As a sucker for romantic comedies but also a skeptic, I’m usually harboring mixed feelings about romantic comedies be they on Netflix or in movie theaters. Despite those feelings, I still like to give this genre a good watch every now and again. “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” is among the newest installments in this heavy-handed genre.
Lara Jean Song-Covey is a young woman who is well known as a hopeless romantic. Lara Jean is always reading romance novels and dreaming of her own happy ending. Whenever she feels incredibly strong feelings for a boy, she writes them a love letter, of which she does not send. When Lara Jean’s box of letters are mailed out, she is afraid that they will be seen by others and cause her embarrassment.
This film was based off of a book, but I have not read it so I cannot speak to the film against its source material. The plot as a whole is somewhat predictable, yet the movie is undeniably good-natured.
As far casting goes, Lana Condor did an excellent job in her role portraying Lara Jean. Noah Ciento also showed that he was more than competent in his role as a love interest. The duo has excellent on-screen chemistry and make a believable couple. Other roles, such as Lara Jean’s sisters, Margot and Kitty, gave effective performances and the trio made believable sisters. While the characters were fun to watch and endearing, the story and the writing was still considerably predictable. The movie also relied on certain romantic comedy tropes that have gotten old with time.
Overall, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, while not as grounded in reality as one would hope, is still a beautiful movie that symbolizes love bringing people together.
