The Kissing Booth is a 2018 American teenromantic comedy film written and directed by Vince Marcello, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Beth Reekles.[1] It stars Joey King, Jacob Elordi, and Joel Courtney. The film follows Elle (King), a quirky, late blooming teenager whose budding romance with high school senior and bad boy Noah (Elordi) puts her lifelong friendship with Noah's younger brother Lee (Courtney) in jeopardy.
The Kissing Booth was released on Netflix on May 11, 2018, and was dubbed a commercial success by the service, due to it being widely viewed by subscribers, leading to the eventual production of a trilogy of films. The film was largely panned by critics, who deemed its storyline and themes to be clichéd. A sequel, The Kissing Booth 2, was released on July 24, 2020, and the third film, The Kissing Booth 3, was released on August 11, 2021.
In Los Angles, Elle Evans and Lee Flynn have been best friends since birth. When she is 11, her mother becomes ill and dies three years later. Elle's secret crush on Lee's popular older brother, Noah, deepens, which she suppresses.
On the first day of her junior year in high school, Elle is forced to wear a too-small skirt. When Tuppen touches her inappropriately, Noah begins fighting with him. Tuppen, Noah, and Elle are given detention, where Tuppen apologizes. Elle later agrees to go on a date with him, but he stands her up, as Noah has warned everyone not to pursue her.
Elle and Lee propose having a kissing booth as a school fundraiser. At a party, she tells the popular OMG girls (Olivia, Mia, and Gwyneth) that Noah will be part of the booth, despite him having already refused to participate.
The kissing booth goes well until Noah is meant to participate but Lee takes his place, disappointing the girls. A classmate, Rachel, steps up to kiss hm, and the two leave Elle to staff the booth. Annoyed with Elle, the OMG girls set her up to kiss an undesirable student. At the last second, the student waves Noah ahead. He kisses the blindfolded Elle, and when she realizes it's him, they kiss again in front of everyone.
Noah offers Elle a ride on his motorcycle, and rain forces them to take shelter in a gazebo. There, she kisses him, but then tells him she won't be just another sexual conquest. Hurt, Noah reveals he has feelings for her.
At a beach party, Warren tries to get a resistant Elle into a hot tub. Noah defends her, whereby Warren taunts him, so Noah attacks him while Elle escapes. Noah catches up to her and gives her a ride home. On the way, he apologizes for his violent reaction to Warren's slight. They detour to the Hollywood Sign and have sex for the first time. They establish rules for their relationship, with the principal aim that Lee not find out they are together until Elle figures out how to tell him.
Elle overhears Noah's mother saying he had been accepted to an Ivy League school. He swears her to secrecy and reveals he has been accepted to Harvard University.
While helping Noah fix his motorcycle, Elle cuts her face. Lee finds Noah cleaning the wound and accuses him of hurting her. When Lee asks Elle if she and Noah are dating, she says they are not. After agreeing to tell Lee the truth, he walks in on them kissing.
Furious that Elle has broken an important friendship rule, Lee runs to his car, saying their friendship was the one thing his brother never had and that now he has nothing, and driving off. Elle lashes out at Noah, blaming him for exposing their relationship, so he leaves on his motorcycle.
Noah risks not graduating by being absent from school for the next few weeks, and Lee completely ignores Elle. Finally, she sees Lee at the arcade, where he invites her to dance with him, and they reconcile.
Elle goes to prom with Lee and Rachel, whom he is now dating. Huge black and white photographs adorn the walls of Memory Lane, a special prom exhibit, including the photos of the kissing booth. Noah emerges from the back, asking Elle to the stage and confessing his love for her publicly, but she runs away. He apologizes to Lee at home, telling him his feelings for Elle are serious despite the fact he is leaving for Harvard the next day.
At Elle and Lee's birthday costume party the next day, Elle confesses her love for Noah to Lee. He relents, wanting her to be happy and agreeing to help her find Noah. Driving Lee's car, Elle shares her feelings for Noah with "Lee", dressed in his Batman costume, only to discover it is Noah in disguise.
Elle and Noah spend the following weeks together before he leaves for college. Watching him go, she is unsure if their relationship will last, but she knows a part of her heart will always belong to him.
Cast
Joey King as Elle Evans, lifelong best friend of Lee and girlfriend of Noah.
Joel Courtney as Lee Flynn, best friend of Elle, Noah's younger brother and Rachel's boyfriend.
Jacob Elordi as Noah Flynn, Lee's older brother and love interest and eventual boyfriend of Elle.
Carson White as Brad Evans, Elle's younger brother.
Molly Ringwald as Sara Flynn, Noah and Lee's mother, and mother figure to Elle.
Morné Visser as Mr. Flynn, Noah and Lee's father.
Jessica Sutton as Mia, a popular, mean girl at school who has a crush on Noah. She is the leader of the OMG (Olivia, Mia, Gwyneth) girls.
Zandile Madliwa as Gwyneth, Mia's friend and one of the OMG girls.
