To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, the buzzy Netflix film released in summer 2018, was one of the sweetest movies I’ve ever seen. It feels like this past year has been filled with movies that are supposed to hit at a deeper purpose, or a bigger picture, but this romance was refreshing and light–hearted in the sweetest way.
Before getting into the film, it would be irresponsible to not touch on representation. Right off the bat, I was impressed with how this movie’s casting was handled. The book on which the movie was based featured a protagonist of Asian descent. The typical lack of Asian actors in film is symptomatic of widespread problems in Hollywood, so it was good to see a movie subvert that by casting appropriately and not whitewashing the film.
That's not to say that filmmakers deserve praise simply for diverse casting, or that there's not still a long way to go, but rather to say it was refreshing to see them not screw it up completely for once.
In this Netflix original high school rom–com, Lara Jean writes love letters to five boys that she has had a crush on with no intention of sending them. One of the five boys happens to be her sister Margot's boyfriend. When her younger sister, Kitty, sends out all of the letters, Lara Jean begins a fake relationship with another letter recipient, Peter, to hide her crush on her sister's boyfriend.
Thinking about the film as a whole, my first impression was that this movie is insanely convoluted. The romantic situations depicted are hilariously uncomfortable and awkward. I know based on other reviews that I am not the first critic to have this opinion. However, after some thought, I realized that I wholly identify with Lara Jean’s love life.
All my romantic interests seem to crash and burn in awkward blunders. So when Lara Jean fainted in front of Peter, I saw that less as a corny rom–com style blunder, and more as one of many ways I relate to her being a complete spazz. I also think that on some level, that’s what makes a rom–com enticing. It’s a caricature of reality insofar as we understand that love and interpersonal relationships are messy. So of course, we would expect film to make it even messier.
Something else I appreciated about this film was its focus on siblings. Although most of the action focuses on Lara Jean struggling through her fake relationship, the bonds between the three sisters carry the plot. I mean, the entire story depended on Kitty sending out the letters and the central conflict revolves around Lara Jean protecting her relationship with Margot. Familial and platonic relationships are equally as valuable as romantic ones and, often, films lose sight of that. I’m a big advocate of the importance of non–romantic love, so I personally appreciate what the protagonist does for a family member she loves.
Another thing worth mentioning about this movie is the way they use Lara Jean's messy room as a lens into her emotional state. The notion that, when things are bad, you can always go back to the things you can control for comfort is easy to generalize and is one of many things that makes this movie so relatable. Even though many of the situations depicted in the film aren’t directly paralleled to the lives of the people who may watch the film, her experience of familial loss and romantic confusion is easy to empathize with.
Overall, this movie does what rom–coms are supposed to. I spent the entire film really rooting for this couple to be together. I became genuinely invested in the main character, Lara Jean, and her happiness. With a plot and characters this sweet, it's hard not to be.
