To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You
/“First love. Last letter.”
Filmology Rating: 3 out of 4
‘To All the Boys: P.S. I Love You’ is the Netflix sequel to its popular predecessor 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' from 2018.
Lara Jean and Peter are happily together until a flame from LJ's past comes into her life and challenges what she thinks is the right fit for her all while Peter and Gen, his ex-girlfriend, begin talking again.
I best described the first film as "cute" and the sequel is very much similar to the first film. The only deviation from the first is probably a more pronounced style and direction from Michael Filmognari. I found the editing, framing, and camera work for this film really gave the picture a personality like a late-80s sort of rom-com.
The opening scene of the film was obviously a lift from 'Adventures in Babysitting.' It was strange at first because it was a complete lift and I was shocked that it wasn't referenced, but then it was, very bluntly. But that scene was very cute and it did set the tone of what the rest of the film was going to be like. As the film progresses, it does take a while for things to get rolling. However, once Lara Jean volunteers at the old folks home, I had found my new favorite character, Stormy. Holland Taylor has famously been in many television shows and it was wonderful seeing her make an appearance in this film.
Out of everyone in the entire film, she was the most memorable and entertaining because of how straight-forward she was. From the way she was introduced, you know almost everything you needed to know about Stormy and it was all done visually. My compliments to the director.
The inherent issue with this film is that it's a sequel to a romantic comedy. This genre is very worn-out and very predictable. So making one film that works well is very difficult. Making a sequel is usually disastrous. So it's a huge compliment to say that this film was very enjoyable. However, this film does fall into the trappings of its own genre by playing it very safe. It's not necessarily an issue with the film, but rather how lockstep the genre is. It's more about how that material is executed more than the material itself.
It's also very odd that this film does not go anywhere. This is another "wheel-spinning" movie where, by the end, you've just gone in a big circle. Again, it feels like a pitfall of making a sequel to a romantic comedy than with anything else.
There is also a subplot with Lara Jean's father in the film and it felt very much like the writer needed more subplots to make the film more than just Lara Jean and Peter. It's a subplot that is mildly addressed, but I was glad it was there.
The character's dialogue I also found very modern and written accurate, but not too accurate to be annoying. Writing teenagers is difficult and this film did a wonderful job at that. All of the characters I found to have more depth in this film as well opposed to the first. We learn new things about characters like Gen, Lara Jean's dad, and some new characters. Everyone felt human and not like movie characters, which made the drama more impactful and the film more believable.
There is nothing necessarily "wrong" about this film, it just happens to be another romantic comedy, which is the most predictable genre of film today. The film was funny, cute, and I throughly enjoyed myself.
Rating: See It
-Nolan