It has been found that more than 90% of college students today have a Netflix account, according to a new survey from LendEDU. It’s not a shocker that Netflix has become one of the biggest platforms for entertainment.
It offers a vast range of content across any and every genre — like horror, action, anime or classics, etc. — according to the viewers’ mood. It is possible to spend hours browsing for the right thing to watch.
It is true that many Netflix movies are perceived as mediocre, as these movies are listed as TV movies, because of which it is not so easy to get the best directors on board. Meanwhile, the TV series owned by Netflix is a better investment as Netflix’s main concern is to get subscribers month after month. And what better way than watching good content? Which keeps the viewers hooked on binge-watching.
Rom-com streaming platforms such as Netflix have a lot to fall in love with. Few of the major rom-com hits like “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” “Set it Up,” “P.S. I Still Love You,” and many more have not failed to grab viewers’ attention.
Out of the many rom-coms, “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” has been very popular since its release in summer 2018. The heartwarming movie has been watched on repeat by viewers and was originally based on the book by Jenny Han. The story has won the hearts of many young women around the world as it is based on the life of a shy teenager who writes love letters to her crushes.
The film has been thoughtful about contemporary teen dating life, speaking vocally through the emotions of the lead actor, Lara Jean, played by Lana Condor. The film depicts how her life took a massive turn, after her secret love letters were mailed out. She is then approached by all of them in a rather awkward manner throughout the film.
The main plot consists of Jean getting into a fake relationship with Peter (Noah Centino), who was her middle school crush, in order to overcome the harsh realities of high school cliques and failed relationships.
The movie projects a sense of self-confidence among teens as the shy lead actress is attempting to have extraordinary experiences out of her comfort zone. It also covered the idea of generic high school characters like mean girls, jocks, romantic rivalries, and was overall a light-hearted movie.
“I thought it was cool that they had an Asian lead,” sophomore Naomi Tegybelu said.
Even though the movie had an Asian American lead, it did not truly represent the love interest of that a true Asian, as agreed by many Asian Americans.
A fellow writer named Ji Xian argued in a blog post that this movie has “framed whiteness as the ideal”, because Lara did not send a single letter out to an Asian American man. Recently, ProAsian Voices started the #AsianLove campaign because “the phenomenon of white men-Asian women couplings” is so pervasive in the media.
Even though there may be some controversial aspects, the fans are eagerly awaiting the next release, “To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You,” airing Feb. 12 as a Valentine ‘s Day special. The sequel is going to bring a new twist that will involve a love triangle where the lead, Lara, will reunite with another recipient of her old love letters.
Even though there are many fans of these films, there still are many critics. Many people claim that Netflix’s romantic comedies are a waste of time because of the predictable scripts.
“Netflix should be banned from making rom-coms,” Tegybelu said. “They are too predictable, which makes it less interesting.”
“None of them really stand out,” senior Rahmel Pacheco said. “Most of them follow the same formula.”
Rom-coms, essentially, are good for anyone who likes to romanticize life, or just wants to get through a boring day in bed. Netflix original rom-coms gives teens the chance to do just that.
