elane madrilejo,
“Korean yogurt smoothie”, “favorite scrunchie”, “Covey and Kavinsky.”
If these words don’t sound familiar to you, then it’s either you’ve been living under a rock for quite a while or you just haven’t seen the latest Netflix original film “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”
Based on Jenny Han’s 2014 novel with the same name, Lana Condor stars as the “adorkable” Lara Jean Covey. A 16-year-old shy high school student, who used to write secret love letters for every guy she had a mad crush on. Things suddenly get a little out of control when all her letters have been mailed out and she finds herself with a lot of explaining to do to those who have received them.
Ever since its release last August 17, the film has been receiving countless praises from critics and has dominated social media for quite some time. Especially on Twitter, wherein endless photos and quotes from the film keep popping up in everybody’s timeline and unexpectedly funny memes springing up from time to time. Leaving others curious about the movie, who inevitably join the “hype-train” by watching it too. But what are the reasons why it got a big hit with everybody and became the most popular film last August?
An Asian-American Lead
Most of the time, Caucasian women star in teen romantic comedy movies, which is why seeing an Asian-American lead take the spotlight for the first time is a sight for sore eyes for some viewers. For in previous movies just like these, minority races usually just take the back seat and only land supporting roles. In fact, the novel’s writer, Jenny Han revealed that out of all the production companies who offered to make it a film, only one actually agreed to have an Asian-American star as the main character. In a way, the movie stood up to Hollywood’s whitewashing by proving that a character doesn’t need to be white for a movie to be appreciated by the masses.
Irresistible Characters A huge reason why the movie blew up on social media is because of the chemistry between Lara Jean and her love interest Peter Kavinsky. Their contrasting attitudes and picture-perfect looks are all it took for some to fall in love and support them even after the credits rolled.
Moreover, in this movie, viewers see characters behave the way real people do with their loved ones. There were some parts in the movie where the characters do simple things couples do for each other. It was a major hit to the viewers and it made them love Lara Jean and Peter more.
The characters’ natural delivery of lines and portrayal of these sweet scenes make the viewers believe that their relationship is real and it’s something many viewers can relate to – High School, secret crushes, and being afraid to love.
Lara Jean’s Style
“The 60s meets the 90s” is probably the best way to describe Lara Jean’s distinct set of style that captured hearts across social media. The quirky but fashionable outfits that she wore in the film made her really stand out among other characters and memorable to the viewers. Making her a fashion icon for some and causing some artists to draw fan art inspired by her adorable style.
Simple yet adorable
“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” follows the same structure of every other teen romantic comedy movies that ever existed. Its plot is simple – it’s a movie about about a girl’s crush. Still, the film also had this “adorableness” that made it stood out from other films in its genre. The simple things such as Lara Jean’s style, her chemistry with Peter, and their cheesy lines kept the audience’s attention even if the whole plot is already familiar.
These are just a few reasons why “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” is well-received by a lot of people especially by the youth using social media. It may not be the best teen romantic comedy movie in a long time. But it sure is memorable for its distinct style and how it made the viewers inevitably gush over the characters. Overall, it is a feel-good movie that makes you relive what it feels like to have a mad crush on someone. //by Elane Madrilejo and Tracy Mondragon
Feature: To All The Twitter Popularity I Gained Before
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| Photo source: Overbrook Entertainment and Awesomeness Films |
If these words don’t sound familiar to you, then it’s either you’ve been living under a rock for quite a while or you just haven’t seen the latest Netflix original film “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”
Based on Jenny Han’s 2014 novel with the same name, Lana Condor stars as the “adorkable” Lara Jean Covey. A 16-year-old shy high school student, who used to write secret love letters for every guy she had a mad crush on. Things suddenly get a little out of control when all her letters have been mailed out and she finds herself with a lot of explaining to do to those who have received them.
Ever since its release last August 17, the film has been receiving countless praises from critics and has dominated social media for quite some time. Especially on Twitter, wherein endless photos and quotes from the film keep popping up in everybody’s timeline and unexpectedly funny memes springing up from time to time. Leaving others curious about the movie, who inevitably join the “hype-train” by watching it too. But what are the reasons why it got a big hit with everybody and became the most popular film last August?
An Asian-American Lead
Most of the time, Caucasian women star in teen romantic comedy movies, which is why seeing an Asian-American lead take the spotlight for the first time is a sight for sore eyes for some viewers. For in previous movies just like these, minority races usually just take the back seat and only land supporting roles. In fact, the novel’s writer, Jenny Han revealed that out of all the production companies who offered to make it a film, only one actually agreed to have an Asian-American star as the main character. In a way, the movie stood up to Hollywood’s whitewashing by proving that a character doesn’t need to be white for a movie to be appreciated by the masses.
Irresistible Characters A huge reason why the movie blew up on social media is because of the chemistry between Lara Jean and her love interest Peter Kavinsky. Their contrasting attitudes and picture-perfect looks are all it took for some to fall in love and support them even after the credits rolled.
Moreover, in this movie, viewers see characters behave the way real people do with their loved ones. There were some parts in the movie where the characters do simple things couples do for each other. It was a major hit to the viewers and it made them love Lara Jean and Peter more.
The characters’ natural delivery of lines and portrayal of these sweet scenes make the viewers believe that their relationship is real and it’s something many viewers can relate to – High School, secret crushes, and being afraid to love.
Lara Jean’s Style
 |
| Photo source: Overbrook Entertainment and Awesomeness Films |
Simple yet adorable
“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” follows the same structure of every other teen romantic comedy movies that ever existed. Its plot is simple – it’s a movie about about a girl’s crush. Still, the film also had this “adorableness” that made it stood out from other films in its genre. The simple things such as Lara Jean’s style, her chemistry with Peter, and their cheesy lines kept the audience’s attention even if the whole plot is already familiar.
These are just a few reasons why “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” is well-received by a lot of people especially by the youth using social media. It may not be the best teen romantic comedy movie in a long time. But it sure is memorable for its distinct style and how it made the viewers inevitably gush over the characters. Overall, it is a feel-good movie that makes you relive what it feels like to have a mad crush on someone. //by Elane Madrilejo and Tracy Mondragon
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