in her “Gossip Girl” days, I wrote BL off as a model who got cast for her looks. I have never seen an episode of “Gossip Girl,” but at a certain moment in time, you’d have had to be living under a rock to escape the publicity about this show and its stars. But then I saw her in a supporting role in Ben Affleck’s “The Town,” and I was mightily impressed. That girl can act, and she brings her A game to this production, as does Justin Baldoni, and together they create a believable spiral of love into darkness.
One critic lamented the fact that more time is devoted to why the men act this way than to the women’s interior lives, but I think the women’s loves, fears and motivations are pretty clear. It’s not a perfect movie — the twist regarding Baldoni’s character made me roll my eyes — but it’s a solid film overall, and I recommend it.
