Okay first off, if you haven't seen "To All The Boys I've Loved Before", WHAT ARE YOU DOING???? You need to get your ass to Netflix right now and watch it.
I think it's safe to say that I am extremely obsessed with this movie. I've seen it five times already and it's only been out for four days. Yikes. I read the books a while back and absolutely LOVED the whole series. Author Jenny Han tells a beautiful story about love, family and the struggle of dealing with heartbreak. She somehow conveys perfectly what it's like to love someone so much and what it takes to be in a healthy relationship. I really can't tell if I've really been in love or if I only thought I was, but these books really summed up the way I felt about a particular person.
One of the most important aspects of this movie is the REPRESENTATION. I don't think that I've ever seen a romantic comedy with an Asian-American as the star. This diversity is what the movie industry should be striving for. There should be thousands of romantic comedies out there with Asian-Americans as the leads, but there aren't. It is so important that this movie was, first of all, written AND directed by women, and also stars a stunning Asian-American female lead. This cast though!!!
Like, Lana Condor, you have my heart. She was absolutely outstanding as Lara Jean. She was hilariously awkward at points, but we all fell in love with her character. I think what's amazing about Lara Jean is that we can relate to the fact that she is scared of falling in love and taking that risk with someone else.
ALSO, CAN WE TALK ABOUT NOAH CENTINEO AS PETER KAVINSKY??? I have been obsessed with this boy ever since he replaced Jake T. Austin as Jesus on The Fosters, but he really blew me away in this movie. He had me dreaming of the boyfriend that I have never had. And if you read the books, trust me you will fall in love with him even more.
It may seem dumb to be obsessing over a rom-com like this, but I believe that this movie taught me (and probably everyone who watched it) that it's okay to be afraid of falling in love. Getting into a relationship is a terrifying thing. You have to really trust the person and believe that they won't break your heart. Especially, when you are a teenager like me, and you don't have any idea what love is. I kind of had an existential crisis after watching this movie and freaked out that I will never find someone who loves me (my friends can attest to me sobbing about this). But, that's not the truth. The real truth is that there is someone out there; it just takes a little work to find them.
I think that writing love letters can be a beneficial thing. Sure, it sounds stupid to do, but honestly, it can help you get everything you are feeling out. If you can't tell a person you love/like them or that person doesn't even know you exist, you can write them a love letter just like Lara Jean, telling them how you truly feel. It can be just for yourself to look back and remember the way you felt, or you can give it to the person it's about if you're feeling really ballsy. Who knows, maybe your letters will be sent out and you'll end up with your very own Peter Kavinsky. Just know that I'm waiting for a Peter too. And that I will be watching this movie a billion more times.
