This review is brought to you by Krissy Rechtlich
To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You
Director: Michael Fimognari
Writers: Sofia Alvarez and J. Mills Goodloe
Starring: Noah Centineo (the Netflix heartthrob) and Lana Condor
The Netflix heartthrob, Noah Centineo, is back reprising his role as Peter Kavinsky, picking up where he left off – hopelessly in love with Lara Jean Covey. However, things get a little complicated (again) after another recipient of Lara Jean’s letters comes back into the picture. To refresh your memory, in the first movie, To All the Boys I Loved Before, Lara Jean sends out five letters.
- Our very own Peter Kavinsky, of course.
- Her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh Sanderson.
- Lucas Krapf – the token gay best friend.
- Kenny Donati, whose letter had been returned for the wrong address.
- And, the new love interest: John Ambrose McClaren.
As charming and genuine as I thought this film to be, it violated a pet peeve of mine. Consistency. At the very end of the first movie, John Ambrose had already been cast as a young, blonde Caucasian boy that showed up on Lara Jean’s doorstep with her letter in hand and a smile on his face. In P.S. I Still Love You, John Ambrose had been re-cast as Pavel Piddocke. In this version, instead of showing up at her doorstep, the new John Ambrose sends a letter in the mail, responding to hers, and it takes Lara Jean completely by surprise.
This deliberate oversight aside, the film functions as a lesser but more modern and realistic version of Mean Girls. Our conflicted heroine, Lara Jean, battles her own jealousy and inferiority as she falls in love with what might be, in every way, her opposite and she must choose between who is right for her and who she is in love with. The moments that were meant to be dramatic paled in comparison to the first film; however, if you’re just looking for a cute film to watch on a snowy Sunday afternoon filled with attractive people – this would do fine.
Overall: 6/10.
Not the best Netflix film. But not the worst.
MATINEE CHAT with Kathy Kaiser 