To All the Boys: Always and Forever (2021)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

As Lara Jean Covey prepares for the end of high school and the start of adulthood, a pair of life-changing trips lead her to reimagine what life with her family, friends, and Peter will look like after graduation.

Promo:

Release date: 2/14/21

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The third book was really thin on plot so I originally thought they would combine the second and third books into one movie. When I learned that they were doing the third book separately, I was really questioning how they would be able to stretch such a minimal amount of material into 60-90 minutes. It looks like they're going to really expand on some of the stuff in the book (I'm most excited about the Covey sisters going to Korea - I hope that ends up being more than a five minute montage).

This was my least favorite of the books but of course I'm going to watch it because (1) I'm a completist (2) I want to be supportive of the book author and projects with POC and (3) there is nothing else to watch these days due to COVID.

[Scarlett45]

Thanks for posting! I have loved the other two so I will for sure check out this one. 

[Scarlett45]

I’m kicking off the most exciting weekend I’ve had in months watching this. 

[memememe76]

Not as good as the first but better than the second. A more cohesive and collaborative effort. The final scene does an extremely effective job of encompassing the three movies, how it back goes to the movie’s origins is clever and sweet. 

Edited February 13, 2021 by memememe76

[blugirlami21]

I loved it. Just as good as the first, loads better than the second. I feel like we got to see so much more of Peter and Lara Jean as a couple here and they are so stupid cute together. Perfect ending.

[Scarlett45]

34 minutes ago, memememe76 said:

Not as good as the first but better than the second. A more cohesive and collaborative effort. The final scene does an extremely effective job of encompassing the three movies, how it back goes to the movie’s origins is clever and sweet. 

 

7 minutes ago, blugirlami21 said:

I loved it. Just as good as the first, loads better than the second. I feel like we got to see so much more of Peter and Lara Jean as a couple here and they are so stupid cute together. Perfect ending.

I liked this one, but I thought movie 2 had higher stakes. It was beautiful to look at, I loved the blue dress Lara Jean wore to her Dad’s wedding. 
 

The first is still my favorite. 

[blugirlami21]

I didn't like the second one as much because Lara Jean was too in her head and not communicating with Peter. 

I never once thought that she was going to pick John Ambrose, not really. A lot if the time greener grass is just that. I think people also underestimate how invested Peter is in his relationship with Lara Jean.

[moonorchid]

I liked this way more than the second one. I thought this was much better paced and thought out. I liked that we saw Peter and Lara Jean as a cute couple in this one and reminded us why we root for them. 
 

I loved that they went against type and Peter was super supportive of Lara Jean even if he was upset. He’s entitled to be upset since he was fully invested in Lara Jean going to Stanford, then pivoted to her going to Berkeley, and then she tells him she has to go to New York. But he doesn’t get angry and knows that he can’t hold her back and tries to go with it. 

Everything surrounding them was really fun to watch. 

This was a great send off for a popular trilogy. 
 

P.S: Lana Condor is a damn revelation and she better have a massive career where she’s front and center. She carried this series with ease and charm and depth. She made Lara Jean easy to root for and not exasperating (as the book kind of makes her at times). She made this series!

[EyewatchTV211]

13 hours ago, moonorchid said:

I liked this way more than the second one. I thought this was much better paced and thought out. I liked that we saw Peter and Lara Jean as a cute couple in this one and reminded us why we root for them. 
 

I loved that they went against type and Peter was super supportive of Lara Jean even if he was upset. He’s entitled to be upset since he was fully invested in Lara Jean going to Stanford, then pivoted to her going to Berkeley, and then she tells him she has to go to New York. But he doesn’t get angry and knows that he can’t hold her back and tries to go with it. 

Everything surrounding them was really fun to watch. 

This was a great send off for a popular trilogy. 
 

P.S: Lana Condor is a damn revelation and she better have a massive career where she’s front and center. She carried this series with ease and charm and depth. She made Lara Jean easy to root for and not exasperating (as the book kind of makes her at times). She made this series!

Agree with all of this. And love Lana's facial expressions. She's great. 

[Beeyago]

22 hours ago, moonorchid said:

I liked this way more than the second one. I thought this was much better paced and thought out. I liked that we saw Peter and Lara Jean as a cute couple in this one and reminded us why we root for them. 
 

