Well, it's that time. As with every great love story there is a beginning, a middle, and an end, and we have reached the end of Lara Jean Covey's story in To All the Boys I've Loved Before with Netflix's third installment to the series, To All the Boys: Always and Forever. I have loved the entire movie adaptation of Jenny Han's series of books as much as I enjoyed reading them. In fact, I felt a lot of what the movies did elevated some of the stories and characters' development in the books (Peter is more endearing in the movies than in the books in my opinion). Of course, I also miss some of the things that happen in the books that I wish appeared in the movies (the Halloween scene in the first book is a good example), but it didn't change my feelings about them.
It's strange to believe that the first movie came out three years ago in 2018 and how unexpected its success was unless you were a fan of the books. It was a time when Crazy Rich Asians came out the same summer and Asian representation was starting to come out more into the fold of mainstream entertainment. No longer was the Asian actor playing the best friend or supporting character - they were the leading star, and in a present day set story no less, and audiences were responding positively. Whether you agree or not, you cannot deny that To All the Boys I've Loved Before and its star, Lana Condor, as well as author Jenny Han were a part of bringing in more diversity. So, it's bittersweet to say goodbye to the story, its characters, and the people who brought them to life but it's amazing to see how far it's all come and what we got out of it.
To All the Boys: Always and Forever catches up with Lara Jean and her boyfriend, Peter Kavinsky, at the end of their senior year. They both plan to attend Stanford University in the hopes of staying together and maintaining their relationship after high school. Peter has already been accepted through a lacrosse scholarship and Lara Jean is patiently waiting on her acceptance. She later finds out that she has been declined admission, but is accepted into UC Berkeley, which is only an hour away. However, during a senior trip to New York, she soon realizes that she may actually want to attend New York University instead. Only Lara Jean can decide what is best for herself and her own future, but will also have to face what that will mean for her and Peter.
Having just finished watching the movie, I can say that this last movie is my second favorite of the series, with the first still being at the top of my list because it is the one that started it all. This third film felt fun while still striking a balance between the playful moments and the serious underlining themes about change and growing up. I liked how we got to see Lara Jean and Peter as couple and tackling important questions about their relationship. Although I liked the second movie, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, it felt more centered on Lara Jean getting adjusted to being a girlfriend and felt a little somber because of her confusing feelings about John Ambrose that created a gap between her and Peter. With Always and Forever, it was focused back on Lara Jean and Peter, which is what made the first movie so great. I also liked how they were trying to figure out who they were as couple, such as what their meet-cute was and what their song is and how they tried comparing themselves to classic rom-coms, which was quite meta when you think about it. It was also nice to finally see Peter's relationship with his father, played by Henry Thomas (Elliott from E.T.). It's a relationship that's complicated and has been alluded to previously, and how it was presented added to both Peter's growth and the story's main dilemma. There were a few differences of course between the book and the movie, but much of those changes was well done and streamlined the story giving us a very satisfying ending.
*Spoilers ahead*
