Synopses
“Lara Jean and Peter have just taken their relationship from pretend to officially official when another recipient of one of her old love letters enters the picture.” – IMDb
“Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
They were just pretending. Until they weren’t. And now Lara Jean has to learn what it’s like to be in a real relationship and not just a make believe one. But when another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him suddenly return, too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once? In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE, Lara Jean is about to find out that falling in love is the easy part.” – jennyhan.com
Review
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
Let it be noted that, had I not read Jenny Han’s “To All the Boys” trilogy before, I most likely wouldn’t have a single problem with the adapted movies. In fact, I almost wish I hadn’t. Almost. Alas, I’m a self-admitted nitpicker when it comes to book-to-movie adaptations. It’s a bad habit, really. Even though it’s been a while since I last read “P.S. I Still Love You”, I still found myself missing some major parts of the book in To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You that felt important to the plot… or at least the progression of it. And before anyone argues that some things must be changed/taken out for time restraints yada yada yada… I know that and I understand it. I had this issue with the first movie, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, as well, but those changes seem minor in comparison to the ones made in the sequel. To me, some of the overall premise of the book was lost in this movie whereas it wasn’t in the first. Let me explain.
In the above synopsis of the book from Jenny Han’s website, she describes the plot as Lara Jean being torn between two of the recipients of her love letters: Peter Kavinsky, the boy she pretend dated but ultimately fell for, and John Ambrose McClaren, the boy she didn’t even think ever received his letter. Jealousy amongst all parties ensues as Peter lies repeatedly to protect Gen and her secret, only pushing Lara Jean and the insecurities of her first relationship further into the comfort of reliable John Ambrose’s arms. Throw in a game of Assassins and a USO themed party at Bellevue, and you’ve added fuel to the fire. It’s the right amount of fun teen drama and cute rom-com moments, not to mention the perfect balance of characters and their purpose in the story. However, I didn’t get that feel from the movie. In fact, at least half of that wasn’t even in the movie. Instead, things were plucked and twisted into, what I feel is, a completely different premise.
To me, the movie focuses more on Lara Jean’s insecurities as, not only a first-time girlfriend, but a first-time girlfriend of Peter Kavinsky, who’s already experienced all his firsts with Gen. It’s not even about the time that he and Gen still spend together and how he lies to protect her secret. This, combined with Lara Jean’s and Gen’s broken friendship, is severely downplayed in the movie. I mean, Peter was so bad in the book that I felt bad for Lara Jean and almost switched to Team John Ambrose, but in the movie, I actually feel bad for Peter and John. Instead of sticking to this premise, LJ is constantly comparing Peter’s previous relationship with Gen to his current relationship with herself – i.e. what he does for her on Valentine’s day, girlfriends dressing up for their lacrosse players, and his and Gen’s sexual history. She then takes it further by comparing it to the easiness of her connection with John Ambrose once he comes into the picture, but that’s not even to say that her relationship with John Ambrose is even played out the same way as in the book. Where John Ambrose and his connection with LJ is a major point of conflict and plot progressor in the book, he almost comes off as second thought next to Lara Jean’s insecurity, which is such a shame. No longer is it about her conflicting feelings for two boys and Peter’s connection with Gen, but rather about the real reason she’s not entirely secure in her relationship with Peter, which doesn’t even get revealed until the end.
This isn’t all to say that the movie is, by any means, bad. Like I said above, if I hadn’t read and fell in love with the books, I wouldn’t be so nitpicky or have any issues with the movies. In general, and as a movie alone, I love it. It’s cute and dramatic in all the right places. It flows really well, although it did seem that some book points were sporadically thrown in at times. Lana Condor is still the perfectly adorable Lara Jean. Noah Centineo is still the perfectly charming Peter Kavinsky. And their chemistry is still off the charts. While I was skeptical about Jordan Fisher taking over the role of John Ambrose McClaren – mostly due to the tease of a different John Ambrose at the end of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before – , his charm really gives Noah’s Peter a run for his money. His connection with Lara Jean is really cute as well. Anna Cathcart’s portrayal as LJ’s witty and meddling younger sister, Kitty, is a highlight I’m glad they kept from the books. I’m also really pleased they kept Stormy and Trina Rothschild in the movie, although, I wish there were a bit more of them. Even though there are a lot of things my nitpicky brain misses from the book, there’s still plenty that I really love about the movie that will ultimately keep me going back to watch it repeatedly.
Highlights
- Lara Jean’s happy dance sequence
- The Covinsky (Peter and Lara Jean) dates = too adorable for words.
- Covinsky in general. The hand holds. The PDA. Peter noticing something was off with her at the party. Him picking her up because she has a fear of driving in the snow. The way he looks at her. If it’s not obvious, I’m Team Peter. Always and Forever.
- Kitty showing off Lara Jean’s relationship with Peter to their cousin Haven. Kitty being Team Peter, no ifs ands or buts.
- Lara Jean calling Peter out for pretending he didn’t know about Gen and lying about the hot tub.
- Stormy
- The representation
- Mr. Covey being hopelessly awkward and crushing on Ms. Rothschild
- John Ambrose being adorably and obviously so into LJ. His memory from 6th grade of how he started going by John Ambrose because of her.
- The treehouse
- The semi-mending of Gen and LJ’s friendship
- Jordan Fisher’s IMPROVED piano scene
- “Break my heart into a thousand pieces. Do whatever you want.”
Overall, I give To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You a solid “B”, if only because I didn’t like all the changes from the book. Hopefully the third movie won’t have as many big changes, but I’m sure it will be good either way. Besides, if it’s Jenny Han approved, then we should be okay with it too, I guess.
Stream To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You on Netflix now!
Are you Team Peter or Team John?
Featured Image: To All the Boys Twitter
