Sadly, the time has come to say goodbye to Netflix’s favorite couple, Lara Jean Covey and Peter Kavinsky. The final installment in one of the most beloved rom-com franchises is here: To All the Boys: Always and Forever. And although it captures the same sweet feelings that the series has always been able to deliver, it ends up feeling a little bland.
The movie kicks off with Lara Jean (Lana Condor, X-Men: Apocalypse) and her sisters Kitty (Anna Cathcart, Descendants 2) and Margot (Janel Parrish, Pretty Little Liars) in Seoul with their father (John Corbett, Sex and the City). They explore the city and feel more connected to their mother before they head back home. Lara Jean quickly realizes how much she misses Peter (Noah Centineo, Charlie’s Angels) while they’re separated, and then reveals that she’s planning to attend Stanford with him. The couple place a lot of importance on going to college together and begin to map out their futures.
I won’t give too much away, but Lara Jean quickly finds out that her life isn’t necessarily the perfect fairytale romance she initially wanted it to be. She and her classmates head on a school trip to New York City and visit some iconic locations. While there, Lara Jean discovers the possibility of going to other schools, like NYU. This part is particularly enjoyable, because it feels like a breath of fresh air. Lara Jean is finally having new experiences without Peter and realizing that she does not necessarily always need him to have a good time. I think this is a good thing to include because I feel like she often places so much weight on their relationship and makes it her whole world; so, it was nice to see her want to be more independent and explore something she loves, doing it for herself, not Peter.
Throw in a few cute moments between her and Peter, some family time, and the struggles of growing up, and that’s pretty much the movie. Towards the end, Lara Jean and Peter have to deal with conflicts like deciding where to attend college and thinking about the fate of their relationship. The ending feels a little bit rushed, mostly concerning how they handle Lara Jean and Peter’s romance, but I think it ultimately makes sense and strikes the perfect balance between realistic and just unrealistic enough to still be a rom-com.
The best thing about To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: Always and Forever is that it’s more mature than the other two films. Lara Jean also thinks about herself and what she wants–rather than just her relationship–which is something that confused me about the second movie, in the sense that her character felt reduced to the romance. I also like the aesthetic of the movie as a whole, because what’s not to like? It’s vibrant and charming and easily transports you to another place.
Aside from that, some aspects are a bit of a letdown. I do like the end, but I almost feel like it came too soon. A very short amount of time is dedicated to the side characters, namely one of my favorite characters, Lucas (Trezzo Mahoro, Van Helsing). They also addressed Peter’s past with his father, but I wish that came in an earlier film so it was not squeezed into this one. Some plotlines also feel random, like Kitty meeting a boy in Seoul. While this definitely gives Kitty a new and different storyline, they barely talk about it, so I honestly forgot ten minutes later.
Though the overall plot is cliche and a little boring as Lara Jean decides whether or not to go to college with her boyfriend, I think it does make sense considering she’s a senior in high school and so much of her time has been spent focusing on Peter. But I wish it didn’t feel so scripted. When she and Peter have an argument, it feels sudden and strange, and their reconciliation is rushed. However, Condor still does a great job, as she has for the last two films, portraying the hopeless romantic Lara Jean is and the ups and downs she’s experiencing. It makes me wish we could get a longer glimpse of Lara Jean’s life in college and how she navigates that experience.
As a whole, I didn’t dislike the movie, it just feels like a lackluster finale. The first movie in the franchise, instantly became a fan-favorite, while the second was a bit of a disappointment—at least for me. I was hoping for something better than the second film and while To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: Always and Forever is definitely a step up, I still find that I was waiting for more the whole time. Maybe that’s because the first film pulled off such a charming romance that it’s hard to live up to, but I guess I was hoping to experience that again before we let go of the characters for good.
