Film Review - To All The Boys I've Loved Before ★★★★
Sunday, September 09, 2018
Who was the first person to make your heart beat that little bit faster? The one who made all the cheesy love songs finally make sense? Where you play a ten second interaction on repeat in your head for weeks? For Lara-Jean Covey, it was Kenny from camp, then Peter Kavinsky, then three more. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is a love
letter to first crushes that has captured the nostalgic hearts of audiences
worldwide; Netflix concludes a summer of rom-coms with fuzzy feelings and a
potential modern cult favourite.
This coming-of-age story
follows 16-year-old daydreamer Lara-Jean (Lana Condor), who, in her own words, pens
a letter “whenever I have a crush so intense I don’t know what else to do.” Unsurprisingly,
letters are leaked, and LJ must navigate the High School minefield as she winds
up fake-dating Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo). Likeable girl meets good-looking
boy - throw in a love rival, mean girl and wacky best friend…sound familiar?
However, director Susan Johnson manages to establish a deeper connection
through a heart-warming script and impeccable cast. For teenagers, it relates
like an early Taylor Swift song. For adults, it’s the dreamy but progressive
rom-com we’ve been waiting for.
Adapted from Jenny Han’s
bestseller, TATBILB associates
modern-day relationships with Instagram selfies but remains ultimately old-at-heart
through outfit throwbacks and nods to 16
Candles, as well as point-of-view camera angles that beckon us in. It’s
frank and gently provocative as it even dares to address casual racism from its
idol movie.
TATBILB’s a
love letter to family too. The sisterly bond of Lara-Jean, Margot (Janel
Parrish) and Kitty (Anna Cathcart) forms the backbone, in addition to the film
perceptively handling the topic of their late mother. Apparently the three struck up a strong relationship beyond filming and this definitely shines through their scenes.
Though it sets improved standards
for the high-school genre, it’s not faultlessly graded. Former crush and boy-next-door Josh is a catalyst
for the fauxmance but offers little more, plus mean girl Gen is disappointingly
two-dimensional. There's a glimpse of a moment which seems like victim role-reversal where you almost pity the character you're programmed to dislike, which in turn would add even more unconventional plotlines...but the moment passes and you never see it - or her - again. The same can be said for half the boys on the list. Or perhaps,
this is the sequel bait… I'd bet my bottom dollar there is a sequel.
Certain characters’
shortcomings should, however, be forgiven by the sheer resonance of Lara-Jean
and Peter. Kavinsky must be this decade’s Edward Cullen, written with uncommon sensitivity,
combined with Centineo’s handsome looks. Centineo is a poised future star, oozing
chemistry with Condor as she gives a stand-out expressive performance that
captures not only the evolving essence of Lara-Jean, but of shy, strong girls
everywhere.
It’s worth noting that Condor is
Vietnamese-American. As a Chinese reviewer, this is a quiet but powerful gamechanger. Watching an
Asian actress in a leading role not defined by ethnicity (not the sidekick best friend either!) will speak volumes to girls
who see their unrestricted potential reflected on screen. Like Lara-Jean,
they’re not invisible as they may mistakenly believe. It’s a picture of hope
from a film that is, ultimately, about the giddy hope of first love. The best thing about this being a Netflix film also means that when the film's over...you can just hit repeat and enjoy it all over again.
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