To All The Boys P.S. I Still Love You is a solid second entry into the franchise

To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You has FINALLY premiered and we are excited. We love a Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) and also maybe a John Ambrose (Jordan Fisher). With that in mind, we decided to take a page from Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and make a Pros and Cons list.

RELATED: Dear Lara Jean: In appreciation of TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE

Pros

Photo Credit: Netflix / Bettina Strauss

Ange: As we know, I was a huge fan of the books before the movies were even made. The second book is probably my least favourite in the trilogy, but I actually really liked the second film and preferred it to the book! (Not as much as the first film, but you’re never going to be able to top that.) I had no interest in John Ambrose before the film, but Jordan Fisher’s portrayal of him and charm had me swaying from my firm Team Peter stance and inching a little closer to Team John Ambrose. Had a lot more of the John Ambrose moments from the book been developed for the film, there is a good chance that I could have completely jumped ships.

Lana Condor is still endearing and relatable as Lara Jean and her chemistry with Noah Centineo is still as strong as it was in the first film. We didn’t see as much of Anna Cathcart’s Kitty as we did in the first film, but in the moments we did see, she shined. Also, a shining star was Holland Taylor as Stormy. Relationship wise, the set up of Mr Covey and Trina was sweet and I’m looking forward to seeing how their relationship develops in the third film. I loved the Lucas’ and Lara Jean’s friendship moments (‘Because I was first in line.’ Aww!), pairing Chris and Trevor together was cute, and the scene with Gen and LJ at the treehouse was a nice positive female moment that we never had in the books. It was nice for their relationship to have a bit more closure than the original material. In just a few days, I’ve already watched the film twice and will no doubt be adding to that number until the third film is released. I can’t wait!

Roz: I will stan Holland Taylor’s Stormy from here until the end of the next movie! I love that Lara Jean needs another adult woman to help her figure out life, because I found that I would rather listen to someone not related to me in high school than I would either of my parents. (Big shout out to my not!AP Physics teacher for being my voice of adult reason at sixteen!) Stormy has the right world view to help someone who is figuring out a new romance to have as a person to talk to, because family is not always the best option.

John Ambrose is also such a perfect guy in to be not!Peter for LJ. He’s still popular and funny (and nerdy) but also he gets Lara Jean in a way that I think is eye-opening for her. No, Peter won’t always get everything you want – or even know that you have expectations for what he should be like – but that doesn’t mean someone else can’t be that.

It’s interesting to see Lara Jean’s relationship with Gen become something like it probably was before in that small moment in the tree house. We should see that other women aren’t meant to be rivals.

Photo Credit: Netflix / Bettina Strauss

Rueben: Practically everything about this sequel is a pro. I loved Peter and Lara Jean’s first real date! I loved that her younger sister was quippy in a good way. I enjoyed how awkward Lara Jean’s dad was around the neighbor lady. I enjoyed the great chemistry between Lara Jean and John Ambrose. Holland Taylor was a delight, and it was fun watching her give Lara Jean help in getting dressed up for that ball at the retirement home. Even though they had that short break up, it was great to see Peter show up to get Lara Jean at the end of the movie because she doesn’t drive well in the snow, and they’re making up at the end. This sequel was so much fun to watch from start to finish.

Melissa: Goodness, what a sequel! No sophomore slump here. I enjoyed so much about this second entry in the To All the Boys franchise. Lara Jean’s wardrobe is still #goals with a subtle upgrade to more adult silhouettes and colors while still age-appropriate and aligned with Lara Jean’s personal, slightly vintage style. Her red dress for her first real date with Peter signals a more mature Lara Jean without making her look 30, and from there we set off into this new season of her life. Kudos to costume designer Lorraine Carson for her outstanding work!

Photo Credit: Netflix / Bettina Strauss

Holland Taylor was fun as Lara Jean’s new mentor and I loved that she lived in this beautiful old mansion given a new purpose as a retirement community. What a genius idea! It’s sustainable, honors the location’s heritage, and could help revitalize neglected neighborhoods. I could go on about economic impact and strengthening communities, but let’s talk about honoring heritage instead. Once again, Lara Jean’s Korean heritage was woven into the storyline deftly and with purpose. This time she attended Korean New Year and got to score some points when her cousin found out she was dating Peter Kavinsky. I mean, how many of us were secretly wishing we’d had a similar opportunity to show up the naysayers in high school? 

Also a pro, Jordan Fisher as John Ambrose. Whoever they gave us to play Peter’s rival was going to have to bring it for us to believe Lara Jean was tempted, and Jordan Fisher brought it. (Also, how cute where the young actors in the flashbacks?!?) Charming, thoughtful, funny, talented, handsome, and all together dreamy, he presented a formidable challenge to Peter Kavinsky. Even now, days after my first viewing, I’m still not sure whether I’m on Team Peter or Team John Ambrose. I guess I’m on Team Lara Jean – whoever she chooses is who I’m rooting for.

