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

I have been reading a lot of good reviews for this movie when it was released on Netflix, and quite frankly, I do not understand this praise at all.

The biggest problem I have is that it believes it is something new, original and clever, but is oblivious to how cliched and derivative it really feels. Like it was convinced it was on par with other great teen movies like The Breakfast Club or Ferris Bueller when it is nowhere near on par with those movies. Those movies have great storylines and characters, which this movie does not have and it gave the movie this pretentious feel to it.

Most of the characters and plot points felt cliched and derivative. I have seen these exact same tropes done way more effectively in better teen movies. There was virtually nothing to get attached to.

That being said, there were some positives: I liked the younger sister, she provided the movie some effective comic relief, and I liked the love interest, usually in these movies the love interest is one of the weaker aspects, but I really grew attached to this character way more than any other character. The movie also has some nice cinematography. But that is really it.

Overall, despite two interesting characters and nice cinematography, this movie did not work for me.

Casual Person