But first, let's take a look at some of Blake Lively's looks from It Ends With Us, the tale of a simple Maine gal who only wants to bring steam-punk to the floral trade.
Yes, it was bustier or broke in Beantown when the Bloomster hit the Brahmin brick road, bro-bro! Her wardrobe went beyond eclectic, taking Boho chic to realms well beyond Bohemia. To Plethora, Maine, perhaps. There was certainly a plethora of something going on...
I much preferred Msr. Baldoni's quiet luxury look. The buttery suedes, the ultra-fine Italian leathers, the never less than 10 ply cashmere sweaters stroking his tawny skin and caressing his muscles in finely spun goat hair. His Zimmerli boxer briefs, deftly cocooning his pen--
But I digress!
Q & A
Q1) What has Lily been doing since she graduated high school? Why has she drug her feet for at least ten years before making this flower shop thing happen? Why couldn't she just open a flower shop where she lived; the provocatively named "Plethora, Maine"?
A1) You may want to read this "bone of contention" article as well. Boy, people are really piling on here!
When Lily finally bites the bullit and puts up the money for the rental on her shop, we are assured this vacant space is in "Back Bay." Although people from the area usually put the "the" in front of it; although not necessarily. We also get a quick shot of the street, and its street sign, which reads: PARK PLAZA, if memory serves. Well, there is no thoroughfare in Boston with this name. There is Park Street; and there is Park Drive; but no Park Plaza. Although, there is, of course, the Park Plaza hotel; but that's on Arlington Street. But, doing further research, if you look up the hotel, it's listed as being at 50 Park Plaza; so we can give the benefit of the doubt. But the movie clearly shows that Lily's shop is surrounded by brownstones, which would place it (as a retail outlet) on probably Charles Street or Newberry* Street. Newberry Street is pretty much the Rodeo Drive of Boston. If it's even going to have a vacant space, the rent is going to be astronomical. Let's check it out; but first, let's have a Judd Nelson break!
I stand corrected. Apparently vacant retai space is readily available in the Back Bay; but check out the price!
Q2) Why is LIly's bedroom perfectly preserved in the state it had been in, when she was a teenager?
A2) For the initial answer to this, we must ask the Hollywood Collective. Why is any grown adult person's bedroom in almost any movie where they return home, still in the EXACT state it was in on the day they graduated high school? Why, LIly's music box was still positioned in it's original dustprint!
Chris, you have so thoroughly misspelled the name of that street, it might make me question whether or not you were from Texas. It's spelled N-E-W-B-U-R-Y; not the way you botched it.
CHRIS
I guess I was distracted by Judd Nelson's thirst-trap pic...
TORI
You're the one who's thirsty.
CHRIS
His character's last name in St. Elmo's Fire was "Newbary." N-E-W-B-A-R-Y"; although I have seen it spelled several ways and it's not actually in the closing credits. However, in my defense, I did not spend a lot of time on that street back in the day. Couldn't afford it, so why torture myself?
TORI
I dont' understand--
CHRIS
Well, why would you? You lived in a house with twenty-seven bathrooms. Did you have a favorite? Or did you like, rotate?
TORI
I'm not answering that.
CHRIS
Your dad was from Texas, wasn't he?
TORI
Yes he was.
CHRIS
My in-laws lived in the Austin area for a bit. I kinda liked it.
TORI
Keep Austin Weird!
CHRIS
I'll try. Say, what are you reading there? My book?!!?
TORI
No...
CHRIS
I can't quite make it out. I see flowers...is it a Colleen Hoover joint?
TORI
No. It's called Beautiful Messy Love by Australian author Tess Woods.
CHRIS
My sister Kate and her family live in Australia.
TORI
Really? Have you been?
CHRIS
No, I'm sad to say. I'm not keen on being on several planes for that long. So, have you read my book?
TORI
No. What's it about?
CHRIS
The adventures of a 17 year-old gay kid named Michael during the summer of 1983.
TORI
Is it sad? Or funny?
CHRIS
Both, I think. Like life. You know, you could play the mom. You're at the perfect age--I mean, if it ever gets made into a movie or TV show. Can you do a Massachusetts accent?
TORI
Are you freakin' kiddin' me? That accent's not haahd; I could play that pahht wicked easy!
CHRIS
Pretty good! You know, when I was writing it, I kept imaginging Shannen Doherty as the mom. Doherty was my mother's maiden name.
TORI
She will be missed. So, show me a script.
CHRIS
I'm working on it. Okay, I gotta get back to this Blake Lively movie. Ciao.
