movie review kissing booth

an image, when javascript is unavailable

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

Netflix’s ‘the kissing booth 3’: film review.

In the final installment of the popular teen franchise starring Joey King and Molly Ringwald, summer fun gives way to saggy fears.

By Robyn Bahr

Share this article on Facebook
Share this article on Twitter
Share this article on Flipboard
Share this article on Email
Show additional share options
Share this article on Linkedin
Share this article on Pinit
Share this article on Reddit
Share this article on Tumblr
Share this article on Whatsapp
Share this article on Print
Share this article on Comment

What I most appreciate about the Kissing Booth rom-com trilogy is that it’s savvy enough to know when to indulge in outlandish adolescent wish-fulfillment and brave enough to depict its teen protagonists as realistically drunk, horny revelers. Based on the book series by Beth Reekles, who was a teenager herself when she imagined what would happen if a spunky video gamer finally grew boobs and ended up seducing the high school bad boy, the films have no compunctions about showcasing underage pleasure. Kids make sex tapes in their high school classrooms, casually down shots without any subsequent preachiness and fall into bed like giddy newlyweds.

The Kissing Booth 3

Release date : Wednesday, Aug. 11 Cast : Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi, Molly Ringwald, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Meganne Young Director : Vince Marcello Screenwriters : Vince Marcello, Jay Arnold

Or, rather, she exclusively fucks her best friend’s brother, Noah Flynn ( Euphoria ’s Jacob Elordi ), the motorcycle-riding hunk she’s been dating since her post-pubescent glow-up in the first film. In the franchise’s final chapter, Elle has graduated from a love triangle to a love hexagon that involves her boyfriend, her platonic best friend Lee (Joel Courtney), Lee’s new Berkeley friends, the random hot guy who enticed her in the second film and returned for more masochism (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and her boyfriend’s hot/rich college friend who, for some reason, shows up to cry about her divorcing parents (Maisie Richardson-Sellers). Everyone is disappointing everyone else. What happened to “girls just wanna have fun?”

If The Kissing Booth 3 stuck with its opening premise and maintained an air of idealistic summer anarchy for the entire story, the film might have been a mindless blast. Elle, Noah and Lee convince the boys’ parents to let them stay at the family beach house one last summer before they all skip off to college. It’s the perfect plan: The kids get to play house for a few months, “helping” the Flynns prepare for a sale to beachfront condo developers while they host pool party ragers for weeks on end. As demonstrated by all resort-set special vacation episodes of classic sitcoms (or even the one-off summer series Baby-Sitter’s Club books), the summer getaway concept succeeds thanks to carefree novelty and low-stakes misadventures. I wanted no conflict, really, just hangouts and escapades. Sun, beaches, bikinis.

But director Vince Marcello somehow ends up turning this breezy summer fantasy into a kitchen sink drama. Elle can’t seem to please anyone: not taciturn Noah, who mistakenly thinks she can’t wait to join him at Harvard in the fall; not clingy Lee, who plans to spend every waking minute of this final summer with her despite her other obligations; not her widowed father, who just wants her to get to know his new girlfriend with an open mind; not pretty boy Marco, who still wants to be with her even after she broke his heart months ago. Throw in Elle’s waitressing job, some rehashed jealousy palaver and endless handwringing over college decisions, and you’ve got yourself an overstuffed threequel at least 30 minutes too long. The film sags under the weight of all those storylines until the last five minutes.

In addition to its narrative bloat, The Kissing Booth 3 looks like it’s coming apart at the seams. Some green-screened background CGI appears as phony as old-timey painted movie sets, and whether King’s long brunette mane was real or not is immaterial because, no matter what, it looks like a sheitel .

The cast knows they’re churning out cloying fluff, though, and they’re clearly having the time of their lives. King, a ham, has more natural onscreen chemistry with goofy Courtney than she does with brooding Elordi, who ascended to dark HBO fare not long after The Kissing Booth originally debuted. King and Courtney’s BFF duo spend their last summer of childhood recementing their fractured relationship by completing a beach bucket list, which has the two actors guzzling down pie, karaoke-ing nostalgic jams, sumo wrestling in fat suits and cosplaying Nintendo characters during a real-life Mario Kart relay. There’s a lot of screeching in this movie.

