To All the Boys: Always and Forever is a 2021 romantic comedy film. It is the second sequel to To All the Boys I've Loved Before, following To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, and is adapted from the third book in the To All the Boys I've Loved Before novel series, Always and Forever, Lara Jean.
It's now senior year, and Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) has her whole future with Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) planned out: beginning with them going to Stanford together. Things get complicated when she doesn't get in, and they now have to reconcile the fact that they might be attending college separately. Her family is changing, too: her father (John Corbett) is marrying their neighbor, Trina (Sarayu Blue). In between prom and graduation, Lara Jean must now consider what this all means for her future.
The film was released on Netflix on February 12, 2021.
The spin-off series, XO, Kitty, premiered on 18 May, 2023. It takes place sometime after this film, as Kitty returns to South Korea to reunite with her boyfriend, with whom she became acquainted during the Song-Coveys' holiday there, as depicted in the film's first act.
Tropes in this film:
- Adapted Out: The film cuts the subplots about Stormy's death (and its emotional impact on Lara Jean), Lara Jean reconnecting with John Ambrose, the Beach Week, as well as Trina's bachelorette party.
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: In the book the colleges Lara Jean and Peter decided to attend are only three hours apart. For the movie it's changed to three thousand miles apart, upping the angst and drama of the situation.
- As Himself: Indie band The Greeting Committee performs at the NYU party Lara Jean attends.
- Big Applesauce: When the class takes a trip to New York, Lara Jean falls in love with the city's history and culture, and ultimately decides to go to NYU.
- Bittersweet Ending: In the end, Lara Jean and Peter choose to go their separate ways, with the former attending NYU and the latter attending Stanford. However, they promise to work towards keeping their relationship intact, even if living 3000 miles away for four years will certainly be a huge obstacle in it.
- Bookends: Lara Jean's reconciliation with Gen is cemented when the latter compliments her shoes near the locker room, the same place where she criticized her shoes in the first film which was an Establishing Character Moment of her as an Alpha Bitch.
- Call-Back: The "contract" that Lara Jean and Peter used to begin their fake relationship in the first film reappears, being used by Peter to write a new clause regarding his long-distance relationship with Lara Jean.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Lara Jean sends the wrong text message to Peter (meant for Margot), which makes it look like she got accepted at Stanford. Seeing him overjoyed, she initially doesn't have the heart to divulge the truth for fear of disappointing him, so she keeps procrastinating until the trip to New York. He actually takes it well and even asks if she is let down.
- Career Versus Man: Lara Jean is torn between attending UC Berkeley, which will at least enable her to be with Peter at weekends, and NYU, which will require her to move to a state that's 3000 miles away and potentially sacrifice her relationship with him. She eventually chooses NYU, but resolves to retain their relationship.
- Celebrity Paradox: Lara Jean's list of movies includes X-Men: Apocalypse, in which her actress Lana Condor appeared as Jubilee.
- Clashing Cousins: Subverted. Cousins Gen and Chris have always been antagonistic, especially in the first two films, but get along when they go to New York.
- Heartbreak and Ice Cream: After Peter breaks up with Lara Jean on prom night, Chris shows up the next day with ice cream so Lara Jean can eat her feelings.
- High-School Dance: Prom is a big part of the film.
- High-School Sweethearts: The plot. Lara Jean and Peter want to be high school sweethearts who attend the same college and then go all the way together afterward, but this is complicated when first Lara Jean doesn't get into Stanford.
- Imagine Spot: Lara Jean has a brief one near the beginning of the film, when she dreams of being accepted at Stanford, marrying Peter, buying a home, and having a family with him. The scene is replayed backward when it turns out that she doesn't get accepted at Stanford.
- Ivy League for Everyone: Genevieve is going to NYU, Peter gets into Stanford, and Lara Jean also goes to NYU. Lucas is going to Sarah Lawrence, a prestigious liberal arts college.
- Long-Distance Relationship: The main problem with Lara Jean's and Peter's relationship. The two apply at Stanford so they can be together, but only Peter gets accepted. Lara Jean is later accepted at UC Berkeley, which is only an hour away, so they can meet in San Francisco at weekends. However, Lara Jean ends up choosing New York University — at which she is also accepted — because she loves everything about New York, even though the city is on the other side of the country. Although Peter doesn't take it well at first, he eventually relents.
- Lots of Luggage: Chris brings a very large trunk with her to New York. Lara Jean has to help her haul it.
- Love at First Sight: A non-person example. Gen describes Lara Jean's fascination with New York with these words.
- Maybe Ever After: The film ends with Peter and Lara Jean getting back together and agreeing to give the long-distance, opposite-coasts thing a shot. It's open-ended if they do make it long-term, but both are willing to put in the work, genuinely wish to make it as a long-distance couple, and Lara Jean is confident that they can make it work.
- Meet Cute: Discussed after Kitty meets a boy on Seoul Tower. Lara Jean considers it a meet-cute as all the great romances have one. In the end, Peter recounts their actual meet cute.
- Oblivious Guilt Slinging: After Lara Jean accidentally sends Peter a text indicating she got into Stanford, Peter talks about how them both going to Stanford is a sign they're meant to be together as Lara Jean tries to tell him.
- The Promposal: It's prom season. A dance number that ends with umbrellas spelling PROM? makes up the film's first promposal. Peter's is more subdued; he presents her with pancakes and spells PROM? with syrup.
- Quirky Girl, Quirky Tux: The rebellious teen Kitty insists on wearing a light blue tuxedo to the wedding.
- Pragmatic Adaptation:
- A lot of things revolving around the college application are changed because of the Setting Update from Virginia to Oregon. In the book, Lara Jean's first college of choice is the UVA, her second choice (so she wouldn't have to study far away from Peter) is William & Mary, and her final choice is the UNC-Chapel Hill. The film changes them to Stanford, UC Berkeley, and NYU, respectively.
- Lara Jean does visit New York in the book, but this is treated more as a footnote, rather than the eye-opening moment for her to begin considering NYU as her college of choice.
- Following up Genevieve's Adaptational Nice Guy, it's her who suggests that Lara Jean move to New York, so they can attend NYU together. In the book, Gen goes to Virginia Tech and never makes up with Lara Jean, while Chris is the one who suggests her to study at UNC-Chapel Hill.
- The trip to South Korea is moved to the beginning of the film. In the book, this is Dan's gift to Lara Jean for her birthday, which doesn't happen until near the end, and the book ends before the plot gets there.
- In the book, Lara Jean is the one who feels insecure about her imminent LDR with Peter and initiates the (brief) breakup with him. The film changes this so it's Peter who does all of the above.
- "Rediscovering Roots" Trip: The film opens with the half-Korean Covey sisters in Seoul, reconnecting with their heritage. Lara Jean talks about looking Asian yet not really belonging to the culture.
- Second-Act Breakup: Once again, Lara Jean and Peter break up at the end of the second act. Not because of a misunderstanding this time, but rather because Peter is overwhelmed by Lara Jean's decision to move to New York and thinks that there is no way their relationship can be salvaged, so he wants to end it here and now. After a talk with his father, however, he decides to give the relationship another go, even if LDR will be a difficult choice.
- Senior Year Struggles: Primarily about how High-School Sweethearts Lara Jean and Peter are going to make it if they are attending separate colleges.
- Visit by Divorced Dad: Peter's divorced father is trying to reconnect with him before he goes to college; Peter himself is resistant.
- Wedding Finale: The climax takes place on the backdrop of Dan's wedding with Trina.