I was so happy to see Lara Jean and Gen start to mend their broken friendship, and to learn more about Gen. In the romantic haze of Peter and Lara Jean and John Ambrose, it’s easy to forget that there is an equally important relationship in need of repair. I don’t love that Gen’s continuing friendship with Peter sowed seeds of doubt for Lara Jean, but I do appreciate that she clarified why she was leaning on him and that he is someone she can lean on. That’s an important lesson for teenagers (and us Olds) to learn: we may no longer be romantically involved, but we can still love and support each other platonically.

Photo Credit: Netflix / Bettina Strauss

And that segues into what I liked the most, and why I singled out Lara Jean’s wardrobe at the top: this Lara Jean is maturing but still only 16 and embarking on her first romantic relationship. She has worries about what it means to be a girlfriend and doubts about her feelings and struggles with being attracted to two boys at once and what happens when you feel like you can’t trust your boyfriend or, even worse, when your boyfriend is maybe right about not trusting you. All of that is real but we don’t often see it portrayed this well on screen. Manufactured drama or an explosion of hearts and rainbows, sure, but the actual experience of navigating your first romantic relationship in a pretty normal setting? Not so much. I’m not saying we all had two dreamy boys vying over for us at 16, but I remember what it was like to be crushing on two guys at the same time. It’s confusing and exhilarating at a time when just being alive is confusing and exhilarating! You’re trying to figure out who you are as a person while dealing with feelings and hormones and misunderstandings and friends and school and parents and siblings… Here we see Lara Jean figuring out who she is, deciding what kind of person she wants to be, against the backdrop of her first romance and it felt pretty darn close to reality. 

Cons

Ange: My number one con about this film is that it felt too short! Clocking in at around 90 minutes meant that we didn’t get a chance to see some of the storylines and characters fleshed out as much. I actually went and looked at the duration of this film and the original after I watched it to compare the two and they had about the same run time. Yet, for some reason, this new film felt too short. I’m not sure if the pacing was off or something but the film felt simple and short. I also would have liked a bit more closure for John Ambrose – LJ literally left him standing in the cold! Will we get closure for him in the third film? It’ll be interesting to see what they chose to adapt and leave out for the final part of the trilogy.

Photo Credit: Netflix / Bettina Strauss

The rest of my cons are more little nitpicky things because let’s be real, the pros outweigh the cons of this film! First off, what happened to Gabe from the original film? Did he just get replaced by Ross Butler’s Trevor? Why can’t Peter have two really good friends? Seeing as how popular he was, totally plausible! Speaking of Trevor, in the singing Valentine’s Day scene he is serenaded to Backstreet Boys ‘I Want It That Way‘ and somehow knows all the words. That song was released in 1999, Trevor wouldn’t have been born then! How does he (and everyone else) know all the words? Last but not least, as much as I love the final scene of the movie, how was Lara Jean outside in the early hours of the morning just in her sleeveless dress when it was snowing the night before? How was she not freezing?! Peter was wearing a jacket when he showed up to win her back. He wasn’t wearing it the following morning so surely LJ should have been wearing it!

Roz: I found that John Ambrose probably needed more time as a kid to really grow on me. That little Deviled Egg scene was cute to LJ’s French Toast, but what about him is so special. I know he’s just one more stop before Peter gets to shine again, but I wanted him to stand out as a worthy rival to Peter, not just a quick flash in the pan.

Photo Credit: Netflix / Bettina Strauss

Rueben: There is very little to include on a list of cons for this adorable sequel. Most times a sequel is far less than the original, but that cannot be said about this sequel. The only slights I have are that we didn’t get to see enough of Lara Jean’s older sister and didn’t get to see enough of Lara Jean’s dad’s budding relationship with the lady across the street.

Melissa: Like the rest of you, I have very few cons to discuss. Lara Jean’s sequel game is strong! My biggest cons are only getting one scene with Margot and where’s Josh? I know Margot is off at university in Scotland, and this is Lara Jean’s story, not Margot’s, but I missed her. At least she got a few namechecks so she was still somewhat present.

But Josh, Lara Jean’s close friend and next door neighbor…wherefore art thou, Josh? This was especially surprising because in the books it’s Josh’s mom who dates Lara Jean’s dad. That was not my favorite storyline – it felt a bit, let’s go with “small world” for those two to start dating after the drama of Margot-Josh-Lara Jean in the first book. So I’m not mad about that particular rewrite in the movie, but I think Josh was a casualty. And really, Lara Jean had enough to handle between Peter and John Ambrose. Still, not even a mention of Josh? It just felt a little sloppy. 

To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You is now streaming on Netflix.