Film Review: There’s more love to be found in ‘To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You’

To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You perfectly captures the angst and awkwardness of young love. While To All The Boys Loved Before captured the sweet and innocent quests teens undertake in search of love, the sequel effectively debunks many of the tropes we succumb to in our adolescent years. No matter how much we glorify the idea of being with someone, there’s no such thing as a “perfect” relationship, and sometimes we have to experience bumps in the road to know that.

Sofia Alvarez and J. Mills Goodloe have constructed a narrative that certainly fits well with where we last left these characters but also moved the story in some authentic ways. These types of releases often tend to glamorize the relationship and are too fixated on sticking with a familiar pattern for these releases. Kudos to the film for touching on the pressures of being a girlfriend/boyfriend, being seen, and even going “all the way.” There’s one seen in front of their house, which perfectly captured the pressure teens feel to engage in sex. Lara Jean, in many ways, is representative of the world teenager are forced to grow up in. That character is as much a “fish out of water” as most kids are her age about many topics.

To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You centers around evolving. Peter (Noah Centineo) and Lara Jean (Lana Condor) are just starting on this journey as boyfriend and girlfriend. Everything is different now, and when she feels things are perfect, a curveball arrives in the form of John Ambrose (Jordan Fisher). It seems our Ms. Lara Jean wrote many love letters, and this one finally got to Mr. Ambrose. It certainly complicates matters just as they were beginning this sweet journey.

Noah Centineo and Lana Condor are just lovely in the leading roles. Their chemistry is a huge reason why Netflix has posted huge numbers with these series of films and why we will have a third film down the road. Jordan Fisher was the perfect complication in this love story and certainly brought a welcomed twist. Perhaps my favorite character in the series is Lara Jean’s dad, played by John Corbett. There’s a sequence in the film where we get to see just awkward Dr. Covey is, and it’s quite charming.

Overall, if anyone is looking for either a perfect date night movie or even one to watch over Valentine’s day then look no further than this charming follow-up, which will certainly melt the coldest of hearts.

To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You begins streaming on Netflix today.