To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

NETFLIX Movie

Director:

Susan Johnson

Starring:

Lana Condor

Noah Centineo

Janel Parish

Israel Broussard

Plot:

A teenage girl’s secret love letters are exposed and wreak havoc on her love life.

Review:

Wow, I was not expecting such a great romance from Netflix after the absolute stinkers they’ve given me recently.

Lara Jean, Lana Condor, doesn’t tell boys when she has a crush on them. She prefers to look on from afar and when the feelings are too much to write them a letter explaining her feelings. She never intends for those letters to be seen, though, she does address them. Naturally, those letters are sent by a somewhat well-meaning sister.

Most of the letters were years old and her feelings have moved on so she doesn’t have much issue explaining to the boys once they show up that she’s moved on. However, one of the letters is to her sister Margot, Janel Parish, recently dumped boyfriend, Israel Broussard. Her feelings for him are complicated. They’re best friends, she had a crush, but he was always in love with her sister. It was never even an option for her to try and pursue a relationship with him once her sister dumped him because her sister still, sort of, has feelings for him.

In an effort to keep him in the dark about her feelings she accosts another one of the recipients of her love letters. Peter, Noah Centineo, has just broken up with his long term girlfriend and was not looking for a relationship. However, he takes the opportunity to make his ex jealous and to help Lara Jean hide, by pretending to be her boyfriend.

They’re adorable, tons of chemistry, very realistic but still fun. It reminded me of watching Sixteen Candles, incidentally, one of the movies they talk about in the film. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was so great that I’ve actually looked into the book series it is based on. There are two more books, so my hope is that they make a sequel, but we’ll see. I hate teen angst with a passion but I loved this movie.

5/5