To All the Boys: Always and Forever

To All the Boys: Always and Forever is a 2021 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Michael Fimognari and starring Lana Condor and Noah Centineo. The film is based on Jenny Han's 2017 novel Always and Forever, Lara Jean and is a sequel to To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020), and the third and final installment in the To All the Boys film series. A spin-off series titled XO, Kitty was released on May 18, 2023.
It was released on February 12, 2021, by Netflix.
Plot
Lara Jean Covey, accompanied by her sisters, Kitty and Margot; her father, Dan; and her neighbor Trina Rothschild, visits Seoul for spring break. She reconnects with the memory of her mother by searching for a lock her mother had left on a bridge to memorialize her love for Dan, and finally manages to read her accompanying message, which says "for the rest of my life."
Returning home, Lara Jean mentions to her boyfriend, Peter Kavinsky, that the two of them never had a meet-cute, meeting Peter's disbelief because he remembers their first meeting quite well. They don't have a song either, so he starts brainstorming songs. She nervously waits for the result of her Stanford University application so she can attend college with Peter.
Dan proposes to Trina, and as the family begins to plan their upcoming wedding, they decide the three sisters will be the bridesmaids. As Lara Jean is accepted to her safety schools, the University of California, Berkeley and New York University, she is disappointed when she is rejected by Stanford. A dream she's had of her future with Peter seems to vanish.
A wrongly sent text to him makes Peter believe Lara Jean got in, so he shows up in full Stanford regalia. Then he whisks her off to their favorite diner to celebrate. Lara Jean keeps trying to tell him, but he interrupts with a promposal. The next day, wanting to avoid telling Peter she plans to play hooky from school, when she gets an acceptance letter from Berkeley.
It's not until they are on their senior trip to New York City that Lara Jean tells Peter about the mix up. She says she's leaning towards Berkeley to live closer to him as it's little over an hour by car. The next day they are separated on the city tour. Lara Jean and Chris get invited to a NYU party which she enjoys immensely.
Back home, on a date night with Lara Jean, Peter's formerly absentee father reaches out to him, proposing they try to reconnect over a meal despite the years of his absence. Shortly thereafter she discovers she's also gotten into NYU. Lara Jean is torn between going there and the plan she and Peter had made, but she ultimately explains her decision to go there.
Peter's disappointment at her decision is palpable. Although initially the evening starts out well, Lara Jean cannot shake a feeling of impending doom. She invites him up to her room afterwards, planning to finally lose her virginity. However, she gives him a box of their mementos before, and he decides to break up with her. Peter wants to save himself from what he sees as the inevitable breakdown of a long-distance relationship.
Respecting Lara Jean's wishes, Peter skips Dan and Trina's wedding. Instead, he meets up with his estranged dad over coffee. After the wedding festivities, Kitty conspires with Peter to set up a meeting between him and Lara Jean under the wedding tent. She finds a letter in her yearbook from him containing his account of their first meeting in sixth grade and a proposed contract to always love each other despite the between Stanford and NYU. Peter walks in and asks Lara Jean to sign on, to which she joyfully assents.
The film ends with Lara Jean's reflection on wanting what she has with Peter, regardless of what films say and what stereotypes say about long-distance relationships. She remains optimistic that the distance will offer them the opportunity to keep writing love letters to one another.
Cast
Lana Condor as Lara Jean, a high school student and Peter's girlfriend
Momona Tamada as young Lara Jean
Noah Centineo as Peter, Lara Jean's boyfriend and a popular lacrosse player
Rian McCririck as young Peter
Janel Parrish as Margot, Lara Jean's mature and responsible older sister who goes to college in Scotland
Anna Cathcart as Kitty, Lara Jean's playful little sister who got her and Peter together
John Corbett as Dr. Covey, Lara Jean's kind and somewhat protective father
Sarayu Blue as Trina Rothschild, the Coveys' friendly neighbor who develops a budding romance with Lara Jean's dad
Madeleine Arthur as Christine, Gen's cousin and Lara Jean's best friend (who goes by "Chris")
Ross Butler as Trevor, Peter and Lara Jean's good friend and Chris' on-and-off boyfriend
Emilija Baranac as Genevieve, a pretty and popular girl who is Peter's ex-girlfriend, and Lara Jean's best-friend-turned-rival (who goes by "Gen")
Trezzo Mahoro as Lucas, Lara Jean's gay and amiable friend as well as one of her former love-interests
Kelcey Mawema as Emily, Gen's friend
Sofia Black-D'Elia as Heather
Henry Thomas as Mr. Kavinsky, Peter's father
Jeon Ho-Young as Dae, Kitty’s boyfriend in South Korea
Production
The producers began work on Always and Forever while P.S. I Still Love You was still in production, hiring Katie Lovejoy to write the script off Han's third novel and Michael Fimognari to direct. Principal photography began in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on July 15, 2019, two months after production on the second film wrapped, although the production was formally announced only in August 2019.
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack, titled To All the Boys: Always and Forever (Music from the Netflix Film), was released digitally on February 12, 2021 by Capitol Records.
Release
The film was released on February 12, 2021. It was the most-watched title in its debut weekend, and the fourth-most in its second weekend. Netflix reported that the film was watched by 51 million of households during its first quarter.
Reception
Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 79% of 61 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Diminishing returns have set in for this trilogy, but To All the Boys: Always and Forever has just enough of the original's effervescent charm to serve as a worthy conclusion." According to Metacritic, which sampled 17 critics and calculated a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, the film received "generally favorable reviews".
References
External links
2021 films
2021 romantic comedy films
2020s teen comedy films
2020s teen romance films
American romantic comedy films
American teen comedy films
American teen romance films
Awesomeness Films films
English-language Netflix original films
Films based on American novels
Films based on romance novels
Films based on young adult literature
Films set in New York City
Films set in Portland, Oregon
Films set in Seoul
Films shot in Seoul
Films shot in Vancouver
Overbrook Entertainment films
Paramount Pictures films
2020s English-language films
2020s American films