When I first saw the trailer, I thought to myself, “there’s no way I’m watching this.” I cannot handle second-hand embarrassment and the trailer was loaded with it. Romantic comedy is not my favorite film genre either. Yet somehow, I ended up watching it. And to my pleasant surprise, I ended up enjoying it.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is based on Jenny Han’s young adult fiction novel with the same title, which became a New York Times bestseller in 2014. Lara Jean Covey (played by Lana Condor), is the protagonist; a timid girl who exercises a tremendous lack of self-awareness. Cue her snacking in the library while everyone shoots her irritated glances.
Setting aside her attempts to be invisible, Lara Jean is big on romance and deals with her crushes by writing them letters and storing them away in a teal box. She is convinced it is the perfect way to deal with her crushes, since no one will ever find out. Especially not the boys in question.
Of course, they find out. That is when things get messy.
What follows the reveal is a heartwarming love story with Peter (played by Noah Centineo) as the main love interest. Josh (played by Israel Broussard) and Lucas (played by Trezzo Mahoro) are her other letter recipients. Two others are off-screen. Peter happens to be one of the most popular guys in school, so when he confronts Lara Jean about her letter, she promptly faints. As if things are not messy enough, they decide to fake a relationship to help Lara Jean get over her crush on Josh and to make Peter’s ex-girlfriend jealous.
While nothing about this setup is new, the film provides a fresh take on the age-old fake dating trope. As a viewer, you know they end up having feelings for each other. What matters is how they get to that point. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before works because of how expressive and relatable the characters are. The dialogue and narration coupled with genuine humor is enough to keep you hooked.
Lara Jean and Peter are two teenagers stumbling through love, and they work together, which is more than I can say about quite a few rom-com couples. They bond over common (and not so common) interests, their banter is not forced and they have an innocent chemistry that is enjoyable to watch develop.
The ending was not as ambiguous as the book, and unless you read it, you could not tell. It was sweet and simple; a fitting ending for such a wholesome movie. To me, the movie does not have many negative traits. To put it simply, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a rom-com done right.
And to think, this film would not exist if Lara Jean’s box had a lock.
