The Kissing Booth 3" has about as much depth as one of those ads. After the sand has been shaken out of shoes and final smiles have been pointed at the camera, there's not really much more to the movie. Just a boy, a girl, and the looks they trade with each other. On Netflix today. Netflix Romance Comedy Monica Castillo TheKissing Booth 2018 Directed by Vince Marcello Synopsis She can tell her best friend anything, except this one thing When teenager Elle's first kiss leads to a forbidden romance with the hottest boy in high school, she risks her relationship with her best friend. Remove Ads Cast Crew Details Genres Cast Likea scoop of vanilla ice cream atop scoops of chocolate and strawberry, "The Kissing Booth 3" rounds out the sugary teen trilogy with a fitting, if bland, finale. The story picks up after Imagesource: Kissing Booth 2 is a 2020 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Vince Marcello, from a screenplay by Marcello and Jay Arnold. The film is a direct sequel to the 2018 film The Kissing Booth. Based on the novel The Kissing Booth 2: Going the Distance by Beth Reekles, the film stars Joey King(Elle Evans), Joel Courtney (Lee Flyn), Jacob Elordi (Noah . TRAILER 243 CLIP 142 CLIP 325 Play all videos What to know The Kissing Booth deploys every rom-com cliché in the book with little care given to achieving any real sentiment. Read critic reviews The Adventures of Barry McKenzie Amanda Knox Murder on Trial in Italy Subscription The Kissing Booth videos The Kissing Booth Movie Clip - Noah Fights for Elle CLIP 142 The Kissing Booth Movie Clip - Noah and Elle's First Kiss CLIP 325 The Kissing Booth Trailer 1 TRAILER 243 The Kissing Booth Photos Movie Info A high school student finds herself face-to-face with her long-term crush when she signs up to run a kissing booth at the spring carnival. Rating TV14 Genre Romance, Comedy Original Language English Director Vince Marcello Producer Michele Weisler, Andrew Cole-Bulgin, Ed Glauser Writer Vince Marcello Release Date Streaming May 11, 2018 Runtime 1h 45m Production Co Komixx Entertainment Aspect Ratio Scope Cast & Crew Critic Reviews for The Kissing Booth Audience Reviews for The Kissing Booth There are no featured reviews for The Kissing Booth because the movie has not released yet . See Movies in Theaters Credit Getty Images for Netflix The Kissing Booth is the teen romance that Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos claims is "one of the most watched movies in the world right nowopens in a new tab." And that's a big problem. Don't get me wrong. I can appreciate a glittery high school fantasy as much as the next person—seriously, I've seen all of Riverdale. But The Kissing Booth isn't just the latest movie setting unrealistic expectations for teenagers. Instead, it is a two hour tribute to Netflix's trend of valuing controversial and too often willfully ignorant content over quality young adult narratives. The Kissing Booth is a bad movie, as its shallow characters, erratic pacing, laughable dialogue, and 17% Rotten Tomatoesopens in a new tab score can confirm. And yet, scads of young viewers are obsessing over its story, with some even demanding it be turned into a television series. Like 13 Reasons Why, The Kissing Booth dazzles fans by peppering its plot with hot button topics and then blowing right past them. In an hour and forty-five minutes, audience members are jerked through depictions of slut shaming, manipulative relationship tactics, fetishization of minors, allegations of domestic violence, sexual harassment and assault, dangerous underage drinking habits, and a really big helping of toxic masculinity. Some fans defend the movie by nodding to the likability of the romcom's star couple. But if you watch with an even remotely discerning eye, you'll quickly notice these lovebirds' abusive relationship represents insidious and unacceptable stereotypes. First, there's Elle Evans Joey King who is given plenty of quirky dialogue and whose tomboyish ways are detailed in the film's excruciatingly long setup. But that's about it in terms of breaking sexist cliches. From running around the men's locker room half-naked and covered in paint to sliding slow motion down a slip-n-slide, Elle spends nearly the entire film in booty shorts, crop tops, bathing suits, and her underwear. The trendy clothes that indicate she is and I quote "asking for it" lead to her hunky suitor protecting her from groping and endless ogling for the entire storyline. My advice to the filmmakers For the sake of your young audience, grow up. That knight in shining armor is Noah Flynn Jacob Elordi, who jumps at the chance to violently attack anyone who threatens his love interest. And when Elle later asks him about his anger issues, he responds that he's "just wired" that way—bringing the "boys will be boys" defense to the aid of this already problematic character. As Noah gets increasingly possessive, he often yells at Elle for not doing as he says, at one point claiming she has "a lot to learn." When Elle sticks up for herself, Noah ever so charmingly calls her "bossy." Did Tina Fey's best-selling book really teach him nothing?This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the mountain of mistakes The Kissing Booth makes. Unfortunately, the negative realities of this romcom don't seem to be resonating with its fervent fan base. My advice to the filmmakers on their next teen project? For the sake of your young audience, grow up. Alison Foreman is one heck of a gal. She's also a writer in Los Angeles, who used to cover movies, TV, video games, and the internet for Mashable. alfaforeman This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Useopens in a new tab and Privacy Policyopens in a new tab. