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

Streaming Service: Netflix

Movie Name/Year: To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020)

Genre: Drama, Romance

Length: 101 minutes

Rating: TV-14

Production/Distribution: Ace Entertainment, Awesomeness Films, Netflix Studios, All The Boys Productions, Overbrook Entertainment, Paramount Pictures

Director: Michael Fimognari

Writer: Sofia Alvarez, J. Mills Goodloe, Jenny Han

Actors: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Jordan Fisher, Anna Cathcart, Janel Parrish, Ross Butler, Madeleine Arthur, Emilija Baranac, Trezzo Mahoro, Holland Taylor, Sarayu Blue, John Corbett, Kelcey Mawema, Julie Tao, Momona Tamada, Christian Darrel Scott, Jill Morrison, Susie Lee, Linda Ko, Ae Yon Han, James Li, Jerry Yang, Byron Noble

Blurb from IMDb: 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.

Selina’s Point of View:

I enjoyed To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018). My interest in that film, however, went a bit deeper than just how good of a movie it is. I was curious about it because of what a cultural smash it seemed to be for the younger generation.

I’m not the target demographic for this film series. I’m about twenty years too old for that. Still, I like to think I’m young at heart. Ok, that’s not entirely true. I’m way too crotchety and tired for that noise. BUT, I remember being young. I remember the movies I loved and the ones that inspired me.

You already know what I’m going to say, because if you have any knowledge of my generation, then you know the movies I’m talking about are by John Hughes (The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Uncle Buck). The Brat Pack movies, in particular.

Those films were good in general, but to little girls growing up in the late 80s and throughout the 90s, they were so much more than that. They were a blueprint to romance and high school. Molly Ringwald was the red-headed goddess we all wanted to be.

The world of most girls growing up in that time would look much different without those films.

With the movies in the To All the Boys trilogy, I think we’re seeing something similar. All the elements are there for a really good coming-of-age flick that speaks to teenagers. And I can see the influence from films like Sixteen Candles (1984) and Pretty in Pink (1986).

Maybe I should be more concerned with the fact that I had those films at the forefront of my mind while I was watching To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, but I’m not. Every generation should have those films. Growing up is hard. Sometimes it’s nice to pretend we have a blueprint.

This sequel took a few more risks with their cinematography. There was a bit more in the surreal category. I liked that they shook things up like that. Some of the scenes they did that with sent me right back to when I was a young girl and a song would come on that would make me feel like I was in my very own movie. There was a daydreaming truth to those scenes that I’ve never seen quite as accurately portrayed.

The director, Michael Fimognari (Gerald’s Game, Before I Wake, The Lazarus Effect), really put his own spin on this film, and I think he took it in a very interesting direction. It wasn’t better than the first, but it wasn’t worse, either. That’s more of an accomplishment than it sounds like.

To the best of my knowledge, this is a trilogy. In trilogies, the second movie tends to be the most difficult simply because of how plots tend to arc throughout a 3-part series. In the beginning of a story, you get to introduce people to everything. It’s exciting. It’s new. There’s so much to explore. In an ending, you have the climax. There’s a fulfillment to the conflict. All the threads of the story come together. There’s a final evolution.

In the middle, there’s mostly upkeep. Some minor introduction and a furthering of the core conflict or idea.

For a second film, P.S. I Still Love You was decent. It still felt kind of iconic. It still had a Hughes feel, a relevance, to it. And I can definitely be here for Lana Condor (Alita: Battle Angel, Rilakkuma and Kaoru, X-Men: Apocalypse) as this new generation’s Ringwald. She’s relatable and badass in her own way.

I’m looking forward to the next (presumably last) one. I’ve heard rumors that it’s going to be coming out at the end of the year, but we’ll see what happens. Keep an eye on the Top 20 lists. I’m almost positive you’ll see it there the month it’s due to come out.  

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 74%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 48%

Metascore – 54/100

Metacritic User Score – 6.1/10

IMDB Score – 6.2/10

CinemaScore – None

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4.5/5

  

Movie Trailer: