To all the boys forever and ever
Cast: Noah Centineo, Lana Condor
Director: Michael Fimognaric
Three years ago, when Lara Jean’s (Lana Condor’s) sister Kitty sent her secret love letters to her crush, we all secretly wanted a sibling like her. She did make a mess for Lara, but it ended up with the super charming Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo). Lara and Peter have been a “goal couple” ever since and they can still be seen in the last film of the trilogy – To All the Boys: Always and Forever. And seeing Lara and Peter cuddling on a warm couch is just what you need in the month of love.
The third movie starts with Lara having the time of her life with her sisters on vacation in different continents. She is also preparing for her senior year of high school and is busy building a fantasy world to depict what life with her family, friends and Peter will be like after graduation. But Lara’s imaginary world collapses when she learns she’s been accepted to a university far away from Peter’s. They would soon be out of sight of each other, which is terrible to even think about.
At the same time, Lara can’t help but be fantasized about the possibility of living in New York City. Here we get our tipping point for Part 3 – Long Distance Relationships (LDR).
The To All the Boys franchise has repackaged the same old rom-com cliches in all of its films, and the final installment is no different. The first film, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, enticed audiences with the charm of first relationships and dreams of a long and happy life, while PS I Still Love You left Gen Z so confused about the concept of love like any other generation. It talked about the difficult aspects of being in a real relationship and how to communicate through messy complications and cheating.
The last film Always and Forever serves the internet generation. Like a conventional high school rom-com, it has a damsel in distress, a charming protective boyfriend, fear of divorce, and a flashy ball. Still, it manages to be refreshing and enjoyable. The only credit for that goes to Lana Condor and Noah Centineo. They are so recognizable that you wonder how you would react in their situation. It turns out that most of their chaotic and unplanned decisions are doable when you’re a teenager.
At the heart of it – what keeps the franchise together – is that the characters want the things we want: to love, to be loved, and to chase our dreams. Always and Forever wants to be playful, but with bigger consequences.
This time Lara comes along as the decisive force. She listens to herself, learns to trust her choices and communicates those choices to Peter. We expect mature change from someone entering the professional world.
With an explosion of indie pop scoring and a clever attempt at cinematography, the To All the Boys franchise turns out to be an honest adaptation of Jenny Han’s three-part novel. After the success of the first part, the second film did take a dive, but the final performance covers it.
Not to be taken too seriously, it’s a nice watch. The trilogy could be Friends with Benefits of this generation or A Lot Like Love.
Rating: 3.5/5
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