Ruining All the Rom-Coms I’ve Loved Before

Sequel to Netflix hit sucks the fun out of a happy end

Most romantic comedies do not merit a sequel because their idealistic, fairytale endings are, well, the point. 

To go beyond the star-crossed lovers’ climactic coming together is to move into an altogether too-authentic portrayal of real relationships. 

Though realistic depictions of romance can entertain audiences with humor and heartbreak, they lack the enchanting diversion that ideal rom-coms provide. 

The latest example of this type of sequel, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved: P.S. I Love You,” gives us a glimpse into what happens after the happily ever after. 

But by filming the great undiscovered country of Lara Jean and Peter’s seemingly perfect ending, this sequel ruins the rom-com formula intrinsic to its predecessor’s success.

Sofia Alvarez’s camerawork is still colorful, crisp and bright. The leading characters are also just as chipper and charming as they were in the first movie, but the plot of the sequel unfortunately moves in a more serious direction. 

The movie kicks off with protagonist Lara Jean reflecting on her seemingly perfect relationship with Peter, the dreamboat of her high school, simultaneously struggling with a potential new love in her childhood crush. 

Additionally, Lara Jean finds herself uncomfortably exploring her relationship with Peter, as she feels he already experienced everything there is to experience in a relationship with his ex-girlfriend Gen, the most popular girl in school. 

Despite these threats that seem to take the magic away from the first movie, “P.S. I Love You” still holds onto the infatuation with romantic relationships that draws in its viewers, many of whom are young teenagers. Watching this movie reminds its audience of what it was like to be in high school, and of a time when the only thing that was on your mind was if your crush liked you back. 

However, “P.S. I Still Love You” struggles in its attempt to tackle two competing storylines. It lacks the clear, tight plot of the first movie, in which Lara Jean and Peter pretended to be in a relationship to make everyone jealous and ultimately fall for each other. 

The sequel can’t seem to decide between running with the insecure Lara Jean exploring her relationship with Peter or Lara Jean’s possible relationship with John Ambrose, Lara Jean’s dreamy crush from the sixth grade. 

While it is clear that the producers wanted to showcase the complexity of Lara Jean’s character, they clearly overestimated their abilities to write nuanced characters and the movie ends up feeling incoherent and plotless. 

Not to mention the split narrative offers Lara Jean two paths, but her direction seems undoubtedly obvious from the get-go. She is too attached to her first love to seriously pursue someone else, making the entire storyline with John Ambrose feel pointless. 

Additionally, characters like John Ambrose lack development outside of their relation to the central romance. Even though “P.S. I Love You” is just a rom-com, it’s also a sequel, leaving plenty of storytelling room to expand on the supporting characters. Leaving too many supporting characters without an identity, the movie lacks depth and puts all of its focus on Lara Jean and her romantic life. 

Disjointed plot and flat characters aside, the movie does touch on some social phenomena affecting today’s youth, though these compelling parts feel unintentional. 

“P.S. I Love You” highlights people’s urge to explore the new and exciting over the good we already have. It also details the difficulty of shaking feelings toward a love interest. Lara Jean can’t help but flirt with John Ambrose, hiding the fact that she has a boyfriend, and she also can’t leave Peter, even though he makes her question herself constantly. 

“P.S. I Love You” definitely reeks of franchise building. It’s a second movie that does not actually accomplish anything plot-wise, keeping us on our toes until the planned third movie. It feels like a calculated stepping stone in a trilogy that at best coincidentally touches on some realities of contemporary romance and dating.

In this way, “P.S. I Love You” is a lot like Peter. And the audience is like Lara Jean, ready for a new and exciting fling.