Aug 18, 2018
Welcome back to Streaming Saturday!
We’re closing out the week with our fourth Netflix Original film. I have really enjoyed the high school, coming of age dramedies that Netflix has released this year. It’s fun to compare and contrast my own, quite long ago high school experience, and see what’s the same, what’s different, and what still needs to change. Each of the films this year has had its strengths and weaknesses, but I have enjoyed them all, and at least based on episode downloads, these films seem to be a hit with all of you as well. Check out “Dude” (Episode #111), “Candy Jar” (Episode #118), “The Kissing Booth” (Episode #132), and “Alex Strangelove” (Episode #160). And if you have any suggestions, let me know at onemoviepunch.com.
And now...
Today’s movie is “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” (2018), the Netflix Original drama directed by Susan Johnson and written for the screen by Sofia Alvarez, based on Jenny Han’s best-selling novel of the same name. The film follows Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor), who writes love letters to her crushes, but never mails them. However, after her older sister Margot (Janel Parrish) leaves for college, her younger sister Kitty (Anna Cathcart) finds and mails the letters, resulting in a roller coaster ride of emotions and self-discovery.
Spoilers ahead.
“To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” is part of the larger expansion of Asian American perspectives being included into young adult literature, through Jenny Han’s novel, and feature-length films, like this one and “Crazy Rich Asians” in theaters right now, along with the numerous projects being greenlit. And it’s about damn time, especially considering the horrendous anti-Asian caricatures and stereotypes that have marred Hollywood’s history, even with projects today. In fact, this recent expansion has included so many of the rich, distinct, and diverse cultures that it seems excessively lazy to continue grouping them together as simply “Asian American”. But, I don’t want those criticisms to get in the way of celebrating the expanding perspectives in our entertainment industry.
Sofia Alvarez and Susan Johnson have created a really good adaptation of Jenny Han’s novel, remaining faithful to the story, and nailing the subtle, but complicated nature of Korean American suburban youth, particularly with having a Korean and a Caucasian parent. Lana Condor is exceptional as Lara Jean, always feeling genuine, especially when the recipients reach out to her after the letters are delivered. The viewer is slightly misdirected at the beginning, as Lara Jean still has a genuine crush on her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh (Israel Broussard), but the real journey begins when she enters into a fake relationship with Peter (Noah Centineo), who also happens to be Lara Jean’s former bestie’s boyfriend. Oh, and let’s not forget Gen (Emilija Baranac), who probably had the best costumes of everyone in the film.
Sure, it’s all very complicated, but it’s also a testament to the adaptation. Everyone does a great job supporting Lara Jean, even if I sometimes had problems telling Josh and Peter apart. I thought the relationship development between Lara Jean and Peter felt genuine, especially for high schoolers discovering themselves and dealing with family tragedies. The film did have a few rough transitions, particularly the winter confrontation outside their home, but it couldn’t spoil the film for me, nor the connection I found myself having to the characters. The connection is so strong, in fact, that there is a very real potential to use the same cast to adapt the next two novels in the series, perhaps even a television or limited series format.
“To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” (2018) is a great adaptation of Jenny Han’s novel, exploring new and more inclusive perspectives in coming of age films. The film is well written and has a great cast, but also a few flaws that I found easy to forgive. Fans of coming of age films, or folks who are enjoying the expansion of Asian American perspectives in entertainment, should definitely check out this film.
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Metacritic: 61
One Movie Punch: 7.4/10
“To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” (2018) is rated TV-14 and is currently streaming on Netflix.