Let us get something clear– we all need a Peter Kavinsky in our lives. This notion has been quite apparent on numerous social media sites ever since Netflix aired their original film, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” in Aug.
The film was originally based off the Young Adult novel of the same name by Jenny Han. This nearly 400 page novel allows the hopelessly romantic readers, like myself, to dive deep into the story of Kavinsky and Lara Jean Covey.
As the story opens, Covey explains the importance of writing letters to the boys she had ever had a crush on– a deep crush that seemed like it could have been love. She writes each letter, five in total, to say goodbye to each crush she has had.
However, Covey’s letters get out. One goes to Kavinsky, her gay homecoming date later turned best friend, her sister’s recent ex-boyfriend and two other boys that do not take part in the plot. In order to have her sister’s ex, Josh, not believe that she loves him, Covey and Kavinsky concoct a scheme to fake date each other. This helps Covey ignore Josh as well as helping Kavinsky get over his previous relationship.
Throughout the novel and its subsequent movie, the audience becomes invested in the relationship that develops between Covey and Kavinsky. The pair seem to have mutual feelings for one another, but they both abide to their contract– yes they had a contract for their fake relationship. This contract involved no kissing between the pair, watching “Sixteen Candles” and “Fight Club” as well as Kavinsky having to write letters to Covey each day to evoke a jealous reaction from his previous girlfriend. The contract also states that no one must know that their setup is a lie, not even each of their families.
However, the story was about a lot more than just Covey’s boy problems. The novel and the subsequent movie were just as much about Covey’s relationship with Kavinsky as they were about her relationship with her father and sisters after the death of their mother. Han crafted her novel to cover the challenges siblings face after losing a parent early in life. The Covey sisters protected each other, and after Covey’s older sister, Margot, went off to college, Covey is expected to look after the younger sister, Katherine, “Kitty,” as well as their father. The novel also reflected on the importance of female power. Covey was characterized in the novel and in the movie as a young woman who was capable of defending herself and living successfully apart from a relationship. In addition, the novel and film expressed the importance of a healthy friendship in which the friends push each other. Covey’s best friend, Christine, “Chris,” challenges her to fall for Kavinsky even though she does not know their relationship is fake.
What made this novel and film so successful was the careful attention to characterization on Han’s part. She developed characters that the reader wanted to know. This skill was also reflected in the casting for the film. The casting decisions, especially casting Covey as an Asian American, stayed true to the novel. Although I fell in love with Noah Centineo, the actor who plays Kavinsky, from his role as Jesus in Freeform’s, “The Fosters,” I am not shocked that he was able to play a soft hearted lacrosse player in the film. He played the role of Kavinsky similarly to how he was characterized in the novel.
Overall, the casting of this film and the book that made them are what I think allowed the Netflix original to soar. The film is still currently on the streaming service site, Netflix, and there are talks about having a sequel to the movie as there are currently two other books in the series.
Let us hope that Netflix brings back the whole cast and makes two more movies because we all know we need it.