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:

The Perfect Date (2019)

Movie Name/Year: The Perfect Date (2019)

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Length: 89 minutes

Rating: TV-14

Production Companies: Ace Entertainment, Awesomeness Films

Director: Chris Nelson

Writer: Steve Bloom, Randall Green

Actors: Noah Centineo, Laura Marano, Odiseas Georgiadis, Camila Mendes, Matt Walsh, Joe Chrest, Carrie Lazar, Alexander Biglane, Blaine Kern III, Zak Steiner, Ty Parker, Wayne Pére, Rhonda Johnson Dents, Maureen Brennan, Autumn Walker

Blurb from IMDb: To save up for college, Brooks Rattigan creates an app where anyone can pay him to play the perfect stand-in boyfriend for any occasion.

Selina’s Point of View:

I don’t really have much to say here.

Noah Centineo (T@gged, Swiped, Sierra Burgess is a Loser) has an incredible charisma, but that was really the only stand-out thing about The Perfect Date. It was pretty basic.

My only real thought about it even revolves around Centineo’s involvement. Really, I think he just needs to be careful about what parts he goes for. The parts I’ve seen him play in are all very similar. It would be a shame if he became type-cast. He’s supposed to be in the upcoming Charlie’s Angels (2019) and Masters of the Universe (as He-Man). If he does well there, it could break the curse before it really gets a chance to take hold.

Cat’s Point of View:

Noah Centineo (The Fosters, Sierra Burgess is a Loser, Swiped) is popping up all over the place lately – even unexpected places such as the forthcoming Masters of the Universe (2020) movie that’s currently in pre-production. Centineo as He-Man, however, is a discussion for another day.

When we recently reviewed To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018), I saw that this movie had just been released. For all that the main characters in The Perfect Date are easy on the eyes, I had a bit of a knee jerk reaction to sigh a bit at yet another teen romance. It’s fairly similar to She's All That (1999). There was just enough to make the film current and fun to watch, rather than experiencing a feature-length session of dejavu.

I did spend a little bit trying to pinpoint why Laura Marano (Superbad, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, Lady Bird) was so familiar. Aside from the other works I knew I’d seen her in, I finally realized it was a random recollection from watching Austin & Ally (2011-2016) with my daughter in the days she kept Disney channel on all the time. I loved her character in this movie. Her brand of sass and assertiveness resonated with me. I also really enjoyed her dynamic with Centineo.

The Perfect Date was pretty much what I expected. I can’t say that it stands out in the sea of similar movies, but I don’t regret watching it.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 77%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 40%

Metascore – 50/100

Metacritic User Score – 5.0/10

IMDB Score – 5.9/10

CinemaScore – None

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2.5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5

Movie Trailer: 

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

Movie Name/Year: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

Tagline: The letters are out

Genre: Drama, Romance

Length: 99 minutes

Rating: TV-14

Production Companies: Awesomeness Films, Overbrook Entertainment, All The Boys Productions

Producer: Brett Bouttier, Dougie Cash, Don Dunn, Warren Fischer, Megan Greydanus, Jenny Han, Jessica Held, Kelsey Jackson, Matthew Kaplan, Jordan Levin, Robyn Marshall, Max Siemers, Vicki Sotheran

Director: Susan Johnson

Writer: Sofia Alvarez, Jenny Han

Actors: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Andrew Bachelor, Trezzo Mahoro, Madeleine Arthur, Emilija Baranac, Israel Broussard, John Corbett, Kelcey Mawema, Julia Benson, Joey Pacheco, Edward Kewin, Jordan Burtchett, June B. Wilde, Isabelle Beech, Hunter Dillon, Christian Michael Cooper, Rhys Fleming, Pavel Piddocke, Jeb Beach

Blurb from Netflix: When her secret love letters somehow get mailed to each of her five crushes, Lara Jean finds her quiet high school existence turned upside down.

Selina’s Point of View:

I really loved To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

The bulk of the idea isn’t the most original in the world. It’s been done quite a bit. The movie I thought of most often as a comparison was Drive Me Crazy (1999). The thing that separated this film from all others was pure quality.

For this movie, the lead-up to the main story was much more inspired and realistic than some of them. Add to that the chemistry of the characters and the addition of current issues that teenagers face, and you wind up with a really great movie that has a chance to become iconic for an entire generation.

There is some possibility that I’m bias in favor of the film because the lead up made extra sense to me.

I didn’t write letters to people that I had feelings for back then, but I did write poems and stories. They were very specific and it was always easy to tell who I was talking about. In Junior High School, some (so-called) friends spread one of those stories around. Let’s just say my situation turned out significantly worse than the one in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. It led to bullying that got so bad that I actually stopped writing stories altogether for a very long time. I had trouble trusting friends. My confidence plummeted. I stopped really even going to school just to get away from it.

So, I can definitely understand why a girl who wrote some love letters would believe it could ruin her life if they got out. There’s realism in that worry.

That means I also understand why she might go to such lengths as she did in the film to keep it from spreading even further.

In the end, Lana Condor (Deadly Class, Alita: Battle Angel, X-Men: Apocalypse) makes the main character feel incredibly relatable.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a special movie. It took a recipe, twisted it into something new, and gave us gold.

Cat’s Point of View:

I remember being intrigued by the trailer for this movie when we were considering the Top 20 for its month of release. I can’t, for the life of me, remember why it didn’t make it onto my personal list. It did, however, make it onto Selina’s at #16. It’s possible that I was thinking it’d be more teen-drama than I was wanting. If that was the case, I’m glad to say that I was wrong.

Sure, the teen drama’s there – but it’s not presented in that predictable way that makes you want to roll your eyes so hard they’re looking behind you.  

I had no trouble relating with main character, Lara Jean. I WAS her for a good bit of my school career. My nose was often buried in books and my inner hopeless romantic lived vicariously through my imagination. I also had a journal in which I had doodles and random thoughts about life and the people around me. Someone swiped it, and years of bullying ensued in retribution for my private thoughts that had become public. I remember the sickening sinking feeling when it happened. (Thank goodness my experiences were in the age before the internet.) 

I really enjoyed Lana Condor (X-Men: Apocalypse, Alita: Battle Angel, Deadly Class) in this role. It’s a bit of a departure from the characters I’m used to seeing her portray and I’m glad this film gives a chance to see more of her range.

The chemistry and interactions between the cast of characters within this story were all believable. I had no problem buying in and sinking into the story. It made the movie fly by and I was a bit sad when it was over – yet, the ending gave a clear resolution and didn’t leave me hanging. I’m excited to see that there will be a sequel which seems to be slated for release in 2020.

I will admit, though, that I haven’t read the book that this was based on. I don’t know that I will, given the length of my to-read list as it is. For this reason, I can’t comment on whether or not the adaptation was faithful to the source. I can say that the author made a cameo in the film so that bodes well, at least.

I’m glad that this movie was a pleasant surprise, and I’d have no problem recommending it to anyone looking for a film in this genre. 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 97%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 87%

Metascore – 64/100

Metacritic User Score – 7.8/10

IMDB Score – 7.3/10

CinemaScore – None

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 5/5

P.S. There’s a mid-credits scene.

Movie Trailer: