Morgan Nguyen

Not only is it inspiring, the way the director and script writer made it parallel to the real world and the treatment of asian students is evidently realistic.

I honestly love this movie. The movie touches upon current issues in American society that aren't really seen in modern film. Some problems include the debate on whether homosexuality is a sin, the representation of how immigrants and those with "unique" names are treated, and there are even scenes where Ellie, the main character, faces bullying. Even the way the movie ends is heartwarming and leaves you satisfied. I 10/10 recommend people to watch it!! *Note: Beyond this point are spoilers* The story starts off introducing Ellie Chu, a crazy smart girl who has financial issues as her father, a Chinese immigrant who struggles with English, is refused promotion due to his inability to communicate even though he has a Ph.D. in engineering. And so, she writes essays and does homework for her fellow classmates as a way to earn some extra money to help her father. Even though she helps so many students, she encounters subtle bullying, such as name-calling and harassment. Due to her aloofness, she ends up being a loner for nearly all of high school, only talking to close teachers who are constantly pushing her to spread her wings and go to a prestigious university. Until she meets Paul, Paul asks her to write a poem to Astar, the most popular girl at school; however, Ellie scolds him, saying that she will only do one in desperation as a way to pay off her bills. Of course, she does a lot more than just writing one love letter. Eventually, Ellie starts texting Astar, playing as Paul, and getting them together. All the while, getting closer to Paul, and she ends up getting feelings for Astar who both, Ellie and Astar, believe that they are super similar and understand each other. This may sound good; HOWEVER, after as the plot transitions, we can see that Paul now has a crush on Ellie, which I understand why, they are together 24/7, and both of them depend on one another for a whole bunch of stuff. When Paul swoops in to kiss Ellie after an amazing football game in which he puts the school on the board for the first time in 15 years, Astar sees :(—resulting in a major misunderstanding between the three. Paul finally realizes that Ellie likes Astar, and he is shocked, muttering, "its a sin, you're going to hell :0. The three slowly detach themselves from one another, Astar feeling betrayed, Paul feeling confused, and Ellie, she's struggling to understand everything. After Trig, the most "popular" guy in school and the whole town, his family owns half of the actual town, and he is "dating" Astar, proposes to Astar in the middle of the church, both Ellie and Paul speak out their true feelings. At that moment, Astar finally realizes that Ellie was the person writing to her, causing even MORE conflicts. BUT, after Ellie's father encourages her to go to Grinnel, she picks up the courage to talk it out to Ellie, explaining everything and leaves with a KISS. (My heart jumped here :)) On the day she leaves to Grinnel, Paul and Ellie are seen teasing each other, and the audience can see how both of them have changed. It's so heartwarming how Paul just wants to be with Ellie and how he accepted her!! The final scene is him chasing after the train, which is significant as there is one scene where Ellie criticizes a movie character for doing the same thing!!! As he runs after, she starts to understand how attached she is to Paul and the impact he has had on her.