This past summer the novel-based romantic comedy To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before took the teenage community by storm. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Jenny Han. It was generally well received, with a 7.4 out of 10 from IMDb, a 64 out of 100 on Metascore, and a 96% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. According to an article from the Huffington Post, as of October 18, 2018, it is also one of Netflix’s most-watched original films of all time.

Poolesville students provided a more in-depth critique of the film. Senior Jenny Kim, who loved it so much she bought the same shoes as the female lead, noted that the representation of a half-Korean female lead as one of the main reasons why she loved it. She said that she appreciated that the main character was half-Korean, as it wasn’t something she was used to seeing on the screen. Kim also concedes that while the film could be perceived as awkward and unrealistic to some, she was still able to enjoy it.

Senior Amy Germer provided a different opinion. She did not enjoy the film and credits this dislike to what she views as a failed attempt by the creators of the film to understand high school students and relate to a teen audience. She found the “hip feminist dad, scandalous overnight school trip, [and] edgy friend” more of a way for the creators of the film to check the boxes for “relatable teen material” rather than truly relate to a high school audience. Germer cites the lack of true character depth in the lead actors as another reason for her aversion to the film.

Despite these two polar opposite reviews from students at Poolesville, the film was well received on social media. According to the Independent, purchases of a Korean yogurt drink named Yakult soared following the release of the film, where this drink was featured.

Following the film’s release, Noah Centineo, who played the male lead in the film, was eighth trending worldwide on Twitter. He also went from having 800,000 Instagram followers to 17.4 million in the two months after the film’s release. Centineo has starred in many other Netflix romance films, including SPF-18 and Sierra Burgess is a Loser, but no other film has launched him into stardom like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. He has been afforded a multitude of new opportunities since To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was released, with him now having a role in the reboot of the popular franchise Charlie’s Angels.

Surprisingly, Lana Condor, who played the female lead in the film, has not experienced the same level of trajectory. Her role was still marked as female Asian leads are uncommon to see on the screen. Recently though, she has attained a role on a new Syfy television show called Deadly Class that is currently in post-production. The proximity in which To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Crazy Rich Asians were released could be a sign of a gradual increase in diversity in modern media.