As most of us know by now, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You is out on Netflix.
I can already tell that February did not come to play, but first, I’d like to say that if you have not seen the first movie, go ahead and do that– we’ll be right here waiting for you to get back.
For everyone else who has seen the first movie and has had time to process the second one, take a second to decide: Team Peter or Team John Ambrose?
If you’re having a hard time deciding between them, that’s understandable. If you’re about 22 years old and wondering why you’re so enthralled by the epic highs and lows of high school romance, that too is relatable, and I’m glad you brought it up.
Here’s the thing: if you are a college student who A, hasn’t experienced devastating heartbreak or B, the excitement of being in love, there is something about these teen movies that reaches out to all of us.
I think it’s because they’re so easy to watch. Not only that, they offer a sense of wistfulness for those who have loved and been loved and a feeling of hopefulness for those who are still looking forward to those things.
Sure, these movies tend to be predictable most of the time. They are also consistently cliché. However, no matter the theme of the movie, I tend to offer teen romcoms this power for the single belief that everything that I watch does not have to be an earth-shattering, life-changing, world-ending, two-hour watch party.
It’s okay to watch something that reminds you of being younger than you are now, of having a lighthearted crush or the simple concept of feeling like the world is ending because your ex-best friend is the WORST.
In considering all of these things, I think that To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You manages to be extremely expected, while being absolutely different than all of the teen romance comedies that are out there. We are offered a story that has not been overdone yet.
It is not white-washed so much so that it is not relatable to anyone who is not skinny, white and blonde. We see a diverse cast of varying races and ethnicities, and a storyline that follows the life of a teenage girl who has known loss and is navigating what it means to love in-spite of that– and it is even more cute and quirky because her love interest plays lacrosse!
I see the To All the Boys movies as a metaphorical comfort food, which is, for me, a nice bowl of just-salty-enough mashed potatoes. These movies are like that for me– and I think they mean these types of things to people of all ages, all over the world.
In my opinion, this movie series will continue to be one that surpasses race barriers and age gaps, which is interesting and absolutely not what someone would expect to find in a teen drama.
