Febuary 2024

 "To All the Boys I've Loved Before"- Summary of the Amazing Movie

By America T.

*Spoiler warning* 

 “To All the Boys” is a series of American teenage romance films, based on the trilogy of novels of the same name written by Jenny Han. Starring Lana Condor and Noah Centineo.

     The protagonist is a very poetic girl who loves to read romance, Lara Jean Song-Covey, hooks us with her bungling personality. She lives with her 2 sisters and her dad. The older sister is Margot and the younger one is Kitty. Her dad is Daniel (Dr Covey);  her mother passed away when Lara Jean was just 9. 

Lara Jean writes letters to boys she feels an intense passion for, before hiding the letters away in her closet in a teal hatbox given to her by her mother.  There are 5 boys: Josh, her sister's boyfriend, Kenny from camp, Peter from 7th grade, Lucas from homecoming, and John Ambrose from model UN. In the movie, Kitty sends the letters out because she thought this would help Lara Jean get a boyfriend.  

The films show her experiences after the letters are received by the guys. Her most recent letter is to her childhood friend Josh, who was dating her older sister Margot, until they later broke up before Margot went off to college. Lara Jean always had a crush on Josh but decided against pursuing anything.

     The day Lara Jean enters 11th grade,  Her best friend, Chris, is introduced and Chris’s cousin Gen. Gen is Lara Jean's ex-best friend and nemesis who sometimes likes to make Lara Jean's life miserable, but is always stopped by Chris. 

One night, Lara Jean and her sister were relaxing watching something on the couch talking about Lara Jean not having a boyfriend. As Lara Jean slept on the couch Katie went into Lara Jean's room and sent the secret letters out. The following Monday at school, Lara Jean is confronted by a former crush, Peter Kavinsky. He received the letter she had written him, causing her to faint. After waking up, she sees Josh approaching with his letter, and in a moment of panic, Lara Jean kisses Peter to throw Josh off before running away.

Lara Jean then encounters another guy of a letter, Lucas, who is gay, as she begins to realize that all the letters have been mailed out. She later left her house to avoid both Josh and Peter, but then Peter appears at her favorite diner. She explains that the kiss was merely to dissuade Josh. 

Peter is surprisingly okay with this, and proposes that he and Lara Jean fake date to make his ex-girlfriend Gen jealous. She agrees, and the next few months go by with the whole school, along with their families, believing they are dating.  

     When Peter finds that Gen is actually jealous, he is himself conflicted. At the same time, Lara Jean finds herself jealous. On the school ski trip, Lara Jean and Peter confront each other about their true feelings, ending up kissing while alone in a hot tub. Facing the consequences after.

After some conflict between Peter and his ex (Gen), Lara Jean breaks up with Peter and storms home, where she finds Margot has returned from college. Peter then arrives, hoping to explain that nothing happened between him and Gen, but Josh arrives as well. Margot overhears everything, and is upset when she learns of Lara Jean's former feelings for Josh.

Things are worsened when, after Lara Jean asks Peter to leave, she sees that a seemingly pornographic video of her and Peter in the hot tub has been put up on Instagram. As the guys are told to leave, Lara Jean runs after her sister in her room. She explains everything while Kitty then reveals she sent the letters. Lara Jean is enraged, Margot calms her down and they all forgive each other. Then inform Instagram to take down the video.

Talking with her dad, Lara Jean reevaluates her relationships, becoming friends with Josh again. When she hesitates to tell Peter about her real feelings, Kitty shows her notes that he wrote during their 'relationship'. Lara Jean goes to see Peter, and he tells her that he is in love with her. They kiss before walking off together. 

     In a mid-credits scene, John Ambrose McClaren, one of the five guys of Lara Jean's letters, arrives at her door with flowers in hand.

     This is just one of the movies that this amazing franchise has to offer. There is more drama and romance in the next 2 movies. I would recommend watching all 3 of them. Especially around Valentines, since the franchise is romance themed. 🐾