The wildly popular novel Verity by Colleen Hoover is the latest book-to-screen adaptation on the 2026 movie schedule, and like the book itself, the movie seems to be polarizing (even in one cast member’s own family). It certainly seems to be here around the CinemaBlend offices, where a few people on our staff have seen the film starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett. We all liked (or disliked) the movie in varying ways, but we all agree on thing, the ending is a weak point.
It Comes Down To The End
Personally, I thought the movie was just ok. There are times when it feels like a Lifetime movie, despite the talent involved. It feels rushed, especially towards the end. Hathaway, Johnson, and Harnett are good, and the fairly straightforward direction from Michael Schowalter is solid. It’s probably the script that took me out of the most often, with some clunky dialogue. It does clearly adapt the story, which could’ve been tricky, given the nature of the source material, but ultimately, it’s the ending- something that will surely be hotly debated- that felt hacky to me. It's rushed and isn't ambiguous enough.
Others around here disagree with me on some of this. Managing editor Jessica Rawden says:
Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway squaring off in the atmospheric Verity is exactly what I wanted from the book-to-movie adaptation. The movie did a good job weaving Verity’s various narratives in with what was happening in real time.
She did think the movie was missing something, however, as she added:
I do think it could have benefited from a few more jump-scare-type moments because the audience really seemed to have a response to those in the theater, and it made the movie more fun when those moments happened. Overall, I didn’t think this would translate from page to screen, and I’m glad I saw it. Hopefully, you’ll be reasonably happy, too.
Like me, weekend editor Riley Utley has a similar take on the ending of the movie, though she enjoyed the movie quite a bit, especially the performances from the film’s stars. Riley says:
Of the Colleen Hoover movies, this one is by far my favorite. I thought Anne Hathaway was fantastic as Verity, and Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett rounded out that trio well. Thanks to their performances, I found myself very invested and at times audibly gasping at the story's twists and turns. However, I do wish the final moments were developed a bit better, so that last twist could have the payoff I'm sure they were going for.
No doubt some discussion and disagreements will come from people who have read Hoover’s novel and those who haven’t. I have not read it, but assistant managing editor Kelly West has read the book and enjoyed the movie more than I did, though she also took issue with the way the ending went down. She says of Verity:
I went in having read the book, so I knew exactly where the story was headed, but it was still a lot of fun to watch. Loved: Anne Hathaway's performance. She really nailed all of the layers of her character. Didn't love: I wish more time had been spent on the third act and ending reveals.
Elsewhere on the web, critics were much like us. The movie is currently hovering between 40-45% “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 42 or so on Metacritic. However, even many of the positive reviews are still pretty middling. It's the ending that will be the most polarizing, for sure.
I do think, given the popularity of the Hoover novel and the anticipation of its fans, the movie will end up a hit, though of the five Anne Hathaway movies in 2026, this is my least favorite.
