Third 'To All the Boys' Film Confirms I'll Love It 'Always and Forever'
Starring Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Madeleine Arthur, Sarayu Blue
TV-14
Comedy, drama, romance
Run time: 1 hr, 49 min
Directed by Michael Fimognari
On Netflix February 12, 2021
From the moment I watched the first movie in this series, it was instantly clear I was going to fall in love with these two adorable people falling in love. The second movie failed to wow me, but thank heavens the trilogy finished strongly. I was able to root for this pure, precious relationship that was the perfect mix of romanticized and realistic with all of my heart. When life is hard, there’s something truly lovely about a solidly written coming-of-age-rom-com-hybrid you can snuggle up with for an hour and a half or so. And Lara Jean and Peter are the perfect couple to cheer on from your couch.
The good thing is, if you can’t remember what happened in previous films, you can still enjoy this movie. Just remember: Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) started fake dating, fell into the perfect romantic trope of fake love turning into real love, had some obstacles and managed to end up right where they needed to be: with each other. Always and Forever picks up in their senior year, and the couple has a plan. They’re going to go away to Stanford together and live happily ever after. So naturally, things go awry pretty quickly. You’ll laugh; you’ll cry; you’ll swoon. You’ll wonder why your high school boyfriend was absolutely NOTHING like Peter, but try not to go down that road for too long.
This movie was everything I wanted to be. It was the antidote to this long, cold winter of COVID-induced isolation. It is perfect for Valentine’s Day weekend, whether you have a date, a galentine’s celebration or a pint of ice cream to watch it with. It suits every mood, and makes you nostalgic without cringy. In the previous installment, I had some issues with Lara Jean and Peter’s characters. I remember being irked by them far more than in the first movie, and I am so glad that this movie seems to have corrected that. They communicate more, they don’t draw out the inevitable wait-for-the-shoe-to-drop moments and you get to just cherish seeing these adorable characters live their best lives. And that’s what you need. This movie doesn’t need to be an Oscar winner - and I don’t want it to be. I just want it to be exactly what it is.
I have no desire to spoil this movie for anyone, so I’ll just say I appreciate that it manages to avoid the predictable pitfalls that often occur towards the end of a romance movie. No one’s agency seems to get taken away, there aren’t unfair compromises that make you shout at the tv and there are no character assassinations that make absolutely zero sense given the previous films. And just knowing that this movie managed to tell an incredibly satisfying story filled with side characters you enjoy seeing, cleverly written dialogue that sounds realistic and the cadence of storytelling that fits the mood of the story makes this one of my favorite movies so far of 2021. We may still have a long way to go to hit the end of the year, but I’ll bet I come back to this one a couple of times when I need that warm, fuzzy feeling.