With Spring Break just around the corner, students may be looking for shows and movies to binge-watch. One movie that just came out on Netflix, “To All the Boys: P.S I Still Love You”, is worthy of a look.

After the well-received release of “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” in 2018, Netflix released “To All the Boys: P.S I Still Love You” on Feb. 12, 2020, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The film is based on the book, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” by Jenny Han and directed by Michael Fimognari. 

In this sequel, Lara Jean makes her relationship with Peter Kavinsky official and the two teens appear to have a picture-perfect bond. However, when Laura receives a letter from John Ambrose, one of the other five boys who received a love letter in the first movie, she finds herself questioning her compatibility with Peter. The plot intensifies when Laura and John end up working at the same retirement home together after not having seen each other in years. Lara is faced with the dilemma of developing feelings for someone else while in a relationship. 

The actors do a phenomenal job of portraying their characters on screen. Lana Condor, who plays Lara Jean, is the perfect fit for a slightly reserved, yet extremely intelligent teen girl who is navigating the emotions that often accompany teen romance; she is relatable. Her character also experiences an exceptional amount of development. By the end of the film, Lara becomes much more confrontational and grows confident in her relationships. Noah Centino also does a decent job of playing the popular, seemingly unattainable love interest Peter Kavinsky, however, there is little change in his character from start to finish. 

Despite the good acting, some of the dialogue in the film is unnatural and awkward. For instance, when Lara and Peter go on their first date, Lara says: “I’ve never been a girlfriend before. I hope I’m good at it.” Lines such as these come off as cringy and don’t feel authentic to a teenage conversation. 

Fans have also complained about John Ambrose’s inconsistent appearance from the first to the second movie. In the first movie, John is portrayed as a white man with brown hair and in the second, he is portrayed as a black man. This inconsistency is easy to overcome, however, and does not deter from the overall plot of the story. Jordan Fischer as John Ambrose adds diversity to the cast as well. 

Aside from the characters, the cinematography is consistently beautiful throughout the movie. One of the most breathtaking scenes occurs at the beginning when Lara and Peter release a lantern into the night sky with the promise of never breaking each others’ hearts. There are several establishing shots of winding roads as well from a bird’s eye view, which are symbolic of the journey Lara must embark on to identify her true feelings. 

The pacing of the movie is not bad but feels a bit rushed at some points. For example, there is a scene in which Lara goes from dressing up to support Peter at his game to hating his guts.he progression goes by so fast, the audience barely has time to comprehend what has just happened. Despite the quickness of this transition, the plot and character situations are still relatable.

Overall, “To all the Boys: P.S I Still Love You” is a well-done teen romance. The nuanced characters, good acting, and cinematography make up for minor issues with dialogue, inconsistent character appearance, and pacing. I’d rate this film a 7/10 and recommend it for a Spring Break day.