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time. Cast & crewUser reviewsTrivia2018TV-141h 45mA high school student is forced to confront her secret crush at a kissing high school student is forced to confront her secret crush at a kissing high school student is forced to confront her secret crush at a kissing production, box office & company infoVideos5Jacob Elordi Receives the IMDb STARmeter AwardMore like thisReview CreepyIt's as if the Hallmark channel tried to make an R rated movie while keeping it 7, 2018Contribute to this pageSuggest an edit or add missing contentEdit pageMore to explore “Alright, let’s do this thing! Again!” It’s not always the most encouraging sign for a character to yell this line in a sequel, but here we go again. “The Kissing Booth” is back with a similar premise of troubled young love but with some new twists and a few new characters. Elle Joey King and Lee Joel Courtney have thankfully repaired their tight knit friendship in time for their senior year, until Lee’s girlfriend, Rachel Meganne Young, grows tired of Elle’s constant presence in his life. Elle clings to her best friend for company as long distance begins taking its toll on her relationship with Noah Jacob Elordi, now a newly minted Harvard hunk studying across the country from their idyllic upscale homes and the posh prep school where they met. In the original movie, Elle made Lee choose whether to accept her relationship with his brother, Noah, or reject it and end their friendship. Now, it’s Elle who has to choose whether to follow Lee to their mothers’ alma mater at UC Berkeley or find a school in Boston so she can join Noah. But what’s high school and first love without heaps of drama? Adding to Elle’s worries is Noah’s new college buddy, Chloe Maisie Richardson-Sellers, a statuesque threat who seems to be getting too close to her guy. Back at school, Elle and Lee are once again in charge of the film’s namesake kissing booth, with admittedly much less fanfare this time. Their challenge this year is to find the next hot guy on campus to help them sell tickets, but the suave, singer-guitar player and dancer Marco Taylor Zakhar Perez, like Noah before him, isn’t keen on the idea at first. In some senses, this teen romantic comedy has it all betrayal, jealousy, mean girls, public apologies, a video game-dance competition, a heated Thanksgiving meltdown, both romantic and sad montages set to slow pop songs. You name it. But “The Kissing Booth 2” is also fairly empty, predictable and just downright silly; a movie about cookie cutter characters in contrived situations set in a make-believe world. For some, the film will play like an escapist fantasy, maybe even a nostalgic trip back to when the biggest thing you worried about was where you were going to college in the fall. Other viewers may find its artificial sweetness and simplicity off-putting. It’s just where this movie exists, and it may not be to everyone’s liking. With most of the young cast’s performances hovering around hyperactive levels, the rare appearance of a parental figure like Lee and Noah’s mom Molly Ringwald is a welcome change of pace. King, to her credit, goes all in on the role of a hopeless romantic. Maybe it’s too much at times, like when she swoons over a workout video of Marco that’s accidentally broadcast to the whole school, or when she competes against Marco on the Dance Dance Revolution-like dance game to get him to do a dance contest with her. It’s not necessary to remember every detail of “The Kissing Booth” or know much about the book series by Beth Reekles that inspired the movies, since the sequel begins with a recap to explain some of the tensions already in play. Thankfully, there’s less creepy behavior towards Elle in this sequel. Vince Marcello, who directed and co-wrote “The Kissing Booth 2” with Jay S. Arnold, stuffs about a TV season’s worth of drama into the film’s overblown runtime. Most problems in the story could be resolved with a simple conversation, but of course, the characters are scared to talk things out, so problems repeat themselves until they hit a breaking point. “The Kissing Booth 2” is made up of what it thinks preteens might like in a film about high schoolers, although some outdated references and situations seem a bit out of step with what Gen Z are into. Speaking of which, for the most diverse generation of Americans, “The Kissing Booth 2” still looks homogeneously white except for a few background extras. The two supporting characters of color, Marco and Chloe, are both seen as competition by Elle at different points in the story and it feels a little uncomfortable to see her so threatened by their mere existence. Because there’s an easy explanation for everything in “The Kissing Booth” universe, no grudge or feud gets too serious or lasts too long. The best that I can say for “The Kissing Booth 2” is that it’s largely inoffensive fluff, easy enough to follow even if you haven’t seen the original. Its uncomplicated outlook extends to Anastas N. Michos’ cinematography, where there’s often a faint glow reflecting the warm California sun during the scenes and a chilly grey hovering over those in Boston. You can soak in the movie’s basic premise and overacting just as long as you know this pool’s shallow. Now available on Netflix. Monica Castillo Monica Castillo is a freelance writer and University of Southern California Annenberg graduate film critic fellow. Although she originally went to Boston University for biochemistry and molecular biology before landing in the sociology department, she went on to review films for The Boston Phoenix, WBUR, Dig Boston, The Boston Globe, and co-hosted the podcast “Cinema Fix.” Now playing Film Credits The Kissing Booth 2 2020 Rated NR 130 minutes Latest blog posts about 7 hours ago about 10 hours ago about 10 hours ago 1 day ago Comments

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