Fans Don’t Love P.S. I Still Love You

Directed by Micheal Fimognari, the much-anticipated Valentine day release, P.S. I Still Love You, proves to be a disappointment to the series’ fans. The sequel tends to deliver a lowballed continuation of the first movie, lacking both character development and plot progression. The second installment in the series falls victim to the sequel curse.

The first film features Lara Jean (Lana Condor) as a shy girl who silently fantasizes about her crushes and writes five love letters to the boys she’s ever loved. One day, her younger sister Kitty (Anna Cathcart) mails all five of the letters. The resulting romantic mix-ups culminated in Lara Jean finding love with one of the letters’ recipients, Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo). The film’s plot starts where the first film left it, Lara Jean is entering her first real relationship, along with all of her insecurities, later proving to be a vital factor in the couple’s falling-out. 

Throughout the movie, the audience is soon disheartened to find their long-awaited sequel to be a shallow attempt at capturing the magic and success of the first film. Although the couple’s intoxicating chemistry and relatable tensions provide the script with substance, the screenwriters didn’t seem to give the story’s the love triangle enough time to develop. John Ambrose McClaren (Jordan Fisher) isn’t given as much time as he deserved, giving him a flat personality that leaves fans confused as to why Lara Jean is attracted to a boy with whom she only has a surface-level connection with.  

On the other hand, the cinematography is impeccable; with its colorful palette and confident visuals, the audience feels as if they are instantly transported into a lovely rom-com that doesn’t feel like a retread of the genre. Furthermore, the film continues to maintain its original teenage infatuation with relationships, where the earnestness and charm of these movies make you invest in the characters. The cast charms us and makes the script feel a bit more alive as they deliver a phenomenal performance of the grand gestures, confessions of feelings, and passionate clichés. 

Unfortunately, the audience is on the brink of falling asleep due to poor character development, vapid dilemma, and snooze-inducing drama but are halted by the lead actors’ charming performance. However, there was simply an overall aura of charm missing from the lackluster sequel that radiated off of the first film.

As a whole, P.S. I Still Love You, fails to live up to the audience’s expectations. With a combination of manufactured tension and predictability, the plot does not reach the bar set by the last film. However, after the inevitable, yet sentimental ending, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, is still a nice anti-formulaic rom-com for the Netflix crowd. But while To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before can easily stand as a rom-com staple on Netflix, P.S. I Still Love You, stands as a film that you’ll only watch once.  •

Rating: B-