Tuesday, December 11, 2018

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)

This is a landmark moment for Netflix. They made a good non-prestige movie. Thus far, Netflix had mostly been operating on a quantity over quality basis. That ends with this rom-com, a genre that's hard to do well and fresh. It's not perfect, but it's refreshing. Let's start with the elephant in the room...why is this Korean girl named Lara-Jean? There is some Asian specificity to her story, but she's not that Asian, nor are any of her crushes. The plot is like a Shakespearean comedy. There are a couple minor things, I didn't like. The music is tacky and the sound mixing is a little quiet on the soundtrack. The cinematography is a little jarring. And...Josh's character doesn't really serve his purpose. Every decision Lara-Jean makes is motivated by her relationship with her sister. The movie could be about Josh alone, forget Peter. But he ends up just being her confidante, but Lucas is already her confidante. Josh's story line doesn't really get properly played out. Maybe it does in the book. Lana Condor, though, is delightful. Keep an eye out for her.

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