Elle doesn’t connect with other girls her age, preferring to spend all her energy focused on the emotional hair-triggers of the men in her life. She has no idea why she wants to go to Harvard, other than the fact that Noah goes there. We don’t know her goals and neither does she (although she’s frequently told she’s brilliant, for some undemonstrated reason). At some point, Elle runs away crying from the Hollywood sign, which is about as hilarious as her motorcycling off into the sunset with Noah on numerous occasions. However, the film does something unexpectedly audacious with its last few moments, making me wonder if there’s at least a little nutrition in cloying fluff.

Full credits

Cast: Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi, Molly Ringwald, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Meganne Young Production companies: Clearblack Films, Komixx Entertainment, Picture Loom Distribution: Netflix Director: Vince Marcello Screenwriter: Vince Marcello, Jay Arnold Producers: Carl Beyer, Darren Cameron, Andrew Cole-Bulgin, Ed Glauser, Vince Marcello, Michele Weisler Executive producers: Adam Friedlander, Joey King Director of photography: Anastas N. Michos Production designer: Iñigo Navarro Music: Patrick Kirst Editor: Paul Millspaugh

THR Newsletters

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Debi mazar says she regrets turning down ‘the wedding singer’ role: “made a stupid decision”, pam grier says she still has injuries from ‘foxy brown’ because she “didn’t have a stunt double”, ‘space mountain’ movie lands ‘cowboy bebop’ showrunners (exclusive), elliot page developing sci-fi novel ‘the darkness outside us’ as feature (exclusive), drew barrymore says ‘never been kissed’ studio pushed back on her going “too far” with character, ‘rebel moon’ director zack snyder talks the ending of ‘part two,’ cathartic director’s cuts and ‘part 3’.

Summary When Elle Evans (Joey King), a pretty, late-bloomer who’s never-been-kissed, decides to run a kissing booth at her high school’s Spring Carnival, she unexpectedly finds herself locking lips with her secret crush– the ultimate bad boy, Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi). Sparks fly, but there’s one little problem: Noah just happens to be the broth ... Read More

Directed By : Vince Marcello

Written By : Beth Reekles, Vince Marcello

The Kissing Booth

Where to watch.

Shelly 'Elle' Evans

Jacob Elordi

Joel Courtney

Megan du plessis, shelly 'elle' evans (age 4), lincoln pearson, lee flynn (age 4), jack fokkens, lee flynn (age 7), stephen jennings, chloe williams, michael miccoli, noah flynn (age 9), juliet blacher, shelly 'elle' evans (age 11), jesse rowan-goldberg, lee flynn (age 11), chase dallas, noah flynn (age 13), carson white, hilton pelser, sanda shandu, joshua daniel eady, d. david morin, school principal, bianca bosch, jessica sutton, critic reviews.

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

User Reviews

Related movies.

Singin' in the Rain

City Lights

The Rules of the Game

Some Like It Hot

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

American Graffiti

The Shop Around the Corner

A Hard Day's Night

The Philadelphia Story

Ratatouille

The Lady Eve

Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World

La Dolce Vita

Meet Me in St. Louis

The Apartment

Chimes at Midnight

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

With the arrival of Zack Snyder's latest Rebel Moon chapter on Netflix, we rank every one of the director's films—from bad to, well, less bad—by Metascore.

Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

We rank every one of the British director's movies by Metascore, from his debut Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels to his brand new film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

2024 Movie Release Calendar

Jason dietz.

Find release dates for every movie coming to theaters, VOD, and streaming throughout 2024 and beyond, updated weekly.

April Movie Preview (2024)

Keith kimbell.

The month ahead will bring new films from Alex Garland, Luca Guadagnino, Dev Patel, and more. To help you plan your moviegoing options, our editors have selected the most notable films releasing in April 2024, listed in alphabetical order.

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

Find a list of new movie and TV releases on DVD and Blu-ray (updated weekly) as well as a calendar of upcoming releases on home video.

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, the kissing booth 2.

Now streaming on:

“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 L.A. 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 L.A. 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 critic, journalist, programmer, and curator based in New York City. She is the Senior Film Programmer at the Jacob Burns Film Center and a contributor to RogerEbert.com .

Now playing

Brian Tallerico

Space: The Longest Goodbye

Marya e. gates.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Christy lemire.

