Lana Condor and Noah Centineo (pictured above) play Lara Jean Covey and Peter Kavinsky, respectively. The chemistry between Condor and Centineo is a fan-favorite throughout the first two movies. Fans eagerly anticipate the release of the third movie (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).
Netflix movie boasts relatable, realistic high school relationships
Julia Skeval
It seems like Netflix is taking over from networks like Lifetime and Hallmark in producing dozens of romance movies a year, many of which follow the same storyline and even use the same actors. It can be difficult to find original and captivating stories to tell that stand out from the crowd, but Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before falls into that category. Based on a book series of the same name, the original film and its sequel currently on Netflix have charmed the hearts of viewers and myself.
The two movies’ overall appeal lies in the characters’ relatability. The main character, Lara Jean, isn’t bound to the same old trope of chasing popularity in high school or crushing on the seemingly unattainable high school quarterback. Instead, Lara Jean is fairly content blending into the background with a couple of close friends and even if that’s not the most realistic circumstances, it’s much more relatable for real-life high schoolers.
The antics begin in the first film when secret love letters Lara Jean wrote over the years are sent out to their not-so-intended recipients by her younger sister, Kitty. One of the recipients is her older sister’s ex-boyfriend, another is an old school friend who, upon receiving the letter, informs Lara Jean that he’s actually gay, a third gets returned to Lara Jean because of a change of address. The fourth letter remains a mystery and the fifth goes to Peter Kavinsky.
As the first movie goes on, Lara Jean and Peter fake a relationship for a variety of reasons but, as predictable as it may have been from the beginning, they end up falling in love by the time the end credits roll.
The second film, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You, picks up with Lara Jean and Peter as happy as could be until the recipient of that fourth love letter ends up back in Lara Jean’s life.
Just like the first movie, the second movie makes viewers fall in love with the realness each character oozes. The situations Lara Jean finds herself in remind the audience of their own high school days: figuring out the ropes at a new job, reuniting with an old crush and experiencing early fights with her first boyfriend.
Even if you’re not the same age as the characters or in the same stage of life, the scenes bring you back to your high school days navigating drama, friendships and love. Peter’s charm and sense of humor makes you wish he was your boyfriend, embarrassing you in public and dropping smooth lines to make you smile.
Others complain that the movies are too cringey or too cliché, but the two films stand out from other rom-coms, especially on Netflix where there are thousands of rom-coms to choose from. The characters aren’t overdramatic, the situations are fairly realistic and the men don’t exhibit any overly toxic behavior in trying to win Lara Jean over.
The movies, particularly the sequel, are meant to make you feel good about love. Go into them with an open mind and enjoy the few hours of cuteness that unfold in front of you.
Netflix movie portrays cliché, underdeveloped high school relationships
Kara Burke
If you’re not living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before movie trilogy. The Feb. 12 release of the series’ second installment—To All the Boys: P.S I Still Love You—the buzz around the series has been renewed.
The series is based off a book trilogy by Jenny Han and follows the same premise—a high school girl’s love letters for five boys she’s loved throughout her middle school and high school careers are sent to them. This results in a fake relationship with the main male character, Peter Kavinsky, leading to a real relationship between him and the main character, Lara Jean Covey. The first movie follows this premise; however, it ends with another one of Lara Jean’s past crushes, John Ambrose McClaren, showing up at her door to discuss the love letter she wrote for him.
This is what sparks the second movie’s plot, but there is an issue with continuity as the movie actually starts in a different place—with Lara Jean meeting John Ambrose at a volunteer program at a nursing home. It would have been nice if this didn’t occur, but ultimately, it didn’t severely affect the plot of the movie in my opinion.
What does affect the movie is the amount of cringe-worthy, frankly hard to watch moments that occur. They make Lara Jean and Peter’s relationship come off extremely immature and outright cliché at times. One example of this is during the first date scene, where the comedic awkwardness is good until Lara Jean says “this is my first date, I’ve never been a girlfriend before” out of nowhere. This line is incredibly uncomfortable and makes Lara Jean come across as a sixth grader. The awkward encounter foreshadows the rest of the movie being ruined by these cringey uncomfortable moments.
In the books, the scene where Lara Jean and John Ambrose get snowed in and spend the night in the nursing home gets cut short, which is an issue because a lot of their scenes ultimately end up feeling rushed to fit in more Lara Jean and Peter content. This makes the supposed love triangle feel unbalanced, letting you know that Peter and Lara Jean will be together in the end. I think it would have been better to keep the audience guessing until the end, as it would have kept the audience more engaged.
Another problematic plot point was that throughout the movie series, Covey discovers who she truly loves by kissing them. I understand this has roots in general romantic archetypes, but it comes off a bit hyperbolic in this movie—with just a single kiss Lara Jean realizes she does not love John Ambrose. If the plot between the two had been built up more, the kiss could have been better utilized.
Something I did really love about the movie was its cinematography. I think its visuals were impactful and it was shot in a way that let you emote with the characters. One particular shot I thought was well done visually was the breakup scene between Lara Jean and Peter. The scene takes place in front of an illuminated jellyfish tank and it manages to pull at your heartstrings due to the slow and uncomfortable actions between the characters, which are mirrored by the slow, erratic movement of the jellyfish behind them.
There are a lot of pauses within the breakup scene making it painful to watch—in a good way—because emotional scenes like this should make audiences empathize with the story’s characters. I think a nice touch was Peter slowly taking off the necklace he gifted Lara Jean, making it feel like him unclasping the necklace was him unclasping the relationship when he said he wanted the gift back.
Overall, I think the movie is a cute and fun romantic comedy, but the cringe-inducing moments hurt its potential to be a great movie.