Bianca Bosch as Olivia, Mia's friend and one of the OMG girls.
Michelle Allen as Heather, fellow student and Goth girl.
Joshua Eady as Tuppen, a football player who sexually assaults Elle before asking her out and then standing her up after being threatened with physical harm by Noah.
In June 2014, Vince Marcello was hired to write the film adaptation of teenage author Beth Reekles' young adult novel The Kissing Booth, which was originally published on Wattpad.[2] In November 2016, it was announced that Netflix had purchased rights to the film, and Marcello was set to direct as well.[3] In January 2017, Joey King and Molly Ringwald signed on to star.[4]
Filming took place in Los Angeles, California, and in Cape Town, South Africa, with scenes shot at the University of Cape Town and Ratanga Junction (now closed as of 2018) between January and April 2017.[4]
Release
The film was released on May 11, 2018, on Netflix.[5] According to Netflix, one in three viewers of the film have re-watched it, "which is 30 percent higher than the average movie re-watch rate on the [streaming service]".[6] Deeming the film a substantial success for the service, chief content officer (CCO) Ted Sarandos called it "one of the most-watched movies in the country, and maybe in the world".[7] Upon the sequel's release in July 2020, the first film was the third-most viewed on Netflix that weekend.[8]
Reception
Critical response
The Kissing Booth was panned by critics.[9] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 15% based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 4.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The Kissing Booth deploys every rom-com cliché in the book with little care given to achieving any real sentiment."[10]
IndieWire's Kate Erbland gave the film a "D" grade, saying that "Unfortunately, the high school-set rom-com is a sexist and regressive look at relationships that highlights the worst impulses of the genre."[11] Ani Bundel of NBC News criticized the film's "problematic stereotyping of masculinity and relationships" and lack of original ideas, writing: "It feels like it was written by someone who simply digested everything she was told 'romance' was supposed to be by the patriarchy, and vomited back at us. Nearly every cliché in the film feels cribbed from another movie, like a song made completely of samples from better-known hits."[9][12]
Despite being deemed "sexist"[11][13] and "objectively bad"[14][15] by several critics, The Kissing Booth was widely consumed among audiences. Netflix's CCO Ted Sarandos affirmed the film's success as a "hugely popular original movie" for the streaming service.[14] Factors that have been cited as reasons for The Kissing Booth's success among audiences include the original novel's popularity on Wattpad, the relative lack of original romantic comedies on the platform, and the publicization of actors King and Elordi's off-screen relationship during the film's production.[14]
Accolades
At the 2019 Kids' Choice Awards, The Kissing Booth was nominated for Favorite Movie and King won Favorite Actress for her role.[16]
On February 14, 2019, a sequel, titled The Kissing Booth 2, was announced.[17] It was released on July 24, 2020, on Netflix.
A third film, The Kissing Booth 3, was announced on July 26, 2020, via livestream. It was filmed directly after the second film, with most of the cast and the crew returning, and released August 11, 2021.[18]
Related Research Articles
Molly Kathleen Ringwald is an American actress, writer, and translator. She began her career as a child actress on the sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life before being nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the drama film Tempest (1982). Ringwald became a teen idol following her appearances in filmmaker John Hughes' teen films Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), and Pretty in Pink (1986). These films led to the media referring to her as a member of the "Brat Pack." Her final teen roles were in For Keeps and Fresh Horses.
Some Kind of Wonderful is a 1987 American teen romantic comedy-drama film directed by Howard Deutch and starring Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Lea Thompson. It is one of several successful teen dramas written by John Hughes in the 1980s.
Hannah Dakota Fanning is an American actress. She rose to prominence at the age of seven for playing the daughter of an intellectually challenged man in the drama film I Am Sam (2001), for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, making her the youngest nominee in SAG history. Fanning had further roles as a child actress in Uptown Girls (2003), Man on Fire (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Charlotte's Web (2006) and The Secret Life of Bees (2008), in addition to the lead voice role in Coraline (2009).
Joey Lynn King is an American actress. She first gained recognition for portraying Ramona Quimby in the comedy film Ramona and Beezus (2010) and has since gained wider recognition for her lead role in The Kissing Booth (2018) and its two sequels. King received critical acclaim for her role as Gypsy-Rose Blanchard in the crime drama series The Act (2019), for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a 2018 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Susan Johnson and written by Sofia Alvarez. The film stars Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Madeleine Arthur, Emilija Baranac, Israel Broussard and John Corbett. The movie is based on Jenny Han's 2014 novel of the same name, and was released by Netflix on August 17, 2018. It received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised the cast.
Dumplin' is a 2018 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Kristin Hahn. It is based on the young adult novel of the same name by Julie Murphy. The film stars Danielle Macdonald as Willowdean "Dumplin'" Dickson, Jennifer Aniston as her mother, Rosie Dickson, and Odeya Rush as her best friend, Ellen Driver.
