“Your wife is ruining it and is dragging you with her. Why are you even involved?” asked one viewer of a recent comedic skitRyan Reynoldsposted on his Instagram to promote his wife’s latest movie,It Ends With Us.
The seemingly tone-deaf nature of the clip elicited an almost universally negative response among its audience, with many expressing a mix of disappointment, annoyance, and confusion, labeling the sketch “inappropriate” when considering the themes of the movie.
“This is the weirdest promo for a movie about domestic violence, like why are you here Ryan,” wrote another.
The couple, especially Lively, has beenunder scrutinyafter speculation around a supposed battle for creative control between the actress and the project’s director, Justin Baldoni, surfaced following its release on June 21, 2024.
Lively’s detractors blame her for trying to wrestle control of the movie away from Baldoni with the help of her husband, who also made “contributions” to the script in an effort to marketIt Ends With UsandDeadpool & Wolverineas the new “Barbenheimer,” a two-movie phenomenon that captured both male and female audiences and urged couples to watch both in one go.
RELATED:
Ryan Reynolds’ latest comedic skit for his wife’s movieIt Ends With Usfalls flat on its face as viewers label it as “insensitive” and “cringe-worthy”
Image credits:vancityreynolds
Theskit, captioned “New Dad Alert,” sees Reynolds sneaking into a faux press interview to confront Brandon Sklenar, who plays Atlas Corrigan, one ofLively’s love interests in the movie.
“It’s not every day the husband gets to interview his wife’s love interest in the film. It’s kind of crazy,” Reynolds says. “I saw a photo you took with Ms. Reynolds. Pretty suggestive,” he continues as he points out the actor’s buttocks in a picture.
“Is that genetics? Some sort of low-angle routine to pop off that region like that?”
The sketch meanders as Ryan starts talking about a supposed “meth journey” he took and then tries to position Corrigan as his new “daddy.”
Viewers found the skit far from entertaining, considering it “in bad taste” and “inappropriate.”
“It’s a domestic violence film you tone-deafentitled millionaires. Deeply disappointed in your frivolous approach to such a nuanced topic. It’s not a comedy and you lack the ability to understand and address it properly,” one comment reads.
The movie began as director Justin Baldoni’s passion project, but he slowly lost creative control as Blake Lively and her husband became involved
The project’s seed was planted when Justin Baldoni read Hoover’s novel for the first time.
“By the end of the book, I couldn’t even read the text on the page because I was crying so much,” he toldCBS Mornings.
Baldoni then wrote a letter to the author, congratulating her for her work and forming what hedescribedtoThe Hollywood Reporteras a “pen pal-like” correspondence via email.
It was during these exchanges that Hoover convinced him to pull double duty and act not only as a director but also as the role of Ryle, one of the love interests in the story’s love triangle.
“When Colleen sent me that email, it gave me permission to believe that I could play the character. So we ended up developing the story together,” Baldoni explained.
The next step was to find the ideal actress for the main role. After what he described as a “three-hour meeting” with Blake Lively, Baldoni was fully convinced, and he cast her right then and there.
Upon its release, the movie became a box office success, grossing over$100 millionglobally in its first week.
Rumors started gaining traction asPeople Magazinereported that Baldoni had hired apublic relations manageron August 13, following a press tour that saw him be noticeably apart from the rest of the cast.
View this post on Instagram
Details of what exactly happenedbehind the sceneshave remained nebulous, but Baldoni has shed some light on his struggles while directing the movie, confessing to having gotten “out of the way too much” at some points, fueling the rumors of the couple’s attempt at taking creative control away from him.
“Every movie is a miracle, you’re navigating complex personalities and trying to get everybody on the same page with the same vision. And mistakes are always made,” he said in an interview withToday.
Image credits:quizmaster6199
“There is literally not a single person that has sided with your wife since the movie came out a few days ago. Justin has overwhelming support,” one comment under Reynolds’Instagramskit explains.
“If your wife and you wanted so much creative control over the project then you should’ve optioned the book yourself, directed it yourself and really spearheaded the whole project from the very beginning. Y’all had no right to walk all over Justin. This was his project, not yours.”
“Y’all come across as self centered, self serving and abusive. And the marketing of this movie is also all about your wife and her fashion and her hair care at the exclusion of Justin. And at the exclusion of any real domestic violence talk.”
The movie currently holds a 6.9 rating on IMDB, with mostcritical reviewsexpressing disappointment at itshandlingof complex topics, especially domestic violence.
“It had so much potential and fell incredibly short of the domestic violence lessons learned in the book,” one critic wrote.
For many of the clip’s viewers, the couple’s efforts to position the movie as a romantic comedy and a vehicle for Lively’s products have been the most egregious aspect of its marketing campaign.
“Since you love to do everything together I can’t wait for the joint apology of how you insensitively handled domestic violence,” stated one user.
“Domestic violence is a serious topic, it’s not about you or Blake’s hair products,” said another.
Celebrities