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

Peyton robinson.

Accidental Texan

Film credits.

The Kissing Booth 2 (2020)

130 minutes

Joey King as Shelly 'Elle' Evans

Jacob Elordi as Noah Flynn

Joel Courtney as Lee Flynn

Molly Ringwald as Mrs. Flynn

Joshua Daniel Eady as Tuppen

Meganne Young as Rachel

Frances Sholto-Douglas as Vivian

Camilla Wolfson as Mia

Taylor Zakhar Perez as Marco

Vince Marcello

Writer (based on the book "The Kissing Booth" by)

Beth Reekles

Cinematographer

Anastas N. Michos
Paul Millspaugh
Patrick Kirst

Latest blog posts

The Imperiled Women of Alex Garland’s Films

The Jinx – Part Two Continues One of the Most Fascinating True Crime Sagas of All Time

Introducing Ebertfest 25's Film Critics and Scholars

It's OK For Movies to Just End

‘The Kissing Booth 3’ Review: Hit Netflix Franchise Gets a Gratuitous Send-Off Kiss

The final installment of the shallow YA trilogy serves up what audiences expect, starting out frisky, then scrambling to make a mature statement.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

‘The Three Musketeers – Part II: Milady’ Review: Eva Green Surprises in French Blockbuster’s Less-Than-Faithful Finale 1 day ago
‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ Review: Henry Cavill Leads a Pack of Inglorious Rogues in Guy Ritchie’s Spirited WWII Coup 4 days ago
‘Challengers’ Review: Zendaya and Company Smash the Sports-Movie Mold in Luca Guadagnino’s Tennis Scorcher 1 week ago

How many movies does it take to tell a story about high school senior Elle Evans ( Joey King ) trying to decide whether to honor her friendship to lifelong bestie Lee ( Joel Courtney ) or break the “rules” by dating his smoking-hot older brother, Noah ( Jacob Elordi )? If you’re Netflix — the content factory that milked “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” for its full trilogy potential — then the answer is three, obviously. Except the makers of “The Kissing Booth” didn’t have a solid book series to fall back on (young author Beth Reekles was 15 when she wrote the original, and the sequels have been afterthoughts), nor a compelling romantic rivalry to stretch across multiple movies.

What they did have was the data to suggest audiences wanted more. I too wanted more — less of the same, but a little substance for a change. How great would it be if Elle found enough self-respect to pursue her own dreams, rather than deciding her future according to which of the Flynn bros’ hearts she least wanted to break? Spoiler alert: “ The Kissing Booth 3 ” offers some of both — that is, there’s plenty of fan service (including a whole new list for Elle and Lee to exhaust), but also a late-arriving sense of identity that gives this junk-food sequel just enough nutritional value to help its young audiences reconsider how to determine their own post-high school priorities.

Last time we saw Elle, she had been accepted to two universities: UC Berkeley, which she and Lee had always planned to attend, or Harvard, where Noah suggests they get an apartment together. You don’t have to be a geography major to recognize that these two schools are on opposite sides of the country. And speaking of majors, what is it that Elle wants to do with her life anyway? She’s vaguely described as “brilliant” in the series (which director Vince Marcello has overseen since the beginning, maintaining a consistently chipper, Disney Channel vibe). But what does that mean?

Popular on Variety

The short answer: It means that she ought to have more than snogging Noah to look forward to in her life, and though this franchise may have been conceived as a naive teen fantasy, it’s not too late to give the character some dimension. Mind you, that’s all packed into the last half-hour of a movie that remains stubbornly content to trade in worn-out teen-movie clichés, as Elle finds herself mixed up in one petty misunderstanding after another.

After doing the single-dad thing for half a dozen years, Mr. Evans (Stephen Jennings) — who was barely a character in the previous movies — is trying to start another relationship of his own, but Elle is too self-absorbed to give the woman (Bianca Amato) a chance. Then again, she has her hands full, having to get a summer job, take care of her younger brother (Carson White), etc. It’s the summer before she and Lee are supposed to head off to college, and Mrs. Flynn (Molly Ringwald, whose own YA hits millennials would do well to investigate) has decided to sell the beach house.

