To All The Boys I’ve Loved premieres August 17 on Netflix

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before – (L-R) Noah Centineo, Lana Condor. Photo by Masha Weisberg. Courtesy of Netflix.

Lara Jean Song Covery’s love life is non-existent, so she writes five love letters for every boy she’s ever loved.  Of course, this was all a secret release of unrequited love with no intention of the letter’s recipients ever seeing it.  One day, all the letters are mysteriously mailed out.  Suddenly her love life goes from imaginary to out of control!  What is a teen girl to do?  Based on the New York Times bestselling trilogy “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before ” by Jenny Han,  the film adaption is directed by Susan Johnson and stars actress Lana Condor (Alita: Battle Angel, X-Men: Apocalypse) and Noah Centineo (Sierra Burgess Is A Loser, The Fosters).  To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is currently streaming on Netflix.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before – (L-R) Lana Condor, Noah Centineo. Photo courtesy of Netflix

As an Asian American who spent my teens watching films where Asians were just the cool best friend or the super smart science nerd, it was actually groundbreaking to see the very talented Lana Condor, an Asian American female, as the lead Lara Jean Song Covery, in a teen movie.  I was already excited about the Crazy Rich Asians film which premiered just two days earlier, so the timing couldn’t have been better!

Check out the trailer for this film below:

Lara goes down the journey of dealing with one embarrassing situation after another when her crushes receive her letters. But that’s what you do when you’re growing up.  You fall.  You get up.  You fall again.  You keep getting up.  And you learn from it.  What I found refreshing about this film is that it’s just a movie about a teen who happens to be Asian, not a film about being Asian.  And the story is based on actual events from the author of the book series! Teen angst, crushes, young love, and family is universal.  As director Susan Johnson points out, “. . . everyone’s journey is unique, but the things that bond us as humans are identical. Love, friendship, family, trust…kindness. A little more of each of those things, every day, will make the world a better place.”

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before – (L-R) John Corbett, Lana Condor, Anna Cathcart. Photo courtesy of Netflix

Bravo to director Susan Johnson for this film, screenwriter Sofia Alvarez,  the brilliant actors who brought this story to life, and author Jenny Han for being the inspiration for the film.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before – (L-R) Lana Condor, Janel Parrish, Israel Broussard. Photo by Masha Weisberg/Courtesy of Netflix