I loved that they went against type and Peter was super supportive of Lara Jean even if he was upset. He’s entitled to be upset since he was fully invested in Lara Jean going to Stanford, then pivoted to her going to Berkeley, and then she tells him she has to go to New York. But he doesn’t get angry and knows that he can’t hold her back and tries to go with it. 

Everything surrounding them was really fun to watch. 

This was a great send off for a popular trilogy. 
 

P.S: Lana Condor is a damn revelation and she better have a massive career where she’s front and center. She carried this series with ease and charm and depth. She made Lara Jean easy to root for and not exasperating (as the book kind of makes her at times). She made this series!

I agree. Lana is great! I personally like the first two movies better, story-wise, but kudos to both her and Noah for keeping the chemistry consistently good throughout all three movies. 

[tennisgurl]

Perfect movie for Valentines Day! I thought this one was quite cute, I would rank it as not quite as good as one but better than two, and all three of them make for a nice rom com trilogy with a consistent story being told. I am really glad we got to see so much of Peter and Lara Jean as a cute couple, which I thought was lacking in the second movie, and I thought this was a good ending for them. They know long distance will be hard, but they're going to try, and it means lots and lots of love letter. 

It does have this one pet peeve of mine, that every person in movies/TV goes to big famous colleges like NYU, Stanford, etc. If you know nothing about colleges in the United States, you would probably assume that there are only about a dozen schools in the whole country, except for a few sad community colleges that exist to be worse case scenarios in case they don't get into the Ivy Leagues. But yeah, just a pet peeve of mine, and everyone does it, so I cant be too mad. 

I cant wait to see what Lana Condor does next. The whole cast is great but she really has carried these films. 

[MaggieG]

I absolutely loved this trilogy. Lara Jean and Peter are just the cutest. I just love their dynamic. I love that he calls her Covey. I liked the ending, they both followed their own dreams and path and they were supportive of the other. I also liked that their first time was very meaningful. 

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The third book was my least favorite of the trilogy, mostly because it seemed like the author was really stretching the material to make it a whole book. It felt really thin on plot so I thought the third movie might have the same problem. I apologize for ever doubting you, movie! This was a sweet way to tie a bow on Lara Jean's story and it hit all the final moments (prom, graduation, the wedding) to give a fulfilling ending.

I was worried the Korea trip would be stripped down to a quick two minute montage so I was glad that they spent a little more time than that there (I still wish they had spent more than 7 minutes on Korea, but I should probably just be happy with what we got since the movie was less than 2 hours).

I guess I'm getting really sentimental/sappy in my old age but I got a little teary watching the girls and their dad search for the lock that their mom left there because it was such a sweet way for them to have a moment of connection with her now that she's gone.

But I also love how much the girls support their dad's relationship with Trina. Instead of being jealous that someone else is getting his attention or accusing her of trying to take their mother's place, they are clearly happy that their dad has found love again.

Trina was a good egg for accommodating all of the girls' wedding requests. Thank goodness Lara Jean vetoed Kitty's request for neon lime as the color scheme and chicken nuggets for the dinner food.

The wedding was really sweet. I'm glad we got to see their family happy and together.

I've never been to a school that gave out their yearbooks before prom. We always got ours the last week of school (and prom was usually a full month before that).

Lara Jean gets an A+ for her taste in movies. Say Anything, Romeo + Juliet ("the Claire Danes version" - Kelly Kapoor), When Harry Met Sally, Serendipity (which also starred John Corbett!).

On a similar shallow note, I love the production design. Lara Jean's room is pretty but it also looks realistic and really suits her personality. I love the bookcase downstairs with all the blue books.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Peter was definitely right about Stanford having an amazing campus. It was the first college I visited back when I was in sixth grade. My family drove up the coast of California so I asked if we could stop at Stanford to check out the campus. I'm sure my parents were trying really hard not to get excited that I had set my sights so high, but to be honest my main motivation (aside from it being on our way to San Francisco) was that a boy I liked the year before mentioned wanting to go to college there.

I had been to a few college campuses before that, but always for a specific reason like an event so I hadn't really paid attention to the actual campus as a place I could go to school in the future. This was the first time that I specifically went to a college and looked at as somewhere I could go. It is a beautiful campus (especially to someone whose elementary school didn't even have a cafeteria or a playground) so I can see why Peter was impressed with it.

