(Credits: Netflix)

In the endless vacuum of Netflix’s cinematic universe, intricate plots and whodunits might reign supreme. But after a long week of work, Friday brings the routine reminder that everyone needs a bit of mindless and feel-good fun. While it’s easy to overlook treasures that bring us pure joy, with the collection of genre-bending projects, Netflix boasts, not when Best of Netflix steps up.

So, if you, too, are looking for some light-hearted, over-the-top, and unapologetic entertainment, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the pitch-perfect pick to end the weekend.

Directed by Susan Johnson, the teen rom-com was released on Netflix in 2018. It is based on Jenny Han’s 2014 novel. In fact, the streaming success of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before subsequently gave birth to a Netflix film franchise. The first film was followed by To All the Boys: PS I Still Love You and To All the Boys: Always and Forever. As for To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, the film follows a reserved high school junior, Lara Jean Covey.

Due to her shy persona, she writes letters to the boys she’s had a crush on. But she never intends to send those out. Instead, the letters serve as a therapeutic outlet that allows her closure. While the habit appears to be an emotional release, her school life is turned upside down when her younger sister, Kitty, gets hold of them. And true to the trope of any guilty pleasure, all those letters are sent out. Among those letters, one recipient was her older sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh.

When Lara is confronted consecutively by the boys she had loved before about the letters, an encounter with her former middle school crush, Peter Kavinsky, makes her collapse. But when she wakes up and finds Josh approaching her, she kisses Peter to throw the guy off. Although she is left with no choice but to confide in Peter, he suggests they fake a relationship to keep Josh away and make Peter’s ex jealous.

The relationship may have been built to deceive others. But as they spend more and more time, the attraction becomes undeniable. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before nearly checks every box expected from a guilty pleasure. There’s no big moral dilemma; just a lot of high-school drama that’s oddly predictable yet satisfying. Any good guilty pleasure lets you in on early, and the Netflix film is no exception.

Although the film is mainly teen-centric, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’s tone is familiar and comforting for every age group. Moreover, guilty pleasures are usually less demanding. But the trope that attracts everyone is the possibility of a happy ending. And especially when the narrative has a popular boy falling in love with a nerd, it’s not too difficult to find resonance.

All in all, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a welcome escape from reality. It nestles perfectly into the teen rom-com mould, where every glance carries a meaning and love letters still have power. It’s the kind of story where you know what’s coming, but that’s exactly the point. So, if your brain needs a breather and your heart craves something light and lovely, press play. Because sometimes, the best way to begin the weekend is with a little cliché, a lot of charm, and a movie that feels warm.