- Netflix’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” rom-com is packed with heartwarming moments.
- Some of our favorites include Peter’s face when Lara Jean talks about Model U.N., when Fantasy-Peter makes Fantasy-Josh vanish, and Mr. C is drinking some white wine and being a great dad.
- We also love virtually every romantic and sweet scene with Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky.
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Netflix has struck romantic comedy gold with original movie “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” The teen-driven film is an adaptation of the novel by the same name written by Jenny Han and starring Lana Condor, 21, and Noah Centineo, 22, as Lara Jean Covey and Peter Kavinsky.
Though the movie is pretty much one hour and 39 minutes of nonstop rom-com greatness, we’ve decided to break down our favorite mushy, dreamy, and all around greatest scenes.
Keep reading for a look at the 17 best moments in “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”
1. When Lara Jean’s fantasy is interrupted for some sister time
Not every heart-melting moment in "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" is a romantic one. Loving and supporting sister relationships are a frustratingly rare thing to see on screen, so it's lovely the movie starts with a pillow toss to Lara Jean's face from Kitty - and not because she's annoyed or picking on her but because she just wants to hang out.
This was our first signal that "To All the Boys" was not going to be a stereotypical teen movie.
2. When Lara Jean kisses Peter on the track
Lara Jean is first presented as someone who isn't necessarily shy or painfully awkward, but definitely a person who prefers to keep to herself. That's why Lara Jean's knee-jerk reaction after seeing Josh with a letter is such a fantastic movie moment. Once again, we were signaled that this was not a wholly predictable plot.
Plus, it was darn cute to see Peter so taken aback.
3. Peter's face when Lara Jean talks about Model UN
Later that day, Peter surprises Lara Jean (or "Covey," as he calls her endearingly) at the Corner Cafe. He makes a round of choice expressions in this scene, but our favorite comes when he realizes he wasn't the only one who got a letter.
As Lara Jean explains that a boy she met at Model United Nations in fifth grade also got one, you can practically watch as Peter Kavinsky starts falling in love with Lara Jean Song Covey.
4. When Fantasy-Peter makes Fantasy-Josh vanish
If you thought the movie would be mostly about Lara Jean's intense crush on BFF Josh, this was the first sign of the changing tide. (But also, we love that the Fantasy-Peter Kavinsky is dressed up in a tie and cardigan for some reason.)
5. Obviously just this:
Upon re-watching the movie as we all have, it's particularly sweet to notice the way this mirrors the final scene where Peter Kavinsky finally says he's in love with Lara Jean.
6. Lara Jean's insistence on a handshake
The entire contract scene gets meta with references to "Sixteen Candles" and "Fight Club," but we particularly adore the moment when Lara Jean (in typical movie mode) insists on sealing the deal with written signatures and a handshake.
7. Three words: Back. Pocket. Spin.
When the camera pans down to show Peter's hand in Lara Jean's back pocket, you think "Oh he's really doing the 'Sixteen Candles' thing! This is sweet!"
And then Peter Kavinsky swirls Lara Jean in a circle that leaves her, and the rest of us, breathless.
Director Susan Johnson has since revealed that Noah Centineo improvised that move on set. Read more about that and other unscripted moments here.
8. "Girl, come on - you know I already got it."
Peter's phone maneuvering is A+ - from his pouty selfie-face to the fast placement of Lara Jean on his lockscreen. Peter is definitely pushy with regards to getting Lara Jean to the party, but he also seems aware of making her comfortable (and sips on kombucha like a good responsible designated driver).
9. When Lara Jean got real vulnerable
After the party, Lara Jean and Peter go to the Corner Cafe and have an intimate chat about relationships and their families - including how Lara Jean's mother died when she was young and the way Peter's father left his family and started a new one.
Lara Jean navigates this tough conversation with a lot of empathy and wisdom, and our hearts broke for her when she told Peter the reason why she's stayed away from boyfriends: "The more people you let into your life, the more that can just walk right out."
10. And Peter's face when she reminded him of their fake relationship
Peter (clearly crushing hard on Lara Jean but also still openly involved with Gen) leans into the moment and asks her why she's so comfortable around him then. Lara Jean rightfully reminds him that what they're doing is supposed to just be pretend, so there's no reason to be afraid.
His face freezes in a disappointed expression that made us want to yell through our screens, "What did you think you were doing, Peter Kavinsky!"
11. The "save the popcorn" moment
Kitty and Peter have great rapport, from their shared love of Korean yogurt smoothies to the first time they met and Peter put Kitty in charge of the car after Lara Jean nearly ran him over.
But our favorite has to be when Peter instigates a pillow fight but first cautiously places the bowl of popcorn on the floor. No wonder people latched onto this scene from the get-go.
