Courtesy of Vox
Lara Jean Covey is back and facing the highs and lows of young love in “To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You,” the sequel to the 2018 hit, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” The movie was released on Wednesday, Feb. 12, just in time to pull on our heartstrings on Valentine’s Day. The movie follows Lara Jean as she navigates being in her first real relationship with none other than high school heartthrob Peter Kavinsky, her fake boyfriend in the first movie.
Without a contract and set of guidelines to follow, Lara Jean is forced to make tough decisions regarding her relationship, especially when John Ambrose McClaren finds his way back into her life. In the first movie, fans will remember that Lara Jean sent out letters declaring her love for five different people, one of them being her Model UN crush, John Ambrose. With not one, but two boys in her life that have feelings for her, Lara Jean feels more conflicted than ever.
Between Peter and John, Lara Jean shares enough cute moments to keep fans swooning until the third installment in the series, “To All the Boys: Always and Forever, Lara Jean.” While most people watching this movie can enjoy the storyline and fall in love with the characters, fans of the book series may have trepidation about the changes made. The “To All the Boys” trilogy was written by Jenny Han between 2014 and 2017 and it has become wildly popular since the release of the first movie.
For fans of the book, it may be shocking to see major parts of it not make it into the movie. Much of the second book revolves around a game of assassin, in which each player has to eliminate another by tagging them out over a series of several days, occurring after the group opens a time capsule that was buried years back. This one game led to major character development for Genevieve (Emilija Baranac), and it led to very defining moments in Lara Jean and Peter’s relationship. The performances done by Lana Condor (Lara Jean), Noah Centineo (Peter) and Jordan Fisher (John Ambrose) were spectacular, but their character development and the plot of the story, unfortunately, missed the mark.
While it is hard not to love Fisher as John Ambrose, his lack of character development made his presence in the movie fall flat. The connection between John Ambrose and Lara Jean is much stronger than portrayed and instead of seeing this multifaceted character, we get a character that is built on the most basic model of the stereotypical rom-com “nice guy.” Fans get to see many cute moments between Lara Jean and John Ambrose, including an adorable piano moment, but his character is hardly given the respect he deserves. In the movie, John Ambrose is used more as an object to cause drama and not change the storyline in any way. Instead of wondering who Lara Jean is going to end up with – either Peter or John – it is painfully obvious that she will always end up with Peter.
The most beautiful part about “P.S. I Still Love You” is not the romantic relationships that Lara Jean pursues, but it is how it delves more into the Covey family dynamic. While the movie follows Lara Jean’s personal love story, fans watch as Dr. Daniel Covey (John Corbett), Lara Jean’s father, falls in love again. Fans also watch as Lara Jean’s relationship with her younger sister Kitty (Anna Cathcart) strengthens with the growing absence of the eldest Covey sister, Margot (Janel Parrish).
What makes this movie unique from any other rom-com? Not much. The movie needed more heart and complexity to do each character justice; however, if you enjoyed “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” then you will enjoy its sequel. It is easy to sympathize and grow to love every character in their own way. “To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” may not be the most inventive rom-com, but reuniting with the lovable Lara Jean will certainly bring a smile to your face.