When I was in high school, an older student advised me to visit college campuses before applying because it might end up ruling some schools out. He had been dead set on going to Columbia but after he visited, he ended up not liking it at all and decided to go to Dartmouth instead. He told me that if he had visited before applying, he wouldn't have wasted time and money on the application fee and essay for Columbia.

When my cousin was applying to colleges, I told her not to worry too much about where she got in because if she got into school #1 she would become BFFs with some girl named Nicole and have a great time, but if she got into school #2 she would become BFFs with some girl named Jessie and she would have just as great a time.

While I felt bad that Lara Jean didn't get into Stanford, I was with Margot - it's not the end of the world. It was a bit harsh for Lara Jean to say that her safety schools weren't ideal because she didn't want to be far away from her family. First of all, she shouldn't be making Margot feel guilty for going to Scotland. But secondly, going to Stanford would have required a two hour flight plus a 30 minute drive from campus to the San Francisco or San Jose airport. It's 600 miles away from home so it's not like she would be popping backe every weekend to see her family. Going to Berkeley would require a similar amount of time to fly out of Oakland. If she went to UCLA, the commute would barely be longer (it's a 2.5 hour flight). She was just lashing out at Margot because if staying close to home was really THAT important, she would have chosen a college in Oregon. The truth was that following her boyfriend to his college where he already had a scholarship was more important to her than staying close to home.

But I know she was crushed and really upset and she needed some time to wallow. Somehow disappointments like this feel worse because public information like where you're going to college makes it seem like everyone knows you failed. I was glad that when she finally told Peter, he just wanted to make sure she was okay.

I can see how Lara Jean was enchanted by NYU and going to a college party, but this is exactly why you should visit all the colleges you're considering before you make a final decision. It's entirely possible that if she had visited Stanford or Berkeley, she would think it was as fun as NYU.

I was glad that she listened to EVERYONE (Margo, Chris, her dad) and went with her gut instead of giving in and picking a school due to her boyfriend - this isn't Felicity, Lara Jean! Although on the flip side, Felicity chose to go to NYU instead of Stanford so she was half right?

[Lovecat]

SO charming ❤️  I’m laid up recovering from unplanned shoulder surgery after losing a battle with some ice, so this was just the sweet treat I needed today.

[Ravenya003]

Cute movie, and a nice way to end the trilogy. Lana Condor is a gift, I hope she gets plenty of roles after this. I've noticed in plenty of romantic comedies that a lot of actresses perform (or are TOLD to perform) the role as blandly/sweetly as possible since they're essentially a blank slate for female audiences to project themselves upon. They're not that important, it's the love interest that one everyone's turned up to see. But that's obviously not the case here; I'd watch a movie about Lara Jean without Peter, as she's interesting enough on her own.

I loved that they ended up going to different colleges to follow their own dreams, especially since I've known too many women (okay, two) who dropped everything in their lives (jobs, houses, families) in order to follow a man in pursuit of HIS dreams - and one of them certainly lived to regret it. So I'm glad this prioritized Lara's future over her relationship with Peter.

Really appreciated that she mended fences with Gen, and though the whole hot tub fiasco really deserves an apology, it was nice to see that Gen grew out of her bitchy phase (I've known plenty of women who did that too).

Loved the sisters and the accepting rapport with the new stepmother. Didn't care much about Peter's issues with his father; that was time that could have been spent on the sisters maybe being a LITTLE more hesitate about another woman living in their mother's house. 

And as ever, completely bemused at the American education system and the crazy hoops everyone has to jump through in order to get to their college of choice. In NZ you just graduate high school and go wherever you want. 

Edited February 17, 2021 by Ravenya003

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The thing that I really love about  Lara and Peter's relationship is their friendship. They clearly like each other as people (as opposed to the relationships where it's all about physical attraction and they have nothing to say to each other). They just click really well and they get each other, which I love.

I'm all for prom but I also think it's not as big a deal as movies make it out to be. It's just another dance so go if you want to and stay home if you think it's as lame as homecoming or winter formal or any of the other zillion dances. I hate how movies make it seem like it's the end of the world if you don't go and you'll regret it for the rest of your life. It's one stupid dance. I went and I had fun, but it's not everyone's idea of fun and that's fine.