So, Lily has been gone from Plethora and her old downeastah home for a good ten, fifteen years; based on this bedroom's current state. And we can only assume that she lives in Boston, since her bedroom has gone untouched, like King Tut's tomb. So what's she been doing in Boston for all that time? I mean, sure, four of it were probably in college; but then, after college she spent a good decade before she opened the flower shop; that is, if we do some math, based on the dates on her dad's gravestone and some assumptions about when she was born, relative to this. Her dad was born in 1959 and died in 2019. If he got married at say, 25, then it would be 1985. Let's assume Lily was born within a couple of years; let's say, 1988. So, LIly would be 20 years old in 2008; putting her thereabouts in her first year of college. Add four years and it's 2012. He dies seven years later and Lily still hasn't opened her shop, because she opens it right when she meets Ryle, which is immediately after Pop's funeral. Oh, yeah...did I mention the leading man's (also director) name is "Ryle"? Well, it is. Ryle Kincaid. Back to that later. And we've established that Lily does not live in Ryle's building. So, where does she live? What does she do for a living? Have her parents been supporting her? The movie does not address this, as we see Lily living with Ryle for most of the rest of the film--in his ultra luxurious apartment, natch, which is right next door to his sister and brother-in-laws ne plus ultra luxurious apartment. An apartment that when we see it (it's the penthouse of course), appears to take up the entire top three floors of the building as it soars to the sky. How is there even a rooftop deck for Lily to ruminate on?
Q/3
Why is Lily named "Lily Blossom Bloom"? and why is Ryle named "Ryle" Kincaid? And who names a child "Atlas"?
A/3
I can only hazard a guess. Hollywood is prone to names that straddle the Limit of Acceptable Absurdity. Soap operas have for years indluged in ridonculous names. Billy Clyde Tuggle comes to mind. Dorian Lord. Palmer Courtland. In the scene in the movie where Lily and Ryle are discussing their ludicrous names with one another, and admitting as much and laughing about it; why was not the punchline that his middle name was "Reuben"? And if I have to explain this, maybe I am too old to be relevant.
A/4: Atlas was Lily's "boyfriend" when they were teens. So why didn't she know who he was? Perhaps if he was new to town, she wouldn't have known him. But there is no indication in the script that he's from somewhere other than Plethora. Everyone would not only have known who he was; but more than likely what was happening in his life. And if he was from somewhere else, how was he able to just climb on the school bus and go to Plethora High? SHIT LIKE THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE. He would have to register for classes, establish residency and all that stuff.
Q/5: Why is there an abandoned "mansion" in what has to be the swankiest neighborhood in Plethora, as her dad is the mayor and one might reasonably expect that he would live in the nicest part of town?
Q/6: Why would the Plethora High Mean Girls have attitude and be "grossed out" by this guy:
Q/7: Does anything about the character of Atlas make sense? His back story? Why haven't Child Protective Services become involved. Why does his school not know about his circumstances? Does he live in an unheated, abandoned mansion for the entire school year, including the long, extremely cold Maine winter? Does he have NO OTHER friends or acquaintances at school? How does he bathe? Does the abandoned mansion have running water or does Lily sneak him in to her mansion (what we can only hope) is at least once a week to wash his underwear? Is Atlas a little on the odiferous side? Is that what the mean girls are grossed out by? Because if that's what has their noses in the air, that could be a social deal breaker.
A/7: None of it is remotely believable. SDH (shit doesn't happen). If Atlas was being abused to the point where he had to squat in an abandoned mansion, why the fuck would he stay in Maine? He would go squat in Florida, probably. In other words, he would run away.
Q/8: Did I miss something; or did Lily's father--THE MAYOR OF PLETHORA--beat up a teen-ager so severly he was taken away in an ambulance? No, that definitely happened. In a "brief flashback" anyway. Would this event not have had massive ramifications for the town; that the MAYOR beat up a homeless kid? That Atlas' family would be charged with some kind of neglect?
A/8: This explanation from ScreenRant makes even less sense. She never sees him again? She didn't go to see him at Plethora General? Send a get well card? Ah, have to file an eyewitness report down at the Plethora Police Department? SDH.
Ah, Chris, I think we know who's really the thirsty one now!
CHRIS
I know, right? Like, get a room Tina!
Q/10: Okay, fine. Neurosurgeon. You want your character to be a neurosurgeon? Great! Make him a neurosurgeon. Most neurosurgeons are probably pretty wealthy. But top floor of brand new Boston highrise wealthy? Could probably swing it. But male model-body-builder-early 30's Fab-U-Hunk? Lily may has well have won Megamillions. Here are some Boston area neurosurgeons:
And please see: IEWU Part 3: What Would Hugh Do?
Ciao!
CFR 8/25/24