The “kids” convince her to let them fix it up over the summer, although no one’s fooled: They’ve just been handed the keys to the ultimate party pad, and the movie is too basic to engage with any of the ways that might go wrong. One of Noah’s old crushes (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) crashes with them, causing Elle to get jealous. She reciprocates by striking things back up with Marco (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the boy she kissed in front of Noah in the previous movie. Are we really worried that either of these rivals will upset the couple? This movie has all the complexity of a shampoo commercial.

Before the brothers go their separate ways, the close-knit trio is determined to make this the most memorable summer ever — which is a recipe for “The Kissing Booth 3” to cram in everything from skydiving to sumo wrestling (all to-do items on the Bucket Beach List that Elle unearths in an old Mario Kart lunchbox). The flash mob and cosplay racing scenes are memorable, but the rest is reduced to montage as the movie essentially acknowledges that these recent grads are peaking before their lives have even begun.

With all that fun out of the way, the characters start behaving like adults in the film’s final stretch: The pressure’s on for everyone involved to tie things up well, and even if all that’s come before feels generic (keep in mind that tweens haven’t necessarily seen the bajillion other TV series and movies Marcello and company so shamelessly recycle), what really matters here is how the “Kissing Booth” movies will end, since that’s what fans will remember. Here, Orson Welles’ adage comes in handy: “If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.”

“The Kissing Booth 3” could have gone out on a conventional romantic note — say, ending on a kiss — as if to suggest Elle and Noah (who have all the chemistry of a pair of telethon co-hosts) will grow old and gray together. Instead, the film leaves things surprisingly uncertain, while inventing for Elle a whole list of ambitions that hadn’t even been hinted at until this point. Then it skips forward six years till everyone’s out of school, revealing Elle so transformed that I half-wish the film had been about those intervening years, in which she develops a personality. But maybe it’s enough to know that she eventually managed to find one.

Reviewed on Netflix, Aug. 12, 2021. Rating: TV-14. Running time: 112 MIN.

Production: A Netflix release and presentation of a Picture Loom, Clearblack Films, Komixx Entertainment production. Producers: Michele Weisler, Vince Marcello, Ed Glauser, Andrew Cole-Bulgin. Executive producers: Joey King, Adam Friedlander.
Crew: Director: Vince Marcello. Screenplay: Vince Marcello & Jay Arnold, based on “The Kissing Booth” books by Beth Reekles. Camera: Anastas Michos. Editor: Paul Millspaugh. Music: Patrick Kirst.
With: Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Meganne Young, Stephen Jennings, Carson White, Morné Visser, Cameron Scott, Camilla Wolfson, Zandile, Madliwa, Bianca Bosch, Molly Ringwald.

More From Our Brands

Camila cabello joins lana del rey during weekend two of coachella, this insane hydrogen hypercar prototype is now headed to auction, sprinter gabby thomas says diamond league flosports deal is a drag, be tough on dirt but gentle on your body with the best soaps for sensitive skin, rupaul’s drag race finale recap: did the right queen win season 16, verify it's you, please log in.

Supported by

It’s the Movie Hit of the Summer: Why ‘The Kissing Booth’ Clicked

Share full article

By Bruce Fretts

July 13, 2018

It may be one of this summer’s most popular movies, but “The Kissing Booth” is not playing at a theater near you. Netflix released the teen rom-com on its streaming service with little fanfare in May, and it quickly swelled into a stealth sensation.

“Fans found it, liked it, and decided to pass it on to other people,” said Vince Marcello, the film’s writer and director. “You can run commercials, you can do all the conventional stuff, but none of it is as powerful as people on their Twitter feeds saying, ‘Oh my God, check this out, it gave me all the feels.’”

Netflix specializes in the soft sell, expecting viewers to stumble across its original films while scrolling through menus of suggestions. “We weren’t aggressively marketing the film,” said Ian Bricke, the service’s director of independent film. “But when people find a movie like this on Netflix, they feel like they’ve discovered it for themselves, and there’s a degree of ownership and investment that translates into word of mouth.”

This user-generated strategy seems fitting given the D.I.Y. origins of “The Kissing Booth.” In 2011, Beth Reekles , a 15-year-old in Wales, started posting chapters of the story on Wattpad, an online platform that allows amateur writers to read and comment on one another’s work.

“It was easier to share it with total strangers online than people I knew,” Ms. Reekles, now 23, said in an email. “I was — and still am — quite self-conscious about my writing.”