But I am firmly Team Chris when it comes to promposals. Ugh, WHY? I loved that she told Trevor that if he pulled that with her, it was over. Getting Lucas to dare her was a fun way to get her to go though.

I enjoyed watching everyone take selfies during their senior trip to New York because it was such a normal teenage thing to do. Also did my high school suck because we didn't have a senior trip to the other side of the country?

I hated that the movie split Lara Jean apart from Peter for their first day in New York by claiming that the students were being divided into three groups by last name. It was a weak excuse because later we saw the kids walking around in pairs and totally unaccompanied by their chaperones.

I really felt for Peter with the whole situation with his dad. He's had years of feeling abandoned and unloved while his dad was creating a new family. There's nothing that says he ever has to forgive him for that. It's great that his dad feels sorry now, but that will never erase the years of hurt that Peter felt.

I liked that Peter called Lara Jean on her unfair comparison about how she would do anything to have one more day with her mom because they have two completely different parental situations. As Peter pointed out, his dad chose to leave his family whereas Lara Jean’s mom did not. Lara Jean has good memories of her mom and misses her. The same can’t be said for Peter and his dad.

I really hate the narrative that you have to forgive people and give them another chance just because they’re related to you. Shared DNA doesn’t give you a get out of jail free card for whatever shitty decisions you make. Peter’s dad had YEARS to get to know him and be there for him so this “hey, let’s have dinner and get to know each other” two months before graduation is suspect. Even if his dad has good intentions, the timing seems shady. Like you just now realized that your oldest child who you abandoned and have ignored for years is possibly leaving town soon?

Even though Lara Jean meant well, I really dislike when people try to push others into reconciling with awful parents (especially when the former has no idea what it’s like to have horrible parents). 

[paulvdb]

5 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I really hate the narrative that you have to forgive people and give them another chance just because they’re related to you. Shared DNA doesn’t give you a get out of jail free card for whatever shitty decisions you make.

That's one thing I really hate about so many movies and tv series. Characters being pressured to reconcile with abondining or even abusive parents or other family members.

19 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

It was a bit harsh for Lara Jean to say that her safety schools weren't ideal because she didn't want to be far away from her family. First of all, she shouldn't be making Margot feel guilty for going to Scotland. But secondly, going to Stanford would have required a two hour flight plus a 30 minute drive from campus to the San Francisco or San Jose airport. It's 600 miles away from home so it's not like she would be popping backe every weekend to see her family. Going to Berkeley would require a similar amount of time to fly out of Oakland.

That's one thing that made more sense in the book where IIRC Peter and Lara Jean's first choice was a local college and Lara Jean's second choice was IIRC less than an hour away. The one where she eventually went was a few hours away, but not on the other side of the country. The colleges in the book were also not ones that tv and movie characters usually apply to.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

29 minutes ago, paulvdb said:

That's one thing I really hate about so many movies and tv series. Characters being pressured to reconcile with abondining or even abusive parents or other family members.

And I HATE that on tv shows and in movies, the abandoned/abused person's significant other is always shown to be right to push them to reconcile and forgive the asshole who did the abandoning/abusing. It's great that some people come from loving families with healthy boundaries, but their assumption that all parents and family members will be that way if you just give them another chance is a load of shit. They really think that if you just say, "I forgive you," suddenly this person who has made a lifetime of terrible decisions and behaved badly for years will magically become a good person and have a loving relationship with you. Happily ever after! While some people do see the error of their ways and change for the better, unfortunately, that is often not the case.

One of my coworkers referred to her bio dad as "the sperm donor." She was raised by her mom after the sperm donor abandoned them. When she got engaged, a friend asked if she was going to invite her dad. She said hell no. She hadn't spoken to him in years, so why should he get to come celebrate (and potentially ruin) her wedding day? Would you invite some random stranger who was a jerk to you 20+ years ago to your wedding? About ten years later, he got sick and wanted to reconcile with her. The same friend urged her to go see her dad with typical arguments you always hear from well meaning people who have no clue what it's like to feel abandoned/abused ("but he's your father," "you only have one dad," "you might regret it if you don't forgive him while he's still alive," etc.). She said no, she wasn't going to see him just because he claimed he was dying. She added that when he died, she would not regret her choices. He later died and she reiterated that she did not regret any of it.

