To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You Review: Another Netflix Rom-Com

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was a 2018 phenomenon that Netflix came up with. For once it wasn’t an absolute trash fire and had believable characters and an interesting (and very sappy) storyline. It was directed by Susan Johnson and based on the book of the same name by Jenny Han. When Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky got together in the end, we were desperate to get to know what happened to them but were quite sure that there wouldn’t be more instalments.

Because I mean, the whole point of rom-coms is happy endings – and TATBILB got just that. However, when I got to know that they’re coming out with two more sequels I was a little disappointed (and excited). Because, really, I hate sequels. They do nothing but ruin good movies by trying to milk the success of the originals. So understandably, To All The Boys 2 had pretty large shoes to fill.

To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You Review

Largie!

In the first movie, Lara Jean is an introvert who has one friend. She wrote love letters to people she had intense crushes on, with no intention of sending them. She had no experience in the dating world and was probably a little confused when she got into a fake relationship with Peter. However, the second instalment shows Lara Jean as a bit more confident… because she is now actually dating Peter. He’s the perfect “boyfriend material” – cute, a little dorky, tall (so tall!), doesn’t rush her for sex, apologizes for being late profusely and makes up for it. He’s the perfect boyfriend and apparently the only problems that are there, are due to Lara Jean’s insecurities, specifically in relation to his previous relationship with Gen.

Also Read: Netflix’s To All the Boys: Always and Forever Review: Dear Love, My Heart’s Warm!

However, what was cute in the first movie, seems dragged out in this one. The first movie was about two kids falling for each other, this movie highlights the problems that they face. Because, honestly, the two share nothing in common, other than the fact that they’re both very good-looking people.

A Worthy Opponent

The situation does not seem to look up as John Ambrose, the fifth recipient of Lara Jean’s love letters, comes into the picture. She is immediately smitten by him and as she starts hanging out with him, she becomes increasingly confused about her feelings for these two men. Thus, she does not tell him that she is dating Peter. Because honestly, she doesn’t know. Peter seems right, someone she knows, but John is someone with whom she had chemistry and seems to share a lot of things in common with as well. However, the love triangle that Lara Jean creates for herself doesn’t seem like a world-ending phenomenon that rom-coms (and teenagers) are so good at creating. It seems like a minor inconvenience at best and blows over fairly easily.

P.S. I Still Love You

The movie is good considering Netflix rom-com standards (I mean, we can never forget Sierra Burgess Is a Loser) but really, why does Lara Jean have to fall for the sensitive white jock? There’s nothing wrong with it because he isn’t a terrible person. But the movie could’ve done something different. However, it does do good justice to teenage drama and high school shenanigans. The amount of confusion that she goes through is probably something that we all have faced. She wishes Peter was more anonymous and overthinks about his relationship with Gen, which is, frankly, something we have all done so many times.

To End It…

For people who love sappy rom-coms (like me), this is an entertaining watch. I mean, sit back on Valentine’s if you, like me, have nothing to do and Netflix and Chill seem like a good option. On top of that, the costumes and set designs are really good and add to the feel of the movie. They will definitely provide some outfit inspiration if nothing else.

To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You is now streaming on Netflix.

Further Reading: XO Kitty Season 2 Review: Vapid, Half-Baked But Somewhat Entertaining