When all of my friends were raving about how good the first movie was, ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,’ I had no interest in seeing it. The concept that Lara Jean, the main character, sent love letters to every single one of her old crushes seemed kind of dull and unrealistic, and I saw a recipe for a basic romantic comedy. Of course, after finally giving in, I ended up with my eyes glued to the television. Consequently, when ‘To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You,’ released, I gave it a chance, and just like the first movie, I was pleasantly surprised.
In the sequel, Lara Jean starts the movie still dating her beau from the first film, Peter Kavinsky. She seems to love being around him and all, but feels weird about how to act with a boyfriend, since she’s never had one. During this conflict with herself, an old crush from the first movie, John Ambrose, finally responds to Lara Jean’s letter. If this doesn’t seem like enough drama, Lara also happens to be volunteering at the same place as John. I was always a big Peter fan, so this forbidden romance was not favored by me. I found myself hoping for him to pull through the entire movie, which I assume was the purpose of the director.
Nevertheless, the film’s quality content struck me with surprise. The director does a great job of creating a happy, typical teenage movie color scheme and environment. The script and actions of the characters are also very well modernized. Unlike some movies where I get slightly uncomfortable with how they portray how high school students really are in today’s generation, I felt ‘P.S I Still Love You,’ was actually quite accurate.
My favorite part of the film is the characters. Each one of them is unique and the dynamics between friends, parents, boyfriends/girlfriends, etc. Is entertaining and heartwarming. Lara Jean, her sister, Kitty, and their dad have a very wholesome bond and Kitty is my favorite character. She is funny, pushy, and can not mind her own business, in a funny way. Also, Peter and John Ambrose both have super lovable qualities that leave the audience confused about who to route for, which makes the movie all the more interesting to watch.
Overall, I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes rom-com-type content. It is imperative to see the first movie, but if you haven’t seen it in awhile, like me, it doesn’t matter as long as you know the general plot. I would rate the film an 8/10.