The third installment of the “To All the Boys” movies, based on the book series by Jenny Han, made its long-awaited debut on Netflix on Feb. 12 — just in time for Valentine’s Day. “To All The Boys: Always and Forever” will be the final chapter in Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter Kavinsky’s (Noah Centineo) love story, as Han intended it to be with her original trilogy book series. Hopefully, director Michael Fimognari does not plan on furthering her story any longer than it was meant to be, especially considering the film’s very full-circle ending. There is no need for any future dilemmas or avoidable miscommunications in the future, as the two protagonists head off to college and grow into adulthood with full clarity.
Like the film’s predecessors, the main focus of “Always and Forever” is Lara Jean and Peter’s connection, in spite of whatever problem they may face. While the first film, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” centers around the problem of who likes who, and the second film, “P.S. I Still Love You,” deals with a brief love triangle, the third installment approaches a more serious concern than the others: college.
As Lara Jean faces the choice between committing to UC Berkeley or NYU, she must also face the choice between Peter and the city she fell in love with. In this film, Peter shows how he isn’t as perfect of a guy as he is portrayed to be, as he lacks in giving support when Lara Jean confesses that she belongs at NYU.
The plotline remains consistent with where the audience would expect the relationship to be headed after we last saw the pair given the reliable performances of the two leads.
Centineo’s performance does not exceed expectations after his close up in the first two films. Given that his resume mostly consists of other Netflix rom-coms, it’s no wonder that this typecast was given because of his reputation of being a heartthrob. Perhaps it’s a result of his typecasting that he lacks growth between each popular high school character that he’s played. Even so, he delivers a lackluster portrayal of a teenager in love.
Condor’s character has developed over the course of the trilogy. She does a great job showcasing the subliminal changes made to Lara Jean throughout her relationship with Peter. She forms more connections with her peers and gains a voice, opposed to the introverted Lara Jean in the first film. In the end, the chemistry between the two actors is decent, with improvised moments scattered throughout the film to make their relationship believable.
From the reconciliation between Lara Jean and her former best friend, Gen (Emilija Baranac), in the second film, it was hopeful that there would be a continuation of this friendship in the latest installment. Luckily, there was a bit of that plotline, mostly in the scenes in New York at the beginning of the movie. The senior trip to New York was one of the highlights of the film since it had an overall feel-good vibe between the friendships of Lara Jean, Gen and Christine (Madeleine Arthur) and other girls attending NYU.
There was a moment of realization on the subway when Lara Jean knew that she could be living that kind of day everyday, even if that life was without Peter. Her newfound independence adds aspects that the audience hadn’t seen from her character given her relationship with Peter; now she knew she could live without him.
The musical score is reminiscent of past films, with songs such as Ashe’s “Moral of the Story” in “P.S. I Still Love You.” Now, there’s another song making its way to the fans of these movies, with Leah Nobel’s “Beginning Middle End.” Trademarked as Lara Jean and Peter’s song in the movie, its calming melody and romantic lyrics make it the perfect song to conclude the series with. The lyrics allude to an unknown future, but with the knowledge that the two lovers will be together “always and forever” no matter how they get there. The title alone reflects the three installments of “To All the Boys,” as its trilogy has finally reached its end.
The protagonists find peace in knowing that they are different from other high school couples and they will stay together through the four years apart at the end of the film. Though that’s what every high school couple says, Lara Jean clarifies that they are different because of the simple idea that they’re “Lara Jean and Peter,” as if she has been made aware of the fact that she is the main character of her own romantic movie. As the film concludes with a callback to how it all began, Lara Jean narrates “You know one thing 3000 miles is good for? Writing love letters.” Then, the credits roll with clips from the last three movies, reminiscing the beginnings of Lara Jean and Peter’s love story .
Although this film series began in 2018, there still seems to be an immense amount of nostalgia circling through the movies. Just last year when the second movie premiered, the world was at a very different place, as it wasn’t weird to see those characters completely maskless. Now, as we see these characters in the large crowds of New York without a mask in sight, you couldn’t help but recognize the difference in our lives from then to now. Thinking back even further to 2018 when the first movie premiered, it seems hard to even acknowledge that these characters are the same ones we see today, as it’s through a very different lens.
With the first movie, there was a certain noteworthy quality to it that wasn’t in its successors, but the franchise had amassed too much praise for it to not continue on with the full trilogy. This final installment wasn’t necessarily bad, nor was it hard to watch, but it’s predictability made it out to be just another rom-com –– nothing too special. However, because of its feel-good vibes, bright cinematography and the many desserts throughout that will make you want to Postmates some cupcakes, “To All The Boys: Always and Forever” is still a good idea to watch this Valentine’s Day with other diehard rom-com fans.
This post was originally published on the New University website. To find the original article, click here: https://www.newuniversity.org/2021/02/16/to-all-the-boys-always-and-forever-ends-on-a-sweet-note/
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