To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020)

Corey Bulloch
Feb 12, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Feb 27, 2020

★★★

Lara Jean and Peter have just taken their relationship from pretend to officially official when another recipient of one of her old love letters enters the picture.

Classification: 12

Retaining the same spirit and charm as the original 2018 rom-com that took the internet by storm, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You is a satisfactory sequel to Lara Jean and Peter's unorthodox romance now entering "official" territory. While not having the same clever ruse driving the comedy and drama in the first film, director Michael Fimognari in his directorial debut builds real emotional weight to the central romance as insecurities on both sides threaten to drive them apart. Lana Condor returns as Lara Jean alongside Noah Centineo as Peter with all their dazzling chemistry and rapport. The whole ensemble cast of friends and family returning as well, with screenwriters Sofia Alvarez and J. Mills Goodloe building from the first film and having plot threads merge with the new ones, creating a cohesive continuation for the characters and audiences. Fimognari seamlessly bridges the two films and has this sequel properly the explore the aftermath of the "happily ever after" from the first film but the film never goes far enough in what it wants to achieve and mostly plays it safe for the audience.

Condor's performance as Lara Jean is as terrific as ever, a charismatic, tenacious yet apprehensive high schooler with a talent for baking and for the first time in her life has a boyfriend. Having both admitted romantic feelings for one another, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You picks up right where we left off with Lara Jean and Peter's first date and how their relationship endures high school hierarchy with Peter still being a popular jock making Lara Jean compare their relationship with his past one with his on and off girlfriend Gen. The film gives Condor and Centineo plenty of screentime to woo and romance one another, there are scenes that show off the chemistry with one another and builds the genuine connection between the two but also the tension behind their relationship. This film relies again on the conventions of rom-coms with love triangles between Lara Jean, Peter and John Ambrose, a recipient of one of the love letters who seems to have similar feelings for her being the catalyst that sows doubt. The fidelity of the characters and the performances elevates and informs the predictable material as the script briefly explores how their relationship actually stands with one another.

They are from two different social worlds which for high schoolers means everything, the expectations at parties, school and even their dating has Lara Jean seriously question whether Peter is the one especially when John Ambrose seems to be cut from the same cloth as her. Jordan Fisher as the new love interest does his job effectively; nice, charming and his intentions towards Lara Jean are not malicious in any sense and it doesn't really matter how invested you are in the duelling romances (all though with these films it's kinda a requirement) Fimognari and the screenwriters make the scenes between Condor and Fisher quite endearing. Fimognari, a first-time director but long time cinematographer of grisly horror films and some of Mike Flanagan's finest works does deliver the aching and breaking that fan's hearts desire for To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You but never elevates the material to new heights. The more emotional scenes that directly address Lara Jean's insecurities over her relationship (understandable as it did begin as a fraud) make the film worthwhile but this sequel just feels timid in delivering a powerful finale especially with another sequel on the way.

For fans of the series all of that you loved before is still there, preserved and ready to be consumed once more, even newcomers will find their moments with humorous side characters and subplots such as Holland Taylor's fabulous Stormy. Still using clichés to comment on romantic expectations, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You can get a little fairytale sometimes but doesn't forget to address the reality of its characters. Empathetic performances from Condor and Centineo continue to make Lara Jean and Peter a romance worth swooning over even if the sequel still wants to bring the angst.

Director: #MichaelFimognari

Screenwriter: #SofiaAlvarez and #JMillsGoodloe

Cast: #LanaCondor, #NoahCentineo, #JordanFisher, #JanelParrish, #AnnaCathcart, #TrezzoMahoro, #MadeleineArthur, #EmilijaBaranac, #KelceyMawema, #RossButler, #SarayuBlue, #JohnCorbett, #HollandTaylor