Again, I know that Lara Jean had good intentions and that's due in large part to having kind, loving parents. She just doesn't understand the situation from Peter's point of view. I don't mind that Peter stayed to have a cup of coffee with his dad. I just don't think that he should be pushed to maintain contact with him, forgive him, or have a relationship with him. There's nothing that says you have to keep garbage people in your life until they die. I actually wish more people would learn that lesson instead of torturing themselves by keeping people around who treat them terribly.

[kieyra]

1 hour ago, paulvdb said:

That's one thing I really hate about so many movies and tv series. Characters being pressured to reconcile with abondining or even abusive parents or other family members.

I'm skimming through some second-tier Arrowverse shows lately, because why not, and this is a big theme. "I know she's a murdering supervillain who lied to you about everything and put your life in danger, but she's still your mom!" 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

7 hours ago, kieyra said:

I'm skimming through some second-tier Arrowverse shows lately, because why not, and this is a big theme. "I know she's a murdering supervillain who lied to you about everything and put your life in danger, but she's still your mom!" 

Hahaha, EXACTLY!

[paulvdb]

Looks like this may not have been the last we see of Kitty: ‘To All The Boys’ Spinoff Series Starring Anna Cathcart Eyed By Netflix

Quote

I hear the untitled half-hour romantic comedy series project, now in early development, would follow Kitty, the youngest of the Covey sisters, on her quest to find true love. The movies’ breakout Anna Cathcart is on board to reprise her role as Kitty Song Covey. Netflix declined comment.

 

[andromeda331]

On 3/31/2021 at 9:11 PM, paulvdb said:

Looks like this may not have been the last we see of Kitty: ‘To All The Boys’ Spinoff Series Starring Anna Cathcart Eyed By Netflix

 

That's great. I love these movies. As great as Lara Jean and Peter are my favorite parts are with the family. Their just such a great, loving family. I do wish the series was with the whole family. But at least its one.

[JustHereForFood]

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked all three movies. There wasn't honestly a lot of plot, but the overall atmosphere was just so charming, with all the bright colors, amazing wardrobe, etc. Definitely a feel-good comfort movie. And I really liked Lara Jean as a character, which does not happen that often with high school movies. I would probably watch a movie about her even without all the romantic drama, just to see her hanging out with her family, bake cakes and wear amazing clothes. And I am totally jealous of her bedroom, it looks stunning.

 

[paulvdb]

On 4/1/2021 at 5:11 AM, paulvdb said:

Looks like this may not have been the last we see of Kitty: ‘To All The Boys’ Spinoff Series Starring Anna Cathcart Eyed By Netflix

 

This series has been picked by Netflix with the title XO, Kitty
 

Quote

The half-hour dramedy, from the films’ Awesomeness and ACE Entertainment, is a spinoff inspired by the popular movie trilogy as well as the bestselling book series by Jenny Han, who is the TV series’ creator and co-wrote the pilot script with Siobhan Vivian.

In XO, Kitty, teen matchmaker Kitty Song Covey thinks she knows everything there is to know about love. But when she moves halfway across the world to reunite with her long-distance boyfriend, she’ll soon realize that relationships are a lot more complicated when it’s your own heart on the line.

 

[andromeda331]

On 10/18/2021 at 8:13 PM, paulvdb said:

This series has been picked by Netflix with the title XO, Kitty
 

 

Can't wait to see it.

[Hanahope]

Finally got around to seeing this movie and #2.  I agree that the third was a better than the second, but the second was needed to move the story.

I get that it can be very hard for high school couples to try and keep their relationship going with college, when they don't go together, and I did like that Lara did consider her own educational needs and not just go where Peter did.  but i agree with others that she should have at least checked out Berkley.  San Francisco area, while not NYC, is still quite vibrant and fun.

and I have to say, this is very much a wealthy person's problem.  most people who can't afford $40,000-$60,000 per year college tuition+living expenses won't have these issues.  sure, Peter got a scholarship, but in a lot of areas, his non-sports-scholarship girlfriend might have had to go to college a lot closer to home, at a community or state college.  so then you have the issue of one person moving away, and the other having to remain at home.  at least they can still visit on school breaks.  But sure, nice that Lara could choose between Berkley (as an out of state resident) and NYU (with the potential of Stanford a year later).