To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before was the Netflix hit of 2018, but the sequel feels designed to replicate the success of the original without half as much heart. The sheer number of Netflix Original films that are released is hint enough of the quality that can be expected. Many of them aren’t so much ‘Originals’ as they are ‘films purchased by Netflix’. Many of them seem inherently made for television. This means they lack the cinematic flair that you expect from a movie.
The two genres happily unaffected by this lack of flair are the teen comedy and romcom. We don’t remember these kinds of films for that one cool cinematic shot. We remember that one perfect moment that we’ll carry for decades to come. Plus watching it in the comfort of your tablet or television makes it even more lacklustre. It’s no surprise that To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before was a hit. Based on a book trilogy written by Korean-American author Jenny Han, the sequel isn’t trying to be the coolest film out there. It’s trying to worm its way into our hearts and build a semi-permanent place there.
Ludicrously titled To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You, it picks up shortly after that first’s ending. Lara Jean (Lana Condor) is officially dating Peter (Noah Centineo) and is anxious about what’s expected of her in her first-ever relationship. To complicate matters, the character from the post-credits sequence of the first film, John Ambrose (Jordan Fisher), one of the recipients of Lara Jean’s love letters, shows up at a fancy old folks’ home where Lara Jean is volunteering. The sequel is, for the most part, a perfectly decent successor to the original.
It introduces a few new plot elements but it’s generally more of the same. Lana Condor, however, remains a sparkling, thoughtful presence throughout the sequel. The film also replicates, and often exaggerates, the flaws present in the original. There’s a 10-minute stretch that has about five songs in quick successions, including a parodically version of ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’.
The music often seems less for the film’s benefit and more for the Spotify playlist that will come after. It feels calculated, like some kind of partnership tie-in deal. Given the ecstatic, obsessive reception to the first film, there was zero doubt that there would be a sequel. The millions who watched the original wanted to see more of Peter and more of Lara Jean. And that’s what they’ve been given—nothing more, nothing less.
To All the Boys: PS I Still Love You
Platform: Netflix
Director: Michael Fimognari
Genre: Romantic Comedy