“P.S. I Still Love You,” the sequel of “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” was released on Feb. 12 just two days before Valentine’s Day.
In the first movie, Lara Jean Covey’s younger sister (Anna Cathcart) mails her old love letters and Lara Jean (Lana Condor) ends up in a relationship with one of the recipients. The storyline continues with high school junior Lara Jean and her new boyfriend Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo). However, Lara Jean becomes insecure about her new relationship and how she compares to Peter’s ex-girlfriend Genevieve (Emilija Baranac). Lara Jean quickly becomes suspicious of Peter and Genevieve and it is revealed that the two had been spending time together when Genevieve’s parents were getting a divorce. John Ambrose McClaren (Jordan Fisher), a new character, is also introduced, another recipient of Lara Jean’s letter. The two spend time together volunteering at a retirement home where they get involved, forcing Lara Jean to choose between the two.
By the end of the movie, Lara Jean accepts Genevieve and Peter’s involvement with each other, which is a lovely reconciliation between Lara Jean and Genevieve but is a horrible example for romantic relationships. Peter spends time with Genevieve behind Lara Jean’s back, which becomes a major point of conflict for the pair. However, nothing productive comes of their arguments other than Lara Jean accepting Peter’s excuse that Genevieve is going through hard times and needs him, only, to console her. The concept is utterly ridiculous and sets an unhealthy example for relationships; instead of communicating with Peter to resolve the issue fully, she relies on Genevieve to explain everything to her. It also normalizes lying and secretive behavior in relationships, as Peter never apologizes or provides an explanation and Lara Jean forgives him entirely, despite him dodging her questions and keeping information from her.
The introduction of another love triangle was also problematic, this one involving Lara Jean, Peter and John Ambrose. Peter is the typical athletic, popular and attractive jock, while John Ambrose is the overshadowed best friend who’s smart and used to have a stutter, even somewhat of a nerd. Lara Jean ultimately choosing Peter perpetuates the stereotype that the “athletic guy” always gets the girl, which was especially frustrating when the alternate love interest was portrayed as significantly better than Peter and nearly perfect. John Ambrose treats Lara Jean with respect and does nothing wrong, while the jock lies about his involvement with other girls and sees no issue in doing so.
One scene that was particularly infuriating was when Lara Jean kisses John only to tell him that she loves Peter and goes to him despite their damaged relationship. She leaves John Ambrose outside in the snow, which is callous and demonstrates her unhealthily strong devotion to Peter, who was dishonest, inconsiderate and often late.
The movie was mostly accurate to the book, though the order of events was changed slightly. The movie adapted the text into a film well, and even made a few characters more likeable, like Lara Jean’s younger sister, Kitty (Anna Cathcart).
The cast was also a key element of the movie. Diversity remained consistent, with the Korean Lara Jean that stayed true to the book. However, John Ambrose, who was caucasian in the book and the first movie, was portrayed by Jordan Fisher, a multi-ethnic actor. The book poorly wrote Peter and John Ambrose, but Noah Centineo and Jordan Fisher really brought the characters to life. Fisher transformed John Ambrose into an effortlessly charming guy and it made Lara Jean’s progression of emotions seem much smoother and more realistic than in the book.
With all the unrealistic portrayals of relationships, this sequel doesn’t quite measure up to the first one. “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” was whimsically delightful and perfectly balanced romance and humor. Though the first movie had cliché moments as well, they were executed in such a charming way that they were hardly noticeable. The final movie in the trilogy is expected to be released later this year, so there is still hope for redemption as Peter and Lara Jean head off to college.