Peter is the one because he moves the popcorn before the pillow fight gets too rowdy #ToAllTheBoysIveLovedBefore pic.twitter.com/cdS3DOWE3Z
— Reid Nakamura (@reidnakamura) August 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/tnwhiskeywoman/status/1030670733742096384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
I LOVE PETER KAVINSKY. I LOVE HOW HE MOVED THE POPCORN BEFORE STARTING A PILLOW FIGHT. I LOVE HOW HE WENT ACROSS TOWN JUST FOR LARA JEAN’S FAVOURITE DRINK. I LOVE HOW HE BROUGHT HER FAVOURITE SNACKS WITH HIM FOR THE JOURNEY. I LOVE HOW HE REASSURED HER SHE WASN’T SECOND BEST.
— zahra (@thelaurieboy) August 20, 2018
12. When Mr. C is drinking some white wine and being a great dad
Mr. C, played by "Sex and the City" and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" actor John Corbett, is the best (and hottest?) dad of the summer. He's supportive of his daughters, and does a great job articulating the ways Lara Jean seems to open up in a different way around Peter.
Bonus Mr. C moment: When he gives Lara Jean a really great sex-ed talk without condescending or judging her but instead saying it was her choice and she should practice safe sex with a condom.
13. "There's no one like you, Covey."
After a lot of crossed signals and miscommunication (thanks to Peter's continued attachment to Gen and his lack of openness with Lara Jean about his real feelings), the pair finally connect in the hot tub.
The tension building in this scene is pitch-perfect, and Peter Kavinsky's now-iconic "tub maneuver" will go down in rom-com history.
peter kavinsky moments, ranked:
6. cafeteria twirl
5. moving the bowl of popcorn from the couch to the floor pre-pillow fight with kitty so it doesn't spill
4. yogurt mission
3. "you were never second best"
2. the hot tub lap maneuver
1. the coy/embarrassed splash!!!!!!!— Hannah Giorgis (@ethiopienne) August 20, 2018
AND ANOTHER THING ABOUT TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE EVER LOVED THAT WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT ENOUGH
that! lil! bashful! splash! peter throws at lara jean in the hot tub as he's admitting that he drove all the way across town for korean yogurt and that he thinks she's amazing
BITCH!
— discourse wallah (@krutika) August 19, 2018
By the way, Noah Centineo knows exactly how we all feel about this moment.
"Hot tub makeout scenes tho," he wrote on Instagram. "Who wants a sequel?"
14. "You were never second best."
In classic rom-com style, Peter doesn't properly explain to Lara Jean the reason why he went to Gen's room the night they made out in the hot tub. Also during their fight, neither of them realize Gen had filmed the whole thing and posted it to Instagram.
But after flubbing the explanation and blowing Lara Jean's secret about writing a letter to Josh, Peter leaves Lara Jean only after assuring her she was never second best.
15. When we see Lara Jean's phone background
Lara Jean is rightfully pissed at Peter for screwing up by continuing to speak with Gen and not being fully honest with her about his feelings. But as Margot hands back her phone after getting the "sex tape" removed from Instagram, we see that her lockscreen is still a picture of her and Peter.
Ahead of the premiere of "To All the Boys I've Loved Before," Lana Condor shared the real photo on Instagram. Though we still have no idea who (within the fictional universe of the movie) took this picture, it tugs at all our heart strings.
This was also yet another unscripted part of the movie. The director said Centineo and Condor were napping together on set, and a crew member snapped this photo.
16. The way Peter is so giddy after saying "I love you"
Lara Jean decides to take the leap and tell Peter how she feels after Kitty gives her the box of notes he had written her during their "relationship." Lara Jean admits she "really likes" Peter, turns to walk away, and then he gives a classic "whoa whoa whoa" that halts her.
"The reason that I went to Gen's room that night is to tell her that it's over," Peter Kavinsky says. "Because I'm in love with you Lara Jean. Only you."
"You what?" she replies.
Peter grins in this goofy way like he can't believe he just said that out loud but he's so happy he did.
17. "You gonna break my heart, Covey?"
Like the handshake earlier in the movie, Lara Jean has yet another achingly adorable moment where she asks Peter how they write a contract for a real relationship. After assuring her they just have to trust each other, Peter Kavinsky lowers his voice to that same hot-tub whisper and asks if she's going to break his heart.
"I'd always fantasized about falling in love in a field," Lara Jean's voiceover says as they kiss. "But I just never thought it'd be the kind where you played lacrosse."
The movie's sequel, "To All the Boys: PS I Still Love You," premieres on Netflix on February 12.
- Read more:
- 4 moments you love from 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' that weren't in the script
- 5 movies you should watch if you loved 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before'
- The newest trailer for 'To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You' shows fans more of the complicated love triangle that will dominate the sequel