“It’s like the world keeps shifting under my feet when all I want is for it to stand still.” This is just one relatable quote of many in the new movie, To All the Boys: Always and Forever which deals with the highs and lows of two seniors in high school. Based on the three-part book series written by Jenny Han, To All the Boys: Always and Forever is the final movie in the To all the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy. All three movies feature Lara Jean, played by Lana Condor, and Peter Kavinsky, played by Noah Centineo. The first movie shows the two falling in love, the second deals with a love triangle, and the third shows the pair dealing with the stress of senior year. 

*If you want to avoid spoiler alerts but still want a review, now is the time to skip to the end of the article. 

As we see early on in the movie, Peter gets into Stanford due to his lacrosse talent, while Lara Jean gets rejected and later falls in love with NYU. The distance between these two schools inevitably puts a strain on their relationship. The movie shows the ups and downs of the two teens deciding what to do and how to save their relationship.

The movie in itself has gotten many mixed reviews. Vulture. com said, “The movie has thought carefully about how to solve the problems that other films have created: it models great parenting, with an emphasis on respect for young people’s autonomy; it neither ignores Lara Jean’s Korean heritage nor exoticizes it.” 

Rachel Kim ‘21 says  “I thought that this last film of the trilogy did a great job portraying the realities of being a second generation immigrant. When Lara Jean visits Korea, she feels a disconnect between herself and the locals, although she celebrates Korean New Year, drinks Yakult, and listens to K-pop as any other Korean would. It’s definitely an experience that many Asian Americans go through, and I think that To All the Boys: Always and Forever did a great job showing not only Korean culture but also the identity crisis that numerous second-generation immigrants experience.”

However, a review written by Mary Sollosi says “The success of the two previous films relied heavily on the considerable charms and chemistry of Condor and Centineo, but the new one doesn’t display their appeal so much as it refers to it. Most of their scenes together are brutally mushy, half of them incorporating some acknowledgment of how very cute they are.” 

Layla Johnson ‘22 says “After watching the third movie, I definitely noticed a change in the chemistry between the two main characters. In the first movie, there was a clear spark that a lot of people were captivated by, and now it just doesn’t seem the same. I feel like this has to do with the fact that a lot of people thought Noah Centineo was very attractive in the first movie and now they don’t as much.” 

The first movie, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, which was released in 2018 instantly blew up and many people fell in love with Peter and Lara Jean’s relationship. Although many people enjoyed the second and third films, it felt as if something was missing. As the movies progressed, the spark between the two actors seemed to fade and the magic of their relationship no longer seemed to be there. However, this was not an issue seen in the book series. Gizelle Medina ‘23 says “I personally believe it’s because the first movie was closely directed by Jenny Han herself while the last two were directed by men. it really goes to show how out of tune men are with actual teenage relationships so much that the relationships become cringe-worthy and superficial on screen.

Overall, if you read the books and enjoyed the first two movies, then I definitely recommend watching Always and Forever. I feel  To All the Boys: Always and Forever, accurately portrays what senior year holds. A talented lacrosse player gets accepted into an exceptional college over a smarter, more qualified candidate. It shows the stress of choosing what college to attend, the sadness of rejection, and the confusion with post-high school relationships.