No, she is not a shy girl with spectacles that suddenly finds her true love to remove the spectacles and notice she is beautiful. No, he is not a mindless cruel jock with the only purpose in life to show girls what not to date. No, he is not the good friend who in the end gets the girl because that's who she really loved. The characters in this film feel real and act like real people. It is so painfully obvious that the movie is based on a book: few original scripts for romantic movies ever pay attention to the people in the story and care about making the story original and relatable at the same time.
Bottom line: for a romantic movie it was great. I loved and understood the characters (all except the little sister who should have died in any kind universe), even the "villains". I loved that there were no real villains, only people with goals and hopes and desires. I liked the actors, the acting and the direction. The movie is based on the first book in a trilogy by Jenny Han. I am not sure the other books are as good or if the story even needs a continuation. I thought it was perfect the way it was. Is it a romantic young adult novel adaptation? Yes it is. Is it stupid and formulaic? Definitely not! To me it is one of few movies about love and romance that don't retell the same cardboard story with the same cardboard characters. It is an art to find the perfect spot between relatability and realism. I think this film found it.
Bottom line: for a romantic movie it was great. I loved and understood the characters (all except the little sister who should have died in any kind universe), even the "villains". I loved that there were no real villains, only people with goals and hopes and desires. I liked the actors, the acting and the direction. The movie is based on the first book in a trilogy by Jenny Han. I am not sure the other books are as good or if the story even needs a continuation. I thought it was perfect the way it was. Is it a romantic young adult novel adaptation? Yes it is. Is it stupid and formulaic? Definitely not! To me it is one of few movies about love and romance that don't retell the same cardboard story with the same cardboard characters. It is an art to find the perfect spot between relatability and realism. I think this film found it.