Criticizing Blake Lively Is Ruining Her Movie, You Jerks

By Mike Redmond | Celebrity | August 21, 2024 |

By Mike Redmond | Celebrity | August 21, 2024 |

Just when it seemed like the It Ends With Us drama was about to fade into the background and make room for the less exciting Bennifer Breakup 2: Where’s He Gonna Put This Phoenix Tattoo?, Brandon Sklenar has lobbed a wildly transparent Molotov cocktail into the mix.

Who the heck is Brandon Sklenar? Great question. He formed the love triangle along with Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. And, yes, exactly like a Team Edward/Team Jacob situation except weirdly crammed into a domestic violence drama. Again, that whole juxtaposition has been an issue with the It Ends With Us book since it exploded on BookTok, and the problem went into overdrive when Lively started promoting the film as a light, breezy rom-com that you and your gals should wear fun floral dresses to and have a ball at the movies. (More on that later.)

Baldoni, on the other hand, was both the lead actor and the director, and he took the subject matter seriously. That reportedly caused friction with Lively, who used her clout to go over his head and have Ryan Reynolds doctor the script, possibly during the writers’ strike, which is not getting nearly enough attention. Lively also commissioned a cut of the film from the editor of Deadpool & Wolverine. From there, Baldoni was notably isolated from the rest of the cast and It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover, who obviously wants to make bank off the sequel and saw who clearly has the juice here.

However, Sklenar would like to put an end to all of this drama — by blatantly siding with Blake Lively and lecturing everyone on how criticizing her is hurting the message of the movie, you guys. Sklenar dropped a lengthy statement on Instagram where he conveniently turned off the comments. Well, he can’t turn them off here, so let’s dive into this puppy. (Brandon’s words in bold, mine in… not bold? Unbold? Super unleaded?)

I wanted to take a minute and address all this stuff swirling online.

Just kidding! I’m only going to make vague, cryptic allusions to stuff because no one is making any concrete accusations against Baldoni, and I’m sure as sh*t not going to mention the issues with Blake.

Colleen and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves. Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about. It is, in fact, the opposite of the point. What may or may not have happened behind the scenes does not and hopefully should not detract from what our intentions were in making this film. It’s been disheartening to see the amount of negativity being projected online.

The message of the film is important: Domestic violence is a very serious issue that affects way too many women across the board. However, the “negativity” is because Lively marketed the film as a light Barbie-esque rom-com. Only after the opening weekend did she address the topic of domestic abuse in an Instagram Story, but not her main feed, which means it dissolved after 24 hours so she could get right back to the flowery fun vibes.

It is not “counterproductive” to point that out, nor is the valid criticism of a Hollywood star the same thing as “vilifying.” In fact, women have been the ones who flagged Lively’s behavior, so if Brandon wants to play the “women are always right” card, we’re at a bit of an impasse here, bud.

Also, “what may or may not have happened behind the scenes?” So, we’re waving the flag that nobody has anything on Baldoni? Good to know.

Someone very close to me has been struggling with a relationship that has mirrored Lilly’s closely. I feel a responsibility to bring this to life and help spread that message further. Prior to my involvement in this film, she had not heard of the book.

It was only then that she read it. She credits Colleens book and subsequently this film with saving her life.

Uhhhh, I’m not touching that. Bad relationships are sadly a dime a dozen because men suck. We are awful. But I’m very tempted to say this feels awfully convenient, so I’m just gonna mosey on over to the next paragraph before I dig this grave any deeper.

Trust me when I tell you, there isn’t a single person Involved in the making of this film that was not aware of the responsibility we had in making this. A responsibility to all the women who have experienced generational trauma - Domestic abuse - Or struggle with looking in the mirror and loving who they see.

Oh, I get it. This guy doesn’t follow Blake on Instagram. Well, there’s your problem right there.

This movie is a harsh reality check for the men who need to get their shit together and take responsibility for themselves and their actions.

This film is meant to inspire. It’s meant to validate and recognize. It’s meant to instill hope. It’s meant to build courage and help people feel less alone. Ultimately it’s meant to spread love and awareness. It is not meant to once again, make the women the “bad guy,” let’s move beyond that together.

So because It Ends With Us is about domestic violence, Blake Lively is not allowed to be the “bad guy” for, and I cannot stress this enough, making light of domestic violence.

No wonder you turned the comments off.

All I ask is that before you spread hate on the internet, ask yourself who its helping.

Ask yourself if your opinions are based in any fact. Or if you simply want to be a part of something. Let’s be a part of something better together. A part of a new story being written for women and all people everywhere.

Yeah, yeah, we get it. Only glowing comments about Blake Lively and Colleen Hoover or you want all women to get domestic violenced. Incredible closing statement, Perry Mason.

Lead with Love and please be Kind.

Unless it’s about Justin Baldoni, amirite?

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You can see Brandon Sklenar’s full statement below as proof that I did not make any of this up. This is what he went with.

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A post shared by Brandon Sklenar (@brandonsklenar)

(Via Brandon Sklenar on Instagram)