I love a good YA adaptation. The latest is To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, now streaming on Netflix, a rom-com based on the bestselling book by Jenny Han.
The book is an adorable story which I picked up last year in-between dense fantasy/sci-fi novels. It was surprisingly enjoyable, as I’m not usually one for romance, but To All The Boys’ is an immersive experience of second-hand embarrassment and baking cupcakes. It features a cheesy romance, and all the typical tropes of high school dramas, but it also has a large focus on the family dynamics and the wonderful relationship between three sisters. It was a fun ride overall, and the ending – which hasn’t carried over to the movie adaptation – was quite satisfying.
The film does its best to carry over the story – Lara Jean, a shy sixteen-year-old, writes secret love letters to her crushes, and one day they all get mailed out – faithfully within its limited time frame, but it does it with very little flair of its own. It strips the plot down to its bare bones, and leaves much to be desired.
The cinematography is bland, the acting (with the exception of the lead actress) is stale, the plot is painfully predictable and moves from beat to beat far too quickly.
But, this is a high school romance, so…it’s pretty alright.
The sets and costuming are delightful. There are some heartfelt moments between the two leads that feel genuine. Lana Condor as Lara Jean is very likeable and the movie has a sugary-sweet flavour to it, despite not being as scrumptious as its source material.
Ultimately, this is a perfect film for when you’re tired and need something light and fluffy you can switch your mind off for. Though, I’m sure it will be devoured by its intended audience of teen girls, and probably makes a great sleepover flick. That’s what the book is too, really, but with better pacing and more heart.
My final rating for To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is a cupcake with a little too much buttercream icing out of 10.
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