SPF-18 is a 2017 American coming-of-age romantic comedy film directed by Alex Israel in his directorial debut. Israel co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Berk. The film stars Carson Meyer, Noah Centineo, Bianca A. Santos, Jackson White, Molly Ringwald and Rosanna Arquette, and is narrated by Goldie Hawn.
Sierra Burgess Is a Loser is a 2018 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Ian Samuels from a screenplay by Lindsey Beer. The film is a modern retelling of the 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, and stars Shannon Purser, Kristine Froseth, RJ Cyler, and Noah Centineo. The film was released on September 7, 2018, by Netflix.
Jacob Elordi is an Australian actor. After moving to Los Angeles in 2017 to pursue an acting career, he gained prominence with his role as Noah Flynn, the bad boy love interest, in Netflix's The Kissing Booth film series (2018–2021). He also became known for his role as troubled high school football player Nate Jacobs in HBO's teen drama series Euphoria (2019–present). In 2023, he starred as Elvis Presley in the biographical film Priscilla and as a wealthy university student in Saltburn, which earned him a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
After is a 2019 American romantic drama film directed by Jenny Gage, who co-wrote the screenplay with Susan McMartin, Tamara Chestna, and Tom Betterton, based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Anna Todd. It is the first installment in the After film series. The film stars Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Josephine Langford and follows a young woman who begins to romance a mysterious student during her first months of college. The cast includes Selma Blair, Inanna Sarkis, Shane Paul McGhie, Pia Mia, Khadijha Red Thunder, Dylan Arnold, Samuel Larsen, Jennifer Beals and Peter Gallagher in supporting roles.
The Perfect Date is a 2019 American teen romantic comedy film, directed by Chris Nelson from a screenplay by Steve Bloom and Randall Green. It is based on the novel The Stand-In by Steve Bloom, published by Carolrohda Lab in October 2017. The film stars Noah Centineo, Laura Marano, Camila Mendes, Odiseas Georgiadis and Matt Walsh. It was released on April 12, 2019, by Netflix.
All the Bright Places is a 2020 American teen romantic drama film, directed by Brett Haley, from a screenplay by Jennifer Niven and Liz Hannah, adapted from the novel of the same name by Niven. It stars Elle Fanning, Justice Smith, Alexandra Shipp, Kelli O'Hara, Lamar Johnson, Virginia Gardner, Felix Mallard, Sofia Hasmik, Keegan-Michael Key, and Luke Wilson.
Tall Girl is a 2019 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Nzingha Stewart, from a screenplay by Sam Wolfson. The film stars Ava Michelle, Griffin Gluck, Sabrina Carpenter, Paris Berelc, Luke Eisner, Clara Wilsey, Anjelika Washington, Rico Paris, Angela Kinsey, and Steve Zahn.
The Kissing Booth 2 is a 2020 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Vince Marcello and written by Marcello and Jay Arnold. As a direct sequel to the 2018 film The Kissing Booth and the second installment in the Kissing Booth trilogy, the film stars Joey King, Joel Courtney and Jacob Elordi.
The Kissing Booth 3 is a 2021 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Vince Marcello and written by Marcello and Jay Arnold. The third and final installment in The Kissing Booth trilogy based on Beth Reekles' novel of the same name, the film stars Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Meganne Young and Molly Ringwald.
The Kissing Booth film series consists of American teen-romantic comedy films developed and released as Netflix original films, exclusively for the streaming service. Based on the novels written by Beth Reekles, the plot centers around Rochelle "Elle" Evans, and the complications that arise when she begins dating her best friend's older brother. The series explores the teenage experiences of high school, popularity, dating, and friendship.
Beth Reekles is a Welsh author of young adult fiction.
He's All That is a 2021 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Mark Waters, from a screenplay by R. Lee Fleming Jr. The film is a gender-swapped remake of the 1999 film She's All That, which was a modern adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's 1914 play Pygmalion and George Cukor's 1964 film My Fair Lady. It stars Addison Rae, Tanner Buchanan, Madison Pettis, and Peyton Meyer, as well as Rachael Leigh Cook and Matthew Lillard, who starred in She's All That, appearing in different roles.
Taylor Zakhar Perez is an American film and television actor. He began his career by appearing in several series, before his breakthrough role in the romantic comedy films The Kissing Booth 2 (2020) and The Kissing Booth 3 (2021). Perez had a supporting role in the sex comedy series Minx (2022) and a starring role in the romantic comedy film Red, White & Royal Blue (2023).
My Life with the Walter Boys is an American teen drama television series that premiered on Netflix on December 7, 2023. The coming-of-age drama is an adaptation of Ali Novak's 2014 novel of the same name, which was first published on Wattpad. The series follows recently-orphaned Jackie Howard, a teenage girl from Manhattan who relocates to rural Colorado after she is taken in by the Walters, a family of seven sons and one daughter. The series was developed by Melanie Halsall. It stars Nikki Rodriguez, Noah LaLonde, Ashby Gentry and Alisha Newton. In December 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
