Wayment...there's a 'Kissing Booth 3'?
I finally watched the highly anticipated sequel to the Netflix original, 'The Kissing Booth'. Picking up from where we left off, Noah is at Havard University, while Elle and Lee are high school seniors. Elle narrates the events that occurred during the summer break. She highlights her relationship with Noah, college application and Lee's relationship with Rachel. The cast remains the same with Joey King as Elle Evans, Joel Courtney as Lee Flynn and Jacob Elordi as Noah Flynn. In addition we have Molly Ringwald as Sarah Flynn, Meganne Young as Rachel, Taylor Zakhar Perez as Marco Penã, and Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Chloe Winthrop.
Elle is adjusting to the idea of a long distance relationship with Noah. She becomes the third wheel in Lee and Rachel's relationship.The film starts with Elle narrating her time with Noah before he leaves for Harvard. Her senior year starts with her classmates gossiping how she and Noah will eventually break up, making her fear as Noah has befriended an attractive girl named Chloe as she checks his Instagram. Elle and Lee are planning the kissing booth again for the Charity Fair, while Lee is trying to convince Elle to have Marco Peña, the attractive new student to be the headline kisser. Elle beats Marco on the dancing game forcing him to participate in the booth. Noah suggests Elle apply to Harvard, which clashes with her plans to study at Berkeley with Lee. She and Lee promised that they would attend Berkley because their moms met and became friends there.
Elle visits Noah in Boston, and meets his new friends including Chloe. Ellen's insecurities surface making her more insecure and when she finds an earring below Noah's bed she leaves immediately. Elle speaks with her father about college tuition and learns money is a problem. To help fundraise for college, she begs Lee to participate in a dance competition with a cash reward for the first place. Lee has an accident during one of their practice sessions and proposes Marco to become her dance partner.
As Marco and Elle start passing time together an attraction between them initiates. Lee has been avoiding confronting Elle, about her interference in his relationship with Rachel. During his injury, he ignores Elle citing that he's busy. Eventually Elle finds out that he's faking his injury.
The Halloween Dance arrives, and Lee forgets to tell Rachel that they changed costumes. He and Elle go as the Ghostbusters while Rachel is a marshmallow. The whole scenario upsets Rachel and she leaves. Elle shares a dance with Marco, almost kissing him but stops when the OMG girls gossip about her.
Lee finds Elle's applications to Harvard, angering him. Elle and Marco give an outstanding performance at the competitionand she kisses him at the end of their dance. She notices Noah in the crowd and he walks away. Elle wants to go after him in the moment her and Marco are announced the winners. It's thanksgiving dinner at the Flynn's residence, and things get awkward.
Noah arrives with Chloe, upsetting Elle who is confronted by Lee for not telling him about her application to Harvard and Rachel being upset with her as well. During the dinner, Rachel discovers Lee never spoke with Elle and leaves the dinner. Lee catches up with her and Rachel breaks up with him. Elle tries to convince Rachel to reconcile with Lee but is unsuccessful. She also gives back the earring to Chloe, who confirms it belongs to her. She reveals to Noah in a bar that one night she slept in Noah's room when he was out and lost it.
Lee and Rachel reconcile at the Carnival after being blindfolded and kissing each other at the kissing booth. Elle is also blindfolded and is approached by Marco, who wants to talk with her about their feelings. Elle admits to Marco there is an attraction between them, but tells him she loves Noah and goes looking for him at the airport. Chloe tells her that he went to look for her, Elle finds him in the shelter park where they first kissed. Noah confesses to being embarrassed that he wasn't doing well at Harvard as he initially thought. He also wants a friendship with Chloe similar to Elle and Lee's. The couple kiss and make up Elle and Noah reunite.
Months later, Elle, Lee, and Rachel graduate. Lee shares with Elle that he was accepted at Berkeley. He asks if she received a response which she answers she was waitlisted at both Berkeley and Harvard. Marco looks from afar at Elle, his friend notices it and answers she's not worth it. Marco decides that she is still worth it. When Elle opens both envelopes in her room it turns out she was accepted in both universities, which will force her to make a decision: go to Harvard with Noah or Berkeley with Lee. And this leaves room for the third installment of 'The Kissing Booth'.
This movie is more problematic than the first one. Lee is controlling and I still believe that he has unresolved feelings for Elle. The fact that he didn't place boundaries with Elle once he and Rachel were serious is an issue. Elle still seeks Lee's approval in making life decisions. I believe that friendships must be independent. While we rely on our friends, we should be able to make objective decisions. And those stupid rules, what are they five? Elle and Lee need to grow up! They need to learn healthy ways of being in a friendship as young adults.
I really don't know why I keep watching this stupid movie? Well maybe Noah demystifies the 'bad boy'. In this sequel he is boyfriend goals. Though we discover that he's going through his own awkward transition in college, he still chooses Elle. He is consistent and even romantic despite Elle being the jerk. But we can agree IRL bad boys can't pull off the Noah act for long.
Growing up means being the author of your own narrative...
....never let anyone dictate the words to you!
Until the next flick...
..."breathe slow, count from one to ten with your eyes closed,...and gain composure," Alesha Dixon.
P.S.: Always write your own love story.
Ciao
Lady E
Comments
Post a Comment