TO ALL THE BOYS: P.S. I STILL LOVE YOU -- An Adequately Sweet Romantic Comedy

Review by Camden Ferrell

To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You is the sequel to the highly popular 2018 romantic comedy To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. This movie, based on the young adult novel, continues the story from where it left off. Despite its flaws and overly cheesy nature, this movie does have enough moments of sweetness to entertain audiences.
 
This movie follows Lara Jean as she navigates her new relationship with Peter. Among this new experience, she gets a letter from John Ambrose, one of the boys who received a letter in the first film. Lara Jean then takes part in a love triangle and deal with her own feelings and desires. This is the next logical step in developing her story, and it’s a typical rom-com setup that has been done before.
 
Much like the first film, the sequel’s script is riddled with cliché teen dialogue. A lot of it is unrealistic, but it mostly understands its intended sentiment. The direction is also a little better in this film. There is more artistry in its execution and style, and this is one of the few places where the sequel improves.
 
The acting in this movie is more or less what is expected. Lana Candor is innocent and sweet as Lara Jean and Noah Centineo does an adequate as heartthrob Peter. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the performance by acclaimed Broadway actor Jordan Fisher. He was charming and had great chemistry with Candor throughout, and he was overall delightful.

The movie deals with many themes and ideas relating to love, and it doesn’t really say anything original. It’s innocent and harmless, but it’s a movie that really tries to delve into the mindset of a woman in love, but it never achieves the levels of insight for which its aiming. It’s mostly superficial, and it doesn’t really do anything to make the story resonant or relatable.
 
The movie can also be frustrating at times. It’s an experience where you are constantly disappointed with the narrative choices and decisions that the character’s make. Their motivations are questionable, and their problems are resolved far too easily. It feels a little lazy, and it seems like the movie doesn’t ever want to challenge their character’s in an interesting way.

Regardless, this movie does provide all of the frills that one would expect. It’s fairly fast-paced, and it’s full of romantic moments that are sweet if nothing else. Fans of the first film will love this sequel. Its predictability is a fairly big flaw, but it should satisfy audiences regardless.
 
To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You is a sequel that is more or less the same as its predecessor. It’s cheesy, simple, and romantic. It’s a Netflix film that will mostly appeal to younger and teen audiences. If you’re looking for a new rom-com to watch while staying home, this one’s harmless to check out.
 
To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You is now streaming on Netflix.
 
Rating: 3/5