"The Kissing Booth" is a 2018 American teen romantic comedy film written and directed by Vince Marcello. It is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Beth Reekles. The film stars Joey King, Jacob Elordi, and Joel Courtney. The story follows Elle (King), a unique teenager who is just beginning to grow up. Her developing relationship with Noah (Elordi), a high school senior known for his rebellious behavior, risks harming her long-term friendship with Lee (Courtney), Noah's younger brother.

The film was released on Netflix on May 11, 2018. Netflix called it a commercial success because many subscribers watched it, which led to the creation of a trilogy of films. However, critics did not praise the film, saying its story and themes were overused. A sequel, "The Kissing Booth 2," was released on July 24, 2020. The third film, "The Kissing Booth 3," was released on August 11, 2021.

Plot

In Los Angeles, Elle Evans and Lee Flynn have been best friends since they were born. At age 11, Elle's mother becomes very sick and passes away three years later. Elle has a secret crush on Noah, Lee's popular older brother, but she hides it.

On the first day of her junior year in high school, Elle is made to wear a skirt that is too small. When a classmate named Tuppen touches her in a way that is not appropriate, Noah fights with him. They are sent to the principal's office, where Tuppen apologizes. Later, Elle agrees to go on a date with him, but he does not show up because Noah told others not to pursue her.

Elle and Lee suggest setting up 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, even though he had already said he would not participate.

The kissing booth is successful until Noah is supposed to participate, but Lee takes his place, disappointing the girls. A classmate named Rachel steps up to kiss him, and the two leave Elle to manage the booth. Angry with Elle, the OMG girls arrange for her to kiss a student who is not popular. At the last moment, the student lets Noah go ahead. Noah kisses the blindfolded Elle, and when she realizes it is 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 refuses to 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, Warren teases him, so Noah attacks him while Elle escapes. Noah catches up to her and gives her a ride home. He apologizes for his violent reaction to Warren's slight. They detour to the Hollywood Sign and have sex for the first time. There, 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.

Noah swears Elle to secrecy when she discovers he has been accepted at 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; he then drives 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. 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 declaring 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. As she watches him leave, 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, Lee’s best friend since childhood and Noah’s girlfriend.
• Joel Courtney as Lee Flynn, Elle’s best friend, Noah’s younger brother, and Rachel’s boyfriend.
• Jacob Elordi as Noah Flynn, Lee’s older brother and someone Elle falls in love with.
• Meganne Young as Rachel, Lee’s girlfriend.
• Stephen Jennings as Mike Evans, Elle’s father.
• Chloe Williams as Joni Evans, Elle’s mother.
• Carson White as Brad Evans, Elle’s younger brother.
• Molly Ringwald as Sara Flynn, Noah and Lee’s mother and a mother figure to Elle.
• Morné Visser as Mr. Flynn, Noah and Lee’s father.
• Jessica Sutton as Mia, a popular student who likes Noah and leads the OMG (Olivia, Mia, Gwyneth) group.
• Zandile Madliwa as Gwyneth, Mia’s friend and part of the OMG group.
• Bianca Bosch as Olivia, Mia’s friend and part of the OMG group.
• Michelle Allen as Heather, a student who is part of the Goth group.
• Joshua Eady as Tuppen, a football player who sexually assaults Elle before asking her out and then stands her up after being threatened with physical harm by Noah.
• Byron Langley as Warren
• Judd Akron as Ollie
• Frances Sholto-Douglas as Vivian
• Evan Hengst as Miles
• Sanda Shandu as Randy
• Hilton Pelser as Barry
• Trent Rowe as Melvin
• Nathan Lynn as Cameron

Production

In June 2014, Vince Marcello was chosen to write the movie version of Beth Reekles' young adult novel The Kissing Booth, which was first published on Wattpad. In November 2016, Netflix bought the rights to make the film, and Marcello was going to direct it as well. In January 2017, Joey King and Molly Ringwald were chosen to act in the movie.

Filming happened in Los Angeles, California, and in Cape Town, South Africa. Scenes were filmed at the University of Cape Town and Ratanga Junction (which closed in 2018) between January and April 2017.

Release

The movie was released on Netflix on May 11, 2018. Netflix reported that one out of every three people who watched the film rewatched it, which is 30 percent higher than the usual rewatch rate for movies on the service. Netflix’s chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, called the film a great success, stating it was "one of the most-watched movies in the country, and maybe in the world." When the sequel was released in July 2020, the first film was the third most watched on Netflix that weekend.

Reception

The Kissing Booth received poor reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 15% from 13 reviews, with an average score of 4.1 out of 10. The website’s critics summarized the film as using many common romantic comedy tropes without creating meaningful emotions.

Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film a "D" grade, stating that the movie presents relationships in a sexist and outdated way, reflecting the worst parts of the romantic comedy genre. Ani Bundel of NBC News criticized the film for its unfair stereotypes about masculinity and relationships, as well as its lack of original ideas. She wrote that the film seems to copy ideas from other movies, like a song made up of samples from other songs.

Even though critics called the film "sexist" and "objectively bad," many people watched it. Netflix’s CCO Ted Sarandos said the film was a "very popular original movie" for the streaming service. Reasons for its popularity include the original book’s popularity on Wattpad, the limited number of original romantic comedies on Netflix, and the public announcement of actors Bella Thorne and Joey King’s real-life relationship during the film’s production.

At the 2019 Kids' Choice Awards, The Kissing Booth was nominated for Favorite Movie, and Bella Thorne won Favorite Actress for her performance in the film.

Sequels

On February 14, 2019, a sequel called The Kissing Booth 2 was announced. It was released on Netflix on July 24, 2020.

A third film, The Kissing Booth 3, was announced on July 26, 2020, through a live video broadcast. It was filmed immediately after the second film, with most of the cast and crew returning, and it was released on August 11, 2021.