Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Is Still Making Us Swoon

Summer Vernon
Aug 31, 2018 · 4 min read

Since the release of the Netflix Original film To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, rom-com aficionados, teen movie fanatics, and just about the entire internet have been freaking out. More specifically, they can’t seem to get enough of Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo), the main love interest in the film, and Lara Jean Song Covey (Lana Candor), the bashful and adorable protagonist.

Peter Kavinsky is the antidote to your friendly neighborhood fuckboy. Charming, thoughtful, empathetic and cute — he’s everything you’ve ever wanted, but could never find on Bumble. With his infectious smile, deep brown eyes, casual confidence, and a mysterious facial scar, he is the on-screen heartthrob we never knew we needed.

In case you missed it, To All the Boys is based on Jenny Han’s popular YA novel which follows Lara Jean, a 16-year old, fashion-forward, Korean-American high-school student who prefers “bodice-ripping” romance novels over real life relationships. Her fantasy world gets disrupted when five love letters she wrote to various crushes over the years were unexpectedly signed, sealed and delivered. This postal faux-pas triggered a unexpected series of events, most notably, the complicated, yet achingly sweet situationship between Peter Kavinsky and Lara Jean Covey.

When Lara Jean is confronted by Peter about the love letter he received, her entire world comes crashing down, literally, as she faints in the middle of the high school running track. If passing out in front of a former crush who just received a secret love letter wasn’t embarrassing enough, Lara Jean recovers just in time to notice another crush (Josh, played by Israel Broussard) swiftly approaching her with his very own letter in tow. Lara Jean’s embarrassment transitions to panic as she pulls Peter into a hurried lip lock, thwarting Josh’s pending confrontation about his letter, which was sure to be catastrophic considering Josh is her former best friend and her sister’s recent ex-boyfriend. I know, straight out of a telenovela, right?

This postal mishap serves as the catalyst for Peter’s indecent proposal — to fake date as a means to make his ex-girlfriend jealous and to further convince Josh that Lara Jean is no longer interested.

What could possibly go wrong?

The better question is, what could go right? With that, a tale of “fake boyfriends and real emotions” ensues.

In the weeks since its release, social media has been ablaze with countless confessions of viewers who have watched the film innumerable times (I’m definitely guilty). So what is it about this film that makes it so binge-worthy?

It is the synergy of the films’ moving parts. It’s the familiarity of the epic rom-com fake dating story line. It’s the impenetrable bond that the Covey sisters share. It’s the stand-out performances by Lara Jean’s crush-turned-confidant, Lucas, played brilliantly by Trezzo Mahoro, and her rambunctious sister Kitty (Anna Kathcart). And it’s all melodically bound by an impressive indie soundtrack. But mostly, it’s the wholesome charm of both Peter and Lara Jean and the sweet, giddy chemistry they share.

From the onset, their chemistry is palpable. It exudes an adolescent innocence that makes their union so satisfying to watch. The naivete and hopeless romanticism that Lara Jean’s character embodies transports you back to a time when handwritten, folded notes were exchanged instead of text messages. When sharing space with your crush — whether a classroom, a quad or a gymnasium — gave you the ultimate high. And when all your wannabe boyfriends were referenced by their first and last names; or just last names in the case of Covey and Kavinsky.

In fact, while watching To All the Boys, it’s difficult not to relive the heart-wrenching crushes of your own youth. The nostalgic and euphoric giddiness that tends to define a high school crush is difficult to replicate on screen; and even more so to provoke in an audience. Although classics like the oft-referenced Sixteen Candles, and perhaps 90s teen rom-coms such as Can’t Hardly Wait, She’s All That, and 10 Things I Hate About You come close, this movie somehow manages to bottle up all the hormone-heavy teen adolescent emotion you’ve ever had, and dispense it frame-by-delightful-frame.

Written by

Writer, pop culture imbiber, rom-com lover. A glutton for happy endings.

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