Review: ‘To All The Boys: P.S I Still Love You’ Was It As Good?
Are we obsessed with To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before? Of course!
Team Missy have been eagerly awaiting the release of To All The Boys: P.S I Still Love You and we’re so happy that its finally here! TATBILB has taken up a lot of time in our Whatsapp group. So, we decided to turn our chats into an unofficial review.
Warning: There are major spoilers discussed below, turn back now if you haven’t already watched To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and To All The Boys: P.S I Still Love You. You have been warned!
Was it as good as the first movie?
Danielle: No, but sequels are rarely ever are as good as the first movies. It was a really nice movie and I still enjoyed it. I can honestly say that I wasn’t disappointed in To All The Boys: P.S I Still Love You, but overall it wasn’t as good as the first movie. I don’t think that the movie managed to capture the same magic as the first one. It’s still a sweet movie about first love and navigating romance that I’ll watch a ridiculous amount of times.
Jessie: I agree with Danielle, this movie definitely wasn’t as good as the first one. There was just something missing, not quite sure what. Whilst the plot wasn’t as great as the original, it was very cute and provided ALL the warm and fuzzies!
Team Peter or Team John Ambrose?
Danielle: I actually think that this is super hard. We’ve seen Peter way more than we’ve seen John Ambrose, so it’s easier to root for him. I do think that John Ambrose was a more credible candidate for Lara Jean’s affection than Josh in the first movie. I don’t really feel like John Ambrose was truly given a shot at winning Lara Jean.
Jessie: Team Peter, in a heartbeat. John Ambrose and Lara Jean just didn’t have the same connection as Peter and LJ. Yes, we’ve known Peter a lot longer than John Ambrose but there was just a lack of chemistry when it came to John Ambrose and LJ. When we compare this love triangle to the likes of Team Edward and Team Jacob (throwback, I know) in the Twilight movies, I could really understand Bella’s struggle to choose. To me, Lara Jean didn’t have that struggle – Peter was the obvious choice.
Did Lara Jean treat John Ambrose badly?
Danielle: Yes, I thought Lara Jean came across really badly in how she treated John Ambrose and Peter.
She totally led John Ambrose on. I mean come on, she made him the chocolate peanut butter cupcakes that were his favourite. I don’t know what she expected to happen when she brought Peter and John Ambrose together in the treehouse. It was a sucky thing to do to Peter. I also had to roll my eyes at her getting annoyed at Peter seeing Gen. Peter was very chill about the whole John Ambrose thing and Lara Jean didn’t return the favour or even let him explain what was going on.
Jessie: I don’t think she treated him badly per se, not intentionally anyways, but she should have made it very clear that she and Peter were now dating, she had plenty of opportunities to do so. I get that she was probably overwhelmed and had a lot of conflicting emotions but it seems odd that she wouldn’t have mentioned her boyfriend to John Ambrose, especially as he knows Peter personally.
Was it inappropriate for Gen to be calling Peter?
Danielle: In one way yes, she made it clear that she wants Peter back, but at the same time I get why she wanted to call someone who would understand what she was going through.
Side Note: As her cousin should Chris not have known that there might be something up with Gen’s parents?
Jessie: Yes, it was very inappropriate. Gen was always rubbing her past relationship with Peter in Lara Jean’s face. That dig Gen makes at LJ and Peter’s date in the restaurant really irked me. I get that she probably wanted someone to talk to, but you’re trying to tell me no one else in her whole circle of friends (Gen is supposed to be one of the ‘popular’ girls, is she not?) hadn’t gone through parents divorcing? I don’t buy it, there was definitely a hidden agenda there. Gen may have changed her mind when she realised how much Peter liked LJ, but I don’t trust her initial intentions.
Should Peter have told Lara Jean that he was waiting for Gen that night in the hottub?
Danielle: Yes! I was shook when that came out. I can totally get why Lara Jean was so hurt.
Jessie: My jaw dropped at this! I couldn’t believe Peter hadn’t told LJ. I get why he didn’t want to, but he should have realised that the truth will always come out in the end. Especially where Gen is concerned. I was kind of surprised Gen didn’t reveal that piece of information to LJ.
Ross Butler; stunt casting or perfect for the role?
Danielle: His role could have been played by anyone. I just didn’t really get the point of him.His storyline with Chris didn’t really seem to go anywhere. And for someone who is turning 30 IRL this year, maybe Ross should give up playing teen roles? This is his third appearance in a huge teen franchise – he was the original Reggie in Riverdale and he was also in 13 Reasons Why.
Jessie: To be honest, I don’t have much of an opinion on Ross Butler. Like Danielle said, his role could have been played by anyone. The whole Trevor character seems a bit unnecessary in this movie, but then again the role of Kris can also be called into question in the second movie. Is LJ one of those girls who forgets about her friend once she gets a boyfriend? Kind of looks that way…
Were you happy with the ending?
Danielle: No!
The one problem that I had with the movie was how rushed the ending felt. The team behind TATBILB already knew that they had the green-light for the third instalment, Always and Forever, Lara Jean. In fact they filmed it back-to-back with this movie. I think they could have afforded to draw it out and have a bit of cliff-hanger.
They also needed more Kitty. She lights up every scene that she’s in. Lara Jean’s dad is also adorable. Although I enjoyed his subplot of him falling for their neighbour, he could and should have been used a bit more in the movie.
Jessie: I wasn’t unhappy, and like I said it left me the warm and fuzzies (and the urge to rewatch the first one immediately after). There were obviously bits I’d change if I had my way, but I was only delighted that Peter and Lara Jean got back together, it was touch and go there for a minute! The penultimate scene with the whole “you don’t like driving in the snow” brought a tear to my eye!
What did you think of To All The Boys: P.S I Still Love You? Do you agree with our review? Let us know over on the Missy Instagram.