To All the BoysRachel's Reviews

Summer is alive and thriving and that means it is time to break free and live your teenage dreams. Two recent examples, a film and series, are worth checking out especially if you are going through those tumultuous years!

Here are 2 recommendaitons:

The Summer I Turned Pretty

First up we have a new series on Amazon Prime where newcomer Lola Tung plays Isabel or Belly (reminded me of Baby in Dirty Dancing in a lot of ways). She evidently has had a magical year and gone from nerdy to pretty in that time. Now when she goes to her yearly summer home with a friend’s family full of hunky boys they all notice her in a new way. It literally is the Summer she turned pretty.

The hunky boys in question include her long-time crush Conrad (Christopher Briney), dreamy blue-eyed Jeremiah (Gavin Casalengo) and kid who looks very similar Cam (David Iacono). All of these teens look like they are in college and behave like they are young adults but a show like this is escapism for teens, so I am fine with it. It’s nice when teens in shows behave in more authentic ways but there’s a place for aspirational characters in teen stories just like any other audience. Teens will love this sun-dripped romantic show.

The North Carolina beaches are gorgeous and the whole cast has a nice chemistry together that it works. If you are a fan of writer Jenny Han’s previous To All the Boys… series of movies you’ll enjoy this one. We are going to be covering it on Hallmarkies Podcast so make sure you are subscribed!

7 out of 10

Smile Worthy

Coast

In the world of movies we have an indie teen drama called Coast that is also worth checking out. This is set on the other side of the country on the California Central Coast and young Abby (Fátima Ptacek) hates living in the agriculture-based town of her Mother (Cristela Alonzo) and wants to stretch her wings. I much more relate to this feeling than the love woes of Pretty. I couldn’t wait to get out of my small town and experience the world when I was a teenager.

This need of hers is put to the test when she meets a boy named Dave (Kane Ritchotte) who is the lead singer for a punk band and he invites Abby to join his band. The relationship between Alonzo and Ptacek feels authentic without the theatrics you typically see in this kind of coming of age story. Even when Abby leaves her Mom is upset but she looks up at the sky and says a simple prayer her daughter will find her way back. Directors Jessica Hester and Derek Schweickart do a good job keeping scenes like this grounded and honest in and it makes the movie feel easy to relate with even if you aren’t a teen or into punk music.

It does feel derivative at times but it has the heart and the authentic performances to keep it going and make it a worthwhile indie to check out. You can rent it now on all the streaming sites. Oscar winner Melissa Leo has a memorable turn as a ornery hospital patient Alonzo takes care of.

7.5 out of 10

Smile Worthy

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For how often it is attempted it might seem hard to believe but teen romances are not easy to pull off. Usually they are actors way too old to be playing their teen parts and the romance feels more like adults rather than teenagers. The To All the Boys series is an exception to the rule. I’ve enjoyed all 3 of the films in this series including the latest To All the Boys: Always and Forever, which comes to Netflix Feb 12th.

The reason why this new film and the series work is because they have created such warm and affectionate lead characters in Peter and Lara Jean. They are both charming as played by Noah Centineo and Lana Candor respectively. They have terrific chemistry as a couple and as believable characters in their own right.

I’m one of the few people who actually enjoyed the 2nd film PS I Still Love You more than the original because I felt it made Peter a more well-rounded, fleshed out character. In the first he was a bit too perfect; whereas, in the second he had opinions and ideas all his own and their relationship had to grow. I enjoyed that dynamic.

Fortunately the 3rd movie has done away with the weakest part of the 2nd movie- the love triangle between Lara Jean, Peter and John Ambrose (played by Jordan Fisher). This love triangle was unnecessary and took away from building the relationship between Lara Jean and Peter.

The 3rd movie covers a lot of ground. We start out with Lara Jean and her family exploring Korea and her hoping she gets into Stanford to be with Peter in college. Then things get more serious as they go to New York and she starts to wonder if she belongs there more than in Palo Alto.

We also have prom, her father’s wedding and Peter trying to forgive his father for his lack of presence in his life (his father played by ET’s Henry Thomas!). All of these moments add to our characters and make the entire journey feel authentic and very sweet.

Some people may find To All the Boys: Always and Forever to be too sweet and romantic for their tastes but I’m all for it. I thought it was delightful and one of the most romantic movies I’ve seen in a long time. Viewers young and old will be swept away in the love story of Peter and Lara Jean and be cheering for them all along the way.

Most importantly all 3 movies together work as a coming of age story for both Lara Jean and Peter. They both grow and change and their love grows along with them. Honestly I could keep following them as they grow into adults, get married, have kids, the whole shebang. As it is, I’m glad we’ve gotten such a lovely trilogy to enjoy. If you like romances at all I think you will love this whole set of movies and even if you don’t, it might still win you over!

8.5 out of 10

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