Netflix has dropped the third installment of the All the Boys franchise just in time for Valentine’s Day. For the unacquainted, To All the Boys is an adaption of a series of rom-com books written by Jenny Han, revolving around the relationship of Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) and Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo).
Warning: This piece contains spoilers
Lara and Peter’s love story started with Lara’s sister sending her old love letters to ‘All The Boys She Loved Before’ including one to Peter Kavinsky. One thing led to another and they both fell for each other. Later, in the second instalment P.S. I Still Love You, Lara doubts her feelings for Peter as she reunites with John who is also a recipient of one of her love letters. However, in an interesting turn of events, she ends up with Peter.
The third installment of the series To All the Boys: Always and Forever is based on the final book in Han’s trilogy. It begins with Lara enjoying a family trip to Korea while waiting for her acceptance letter from Stanford University, where Peter has already been accepted. Conflict arises when she receives a rejection letter from the university. To make things worse, Lara decides to attend university in New York after she visits the city and falls in love with it.
The movie follows Lara and Peter as they navigate their long-distance relationship, which is somewhat reminiscent of The Kissing Booth 2. However, the movie did not properly explore the struggles of Lara and Peter’s relationship leaving the audience wanting for more.
What does work in the favour of the film is the chemistry between Lana Condor and Noah Centineo which has developed over the previous installments. It is crackling in this film giving audiences some much-needed V-Day feels. Other than that, the visuals are also appealing and Lara’s outfits are cute and edgy at the same time with her prom night look to die for.
While I do feel that All the Boys: I Love Always and Forever is better than P.S I Still Love You, but it failed to recreate the magic of To All the Boys I have Loved Before. The film is full of teenage romance clichés though I have to add that it does have some genuine heartfelt moments.
If you want to watch something cheesy and want to recapture the memories of your first love, To All the Boys: Always and Forever is what you should be watching this Valentine’s Day.
To All the Boys: Always and Forever dropped on Netflix on February 12. The movie is directed by Michael Fimognari and Katie Lovejoy is the screenwriter. The cast of the movie includes Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, John Corbett and Sarayu Blue among others.