Readers responded with surprising ardor to the simple story: An awkward Los Angeles high schooler, Elle, falls for her lifelong best friend Lee’s bad-boy older brother, Noah, after he’s responsible for her first-ever kiss in the fairground attraction of the title. The twist: Elle and Lee adhere to a strict set of rules for their friendship, and one is that dating each other’s relatives is verboten.

“When I first wrote the story, ‘Twilight’ had become popular and all of the young-adult stories I could find were paranormal romances,” Ms. Reekles said. “I just really wanted to read a regular high school romance, and when I couldn’t find that, I wrote my own.”

After Mr. Marcello (who directed four films inspired by American Girl dolls) adapted the novel into a screenplay, Netflix became involved. “We liked the idea that it landed somewhere between an R-rated teen film and younger-skewing fare like Disney Channel movies,” Mr. Bricke said. “The trend in teen movies has been towards edgier, raunchier fare, and it felt like there was a pocket that wasn’t being spoken to.”

That audience swooned for “The Kissing Booth,” with many watching it multiple times. Netflix never releases the equivalent of ratings but it does report that of the viewers who have watched, one in three have seen it more than once, which is 30 percent higher than the normal rate.

Joey King (“Ramona and Beezus”), who plays Elle, said there’s something addictive about the movie. “Young people on Instagram made these fan accounts and started hanging out with each other because they love and relate to it so much.”

The movie has resonated with an older audience as well, Mr. Marcello said: “They’re making comments like, ‘I’m not sure I should be admitting this online, but I’ve watched this movie six times, and I’m 42 years old — oh, God, help me.’”

That was part of the plan all along. Mr. Marcello intended “The Kissing Booth” to be a nostalgia-evoking homage to the teen comedies of the ’80s and ’90s. So he cast the Brat Pack queen Molly Ringwald as Lee and Noah’s mom and used a cover version of “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” from the soundtrack of “The Breakfast Club,” in a prom scene.

“The John Hughes films and movies like ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ were formative for me,” Mr. Marcello said. “Hollywood hasn’t been making those kinds of films in recent years, and that’s the reason we’re so hungry for them.”

Not everyone has devoured “The Kissing Booth” with this kind of enthusiasm, however. On the review-aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has received only one positive notice out of eight . IndieWire slammed it as “ a sexist and regressive look at relationships that highlights the worst impulses of the genre.”

The movie’s star shrugs it off. “The problem with critics, not to bash on them, is that when they’re watching a movie, they’re looking for very specific things,” Ms. King said. “They are forgetting what it’s like to watch a movie and not have to think about how happy you feel. ‘The Kissing Booth’ just makes you feel good.”

Ms. King’s real-life romance with Jacob Elordi, the Australian unknown who plays Noah, has fueled fans’ frenzy for the movie. “It’s exciting for people to know what they saw on screen was real,” Ms. King acknowledged. Added Mr. Marcello, “You never plan for that, you don’t expect it to happen, but they’re so great together, and it shows in every scene.”

The actors’ offscreen chemistry has also raised their profiles online, where they have posted pictures of themselves canoodling. Since the film’s release, Ms. King has gone from 600,000 to 5.4 million followers on Instagram , while Mr. Elordi’s fan base on the same platform has skyrocketed from 15,000 to 4.8 million.

Such popularity leads to the question: Will there be a sequel? “I’d love there to be, but who knows?” Ms. Reekles said. “I know all the fans of the movie and the book would like one.” (On Wattpad, Ms. Reekles has posted “The Beach House,” which she describes as “a novella to my book ‘The Kissing Booth’” and follows Lee and Elle over the summer.)

If that happens, the writer might finally make her first-ever trip to Hollywood. Though “The Kissing Booth” is set there, Ms. Reekles said, “I’ve yet to see California.”

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

As “Sex and the City” became more widely available on Netflix, younger viewers have watched it with a critical eye . But its longtime millennial and Gen X fans can’t quit.

Hoa Xuande had only one Hollywood credit when he was chosen to lead “The Sympathizer,” the starry HBO adaptation of a prize-winning novel. He needed all the encouragement he could get .

Even before his new film “Civil War” was released, the writer-director Alex Garland faced controversy over his vision of a divided America with Texas and California as allies.

