Every generation gets the high school rom-com it deserves – from the John Hughes canon of the ‘80s, to Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You in the ‘90s, to Mean Girls in the ‘00s and beyond. For the late 2010s, it’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before – a film that indulges in all the traditions of the genre, with some time-specific updates (Instagram, cyber-bullying, emojis). Most importantly, it’s on Netflix – where the majority of today’s teenagers are streaming their content.
Based on Jenny Han’s hit novel, Susan Johnson’s film makes light work of the seemingly dense knot of romantic entanglements. Lara Jean (Condor) is in love with her longtime friend and neighbour Josh (Israel Broussard), but can’t tell him because he’s going out with her Scottish university-bound older sister Margot (Janel Parrish). When younger sister Kitty (Cathcart) mischievously mails out the stack of love letters Lara Jean has written to each one of her crushes over the years, it not only unveils her feelings for Josh but bares her former fancying of high school heartthrob Peter Kavinsky (Centineo). With Peter facing his own relationship breakdown with bitchy teen-queen Gen (Emilija Baranac), he hatches a plan with Lara Jean: start up a fake relationship, so that Lara Jean can pretend she doesn’t actually fancy Josh, and so that Gen can become jealous and get back with Peter.
A zippy confection buoyed with humour and a steady stream of bouncing pop songs.
Thanks to Sofia Alvarez’s lively script and a host of charming performances, the whole thing fizzes along – a zippy confection buoyed with humour and a steady stream of bouncing pop songs. In Lara Jean (always referred to by her double-name) the film has an endearing heroine, both headstrong and hopeless in the pursuit of the romance she dreams of, unfazed by Gen’s barbed remarks and taking charge as she draws up a ‘contract’ for her showmance with Peter Kavinsky (he too often referred to by both names). And while you know where this is all going, it’s easy to see why Lara Jean finds herself falling for him for real – Noah Centineo plays it aloof, all big eyes and bushy brows as the cool kid in school who’s far from the macho jock of yesteryear.
Beyond the central pairing, the film makes time for other things – Lara Jean feeling distanced from her older sister, both physically by Margot’s move to Edinburgh, and emotionally by being unable to tell her about the letters on account of Josh being her ex; the fear of love and loss that comes as a consequence of her mother’s death; the trials of being a high-schooler in the social media age. It all makes for well-rounded characters and drama, without distracting from the hooky central romance. With its mean girls, preposterously lavish school trips, ludicrous teen parties, and weird American sports (prepare for a good dollop of lacrosse), To All The Boys ends up being familiar in all the right ways – even invoking Sixteen Candles, while acknowledging its offensive racist stereotypes. Johnson delivers it all with such pace, heart, and style that it’s hard not to fall for.
