by Mackenzie Foster
In honor of February, the month of love, it seemed right to bring in a movie that not only involves love, but also has a hint of the real-life struggles and humor that comes with being a young adult.
Interested in a romantic comedy with a sisterly bond, a fake dating contract, back pocket turns, a school ski trip, and most importantly: Korean yogurt smoothies? There is one recommendation that comes to mind, and that is “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.”
Originally, the movie was a book series written by Jenny Han. Han is an Asian American woman who is also known for her other popular series, “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”
For anyone who has not seen or heard of “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” here is the plot: a lovesick teenage girl, Laura Jean, writes love letters to her crushes that she has had throughout her life.
These crushes range from the first boy she ever kissed to her older sister’s boyfriend. One day, her love letters get mysteriously mailed out to all the boys she has ever loved…do you get where the name of the movie comes from now?
Turns out her little sister, Kitty, is getting bored and annoyed hanging out with Laura Jean on Saturdays, so Kitty sent the letters out to find Laura Jean a boyfriend to hang out with.
The fake dating starts when Josh, the boyfriend of Laura Jean’s older sister, gets his letter from Laura Jean and tries to confront her about it.
Then none other than Peter Kavinsky beats Josh to the punch and approaches Laura Jean first. They both have different motives for fake dating, but as the movie progresses, the feelings between the two flare up.
The first time I watched this movie, I was fifteen years old, involved in the hype that this movie had around it, and wanted nothing more than a boy to write me love letters every day like Peter Kavinsky did for Laura Jean.
Rewatching the movie as a twenty-year-old, I have realized the movie is a lot cheesier than I remember it to be.
Now to be fair, the perspective of love is different from a 15-year-old compared to a 20-year-old, but this movie was exactly portrayed as the young adult, cheesy romantic comedy that it is meant to be which is why it is lovable.
This movie brings a sense of nostalgia to me as I was a freshman in high school trying to figure out who I am as an individual.
Considering that this movie was extremely popular in 2018 and was the start of the choker necklace trend, I would believe that other people have a connection to it too.
No matter if you are 15, 25, or 55, it is possible to admire that, regardless of the cheesiness, this movie shows a teenage girl who thought she could only fantasize about love got the chance to fall in love when she really went for it.
This movie expresses how it is perfectly fine to be content with being single and it is also perfectly fine to indulge in the type of love that you have been waiting for.
So, for all the Laura Jean’s out there, or even the Peter Kavinsky’s, enjoy the rest of your love month.
