Based on the New York Times bestselling book series, To All The Boys I’ve Ever Loved Before by Jenny Han, the “To All the Boys” trilogy on Netflix has been highly popular among its teenage audience. The third and final movie, To All the Boys: Always and Forever, was released on February 12, and features Lara Jean Covey, a senior facing the tough choice between her dream college and her dream guy.
The third movie, which is based on the last novel in Han’s series, fulfills the classic teen romance trope and complements the previous movies, especially the first film in the series, “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.” The first film was released in 2018 and was an immediate hit because of all of the drama it portrayed, as well as its faithfulness to the original novel. The film follows Lara Jean as her love letters are mysteriously sent out to all the crushes she has had in the past, with one being her older sister’s ex-boyfriend. To hide her love for him, she pretends to be in a relationship with Peter Kavinsky, who she later falls in love with. The first film ends with a cliffhanger as a new potential love interest is foreshadowed. As a result, fans highly anticipated the second movie, To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You. The movie centered around a love triangle between Lara Jean, her childhood crush John Ambrose, and her current boyfriend. Despite being “perfect” for her, Lara Jean ultimately chooses Peter over John at the end of the film.
Now at the long awaited finale of this trilogy, fans are left heartbroken and put back together throughout. What made this movie particularly moving was watching the development of Lara Jean’s character from the first movie to the last. From the start of the series, she grows from being a shy and quiet goody-two-shoes to a strong and independent girl. At the beginning, Lara Jean only dreamed of fairy tales and was too scared to jump into a relationship with Peter Kavinsky. It isn’t until the third movie that we see her get out of this mindset and start living her life. She isn’t scared of the world anymore and chooses her own path. She even states in one part of the movie that she has to choose what she wants to do so she doesn’t regret her choices for the rest of her life. Her experiences may be cliche, but they show how high school can change you as a person.
Overall, the challenges that Lara Jean faces in the movie are made to be relatable to many teens. She not only has to face not getting into her dream college, but she also struggles with the realization that her relationship may not last after high school. Freshman Antonia Lestariadi shared the overall message she got from the film and said, “[The film shows that you] should do what makes you happy. You shouldn’t base your decisions off other people’s opinions. Yes, it’s nice to have [people] voice their ideas to you but in the end it’s really you who’s taking part.”
The movie is quirky, funny, sad, and very much relatable for many students. The movie has a great overall message of being happy with yourself, even if life doesn’t go the way you want it to. The movies show Lara Jean having a high school experience centered around love and romance, but by the end she faces harsh realities and starts living her life.
