To All the Boys: Always and Forever

Year: 2021

Actors: Henry Thomas, Madeleine Arthur, Sofia Black-D'Elia, John Corbett

Duration: 109 min

Lara Jean Covey, accompanied by her sisters Kitty and Margot, her father Dan, and her neighbor Trina Rothschild, visits Seoul for spring break. She reconnects with the memory of her mother by searching for a lock her mother had left on a bridge to memorialize her love for Dan, and finally manages to read her accompanying message, which says "for the rest of my life." Returning home, she mentions to her boyfriend, Peter Kavinsky, that the two of them never had a meet-cute, meeting Peter's disbelief because he remembers their first meeting quite well. She nervously waits for the result of her Stanford University application so she can attend college with Peter. As Dan's relationship with Trina becomes more serious and the family begins to plan their upcoming wedding, Lara Jean is disappointed when she is accepted to her safety schools, the University of California, Berkeley and New York University, but is rejected from Stanford.Initially leaning towards Berkeley to live closer to Peter, Lara Jean enjoys New York City during a school trip and decides on NYU. She explains her decision to Peter, but his disappointment at her decision is palpable, and he decides to break up with her on prom night to save himself what he sees as the inevitable breakdown of a long-distance relationship. Respecting Lara Jean's wishes, Peter skips Dan and Trina's wedding; he also meets with his formerly absentee father for a meal and chooses to try and reconnect despite the years of his absence. After the wedding festivities, Kitty conspires with Peter to set up a meeting between him and Lara Jean under the wedding tent. Lara Jean finds a letter in her yearbook from Peter containing his account of their first meeting in sixth grade and a proposed contract to always love each other despite the 3,000 miles (4,800 km) between Stanford and NYU. Peter walks in and asks her to sign on, to which she joyfully assents. The film ends with Lara Jean's reflection on wanting what she has with Peter, regardless of what films say and what stereotypes say about long-distance relationships. She remains optimistic that the distance will offer them the opportunity to keep writing love letters to one another.

Genre: Comedy   Drama   Romance