The better parts of this movie, as one might surmise, happen outside of the Lara Jean & Peter predicament. John Corbett has a few sunny scenes as Lara Jean's dad with a possible new love interest, and since this sequel so deeply takes after the wholesome ambling of a “Gilmore Girls” season, it doesn’t rush to tidy things up. Even better, the story has a few nice twists when addressing Lara Jean’s past relationships that are not romantic, but are even more definitive about where she is now, and who she hangs out with. It's more inspired than the slightly amusing comedy, which sometimes pops up from the retirement residents, or the brief interactions that Lara Jean has with her sweet friends Chris (Madeleine Arthur) and Lucas (Trezzo Mahoro).
But then there’s Peter. He does numerous things to disappoint Lara Jean, and in his soft-spoken approach Centineo plays them like they're all honest mistakes. Peter's bugaboos go from accidental—not texting that he was going to be hours late—to recklessly stupid, to a major dating infraction that involves plagiarism. Yes, the movies are meant to concern being young and all the bad choices that come during it. But "To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You" is alarmingly sincere about selling Peter to viewers as more than he shows himself to be.
These two movies are about hindsight painting a bigger picture, and maybe in the fifth, sixth, or twelfth inevitable installments Lara Jean will see her relationship with Peter for all of the flaws these films try to sugar coat. But for now we can at least wish the best for Lara Jean, whose two adventures so far leave you wanting to know more about her. We know from sporadic voiceover references that her fantasies have been shaped by romance novels, and that she's a great baker. But when she talks about college, you have little idea of what she's working toward in life. Condor's performance has a sense of wonder behind it, of Lara Jean gracefully finding her way through new experiences, and the film applies to it this guy? It’s hard to get past the hope that Lara Jean will someday soon get something better—a better boyfriend, and a better movie.
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