“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” Review

The movie that brought rom coms back to life

“It‘s not like in the movies. It‘s better, because it‘s real.“ – Lara Jean Covey

Overview – SPOILERS beyond this point

“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” is easily the most refreshing movie on Netflix right now. Yes, the cover photo looks basic and you can probably guess the entire plot from the trailer, but after watching the first five minutes, you stop caring about the cliches and are fully invested in Lara Jean Covey’s love life.

The one hour and forty minute long flick follows Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) as she deals with the aftermath of the 5 love letters she’s written over the past decade being sent out to five boys she’s “loved”. The most recent of these letters happens to be addressed to her next door neighbor Josh (Israel Broussard), who also happens to be her sister’s very recent ex-boyfriend. To throw Josh off the trail of her crush, she begins to fake-date Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo), the also very recent ex-boyfriend of her arch enemy Gen (Emilija Baranac).

Over the course of the film, we get a highly realistic look at Lara Jean’s family – two sisters and a father, her mother having passed away several years before. The family dynamic feels real and warm as the sisters give each other advice, fight, cook dinner together, and have movie nights, with dialogue that’s so natural you’d swear real teenagers wrote this movie.

The main focus of this rom com, however, is everyone’s fantasy romance: the budding relationship between Lara Jean, a book nerd with intense emotions she constantly tries to suppress due to previous emotional trauma, and Peter, a popular jock with a surprising sensitive and responsible side, who only ever does the right thing by her because he genuinely falls in love with her almost from the beginning. If this isn’t almost the exact relationship you want, you’re lying. Right from the start, Lara Jean and Peter have this incredible balance between them, her being the more cautious and reasonable, but more distant, and him being the one who tries to get her to open up.

This is already a new approach on the traditional romantic comedy. The typical script for these kinds of movies has this in reverse, with a female lead rearing and ready to go, but the man more hesitant to open up to vulnerability. It’s pretty clear to the audience that Peter is pretty much over Gen as soon as he and Lara begin their plot, and the hurt in his eyes is real when he believes her to actually be using him. Again, this is reverse from the norm when the girl usually believes the boy is using her (which also does happen but we look past the cliche because by the time it happens we’re pretty invested).

Almost everything about this movie is the reverse from what the traditional roles are, and everything you expect to happen, doesn’t. First of all, the film introduces Josh as Lara’s crush way before we even know who Peter is, making us believe Josh is the person Lara is meant to be with. Therefore, we believe right away that she will end up with Josh in the end. The longer you watch the movie, however, the more you realize that the movie will not be taking the Josh route, but rather the Peter path. Secondly, the audience constantly anticipates these two to get caught as faking their relationship – by either Gen, Josh, Lara’s best friend or sister, her father, or just anyone. This never happens! There is never a big reveal that they’ve been faking this whole time, nothing. There is a moment when her sister finds out Lara Jean used to have a crush on Josh, but the power of sister love beats that almost immediately. Meanwhile, Peter and Lara Jean fake date for months and no one ever knows it’s not real, which makes it very convenient when it becomes real!

Finally, the reason this movie is so fantastic is the feeling it leaves you with. You exit out of Netflix wanting nothing more than to start it over and watch it again. It leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy, with your faith in true love restored. The chemistry between Lana and Noah is absolutely electric – just look at their adorable photos online – and the way Lana plays this character makes her super relatable to any girl who has ever struggled with being too introverted, or feeling like an outcast who can’t get (or find) the right guy. This movie may seem like your basic rom com, (and it kind of is), but it also isn’t. Trust me, watch it. It’s worth it for that feeling in your gut that it leaves you with.

Everything the movie got right – HIGHLIGHTS

• Natural, realistic family dynamic – including Korean culture
• The casting and chemistry of Lara Jean and Peter
• A unique catalyst with the love letters
• The red herrings of how the movie could end
• The role reversal of the boy being more open and the girl being more hesitant
• The happy, warm feeling the end leaves you with

Everything the movie got wrong – LOWLIGHTS

• The trailer gives way too much away
• It is guilty of multiple (fan favorite) cliches
  • Cheesy dialogue
  • Unrealistic romantic gestures
  • A cast of entirely too good looking people
  • Setting expectations super high for love everywhere

Rating

🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊5/5 SPEAKS!