In a Word: Delightful

To All the Boys: Always and Forever overflows with bright-eyed possibility. The characters are charming, the storyline – while predictable – warms the heart and, featuring a variety of gorgeous settings, is a feast for the eyes.

The central couple in the To All the Boys series is bookish Lara Jean Song Covey and jock Peter Kavinsky. Lara Jean and Peter are three years into a relationship that started rather unconventionally: as a ruse. Of course, as you may have guessed, what started as a ruse blossomed into young love. Now seniors, and having survived the trials and tribulations of high school, Lara Jean and Peter plan to attend Stanford University together. Of course, life has other plans. 

Teen movies often strike one of two chords: cloying or rebellious. To All the Boys does not fall into those ruts. Here, the teenagers are not overly angsty or precocious. Lara Jean and Peter are good kids trying to navigate the overwhelming task of growing up. Their circle of friends is sarcastic, fun and supportive. Chris beats her own drum and doesn’t want to go to prom because that’s what other kids do. But Chris can’t help but admit that it will probably be fun. When Lara Jean’s prom does not go as planned, Chris is by her side. Lara Jean’s family is equally winning. Everyone should be so lucky to have a hilarious and loving little sister like Kitty. When Kitty reluctantly admits to Lara Jean that when she leaves for college she will miss her 12/10 absolutely yanked on my older sibling heartstrings. 

To All the Boys treads in a very privileged lifestyle, but a little fantasy and escapism is just what the doctor ordered. The movie opens with a spring break trip to South Korea, now on my long list of destinations. Back at home, Lara Jean’s family lives in a house ripped from the pages of Architectural Digest. Teenage me would have been drooling over Lara Jean’s bedroom; adult me is drooling over the kitchen. And the kids go on a senior trip to New York City which, in a world where the pandemic does not exist, shines in all its’ dynamic, hectic glory.

No movie is perfect (not true, The American President is perfect) but To All the Boys accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do: provide a strong new entry into the teen rom com genre, and a refreshing one at that. Mature kids who, even though their plans are thrown off the rails, recognize that happiness can come from seeing someone else happy.