Theda Hammel’s directorial debut, “Stress Positions,” a comedy about millennials weathering the early days of the pandemic , will ask audiences to return to a time that many people would rather forget.

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime and Hulu to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

Screen Rant

The kissing booth 3 review: netflix trilogy-ender is overcomplicated, shallow fun.

The Kissing Booth 3 is overstuffed and overcomplicated, but provides some shallow summer fun as the final chapter to Netflix's teen rom-com trilogy.

Concluding the trilogy that kicked off with The Kissing Booth in 2018 and continued with The Kissing Booth 2 in 2020, The Kissing Booth 3 wraps up the story of Elle Evans (Joey King). Based on the books by Beth Reekles, Netflix's romantic comedy franchise has chronicled the ups and downs of life and love for the teenager, as she balances a new relationship with her lifelong friendship. Director Vince Marcello returns to helm the third film from a script he penned with Kissing Booth 2 co-writer Jay Arnold. The Kissing Booth 3 is overstuffed and overcomplicated, but provides some shallow summer fun as the final chapter to Netflix's teen rom-com trilogy.

Picking up where The Kissing Booth 2 ended - which saw Elle accepted into both Harvard and Berkeley and having to decide whether to go to school with her boyfriend Noah (Jacob Elordi) or her best friend Lee (Joel Courtney) - The Kissing Booth 3 takes a bit of a detour and sends the trio on a road trip with Lee's girlfriend Rachel (Meganne Young). Eventually, Elle decides to go to Harvard with Noah, turning down Berkeley and the chance to fulfill the plan she and Lee had for most of their lives. Feeling guilty over the decision, Elle promises Lee they'll complete the summer bucket list they wrote as kids, all while living in the beach house their families stayed in when they were young. But her focus on Lee in addition to all her other obligations leaves Elle neglecting Noah, which is only exacerbated when her old flame Marco (Taylor Zakhar Perez) returns. When Elle is stretched too thin and things start falling apart, she'll have to decide what matters to her most and figure out how to proceed.

Related: Every Movie and TV Show Releasing In August 2021 On Netflix

The Kissing Booth 3 has too much going on for any of its story beats to land particularly well, whether it's Elle and Lee's relationship or Elle and Noah's, there are too many other distractions to truly develop either dynamic much without some clunky dialogue explaining exactly what's happening. Part of that is due to the sheer number of storylines crammed into the film's less than two-hour runtime, which also includes a thread about Noah and Lee's parents selling their beach house and Elle's father starting to date again. It's also partly because The Kissing Booth 3 spends a great deal of time on summer spectacle, whether it's the extended montage showing their road trip or another montage of the kids having fun at a water park (and those are only two of the film's many montages). While certain sequences loosely work toward moving the plot forward, like a particularly silly scene featuring a go-kart race, The Kissing Booth 3 seems to care more about delivering popcorn fun than a good story. While there's enough going on to distract viewers from the extremely thin story, the movie's idea of fun grows tedious rather quickly.

For their parts, it does seem as if the cast had a good time filming The Kissing Booth 3 , as they get to enjoy all manner of summer activity, from beach bonfires to days at the water park. This escapism feels especially fantastical as the real world is still in the midst of an ongoing pandemic that has disrupted life for over a year. Romantic comedies typically offer escapist fun for viewers as they tell sweet stories, but The Kissing Booth 3 also offers a look at an idealized summer very much unlike this year - which, depending on the viewer's perspective, is either a nice break from reality or a depressing reminder of it. Either way, The Kissing Booth 3 seems determined to let its viewers live vicariously through the film's characters, and in that way, those who watch will get to experience the fun summer has to offer. Sort of.

Ultimately, The Kissing Booth 3 is a fine conclusion to Netflix's teen rom-com trilogy, continuing the over-the-top, if shallow fun of the previous films while attempting to move Elle's story forward. The film series has always trended toward shallow entertainment, overstuffing its films with silly ideas rather than drilling down and telling a good story, so it makes sense that The Kissing Booth 3 would continue that trend. There's nothing wrong with this kind of popcorn entertainment, but some may find it to be less than satisfying.

As a result, The Kissing Booth 3 is perhaps worth watching for those who have seen the previous two films, but this third installment (and arguably the whole trilogy) can be missed for those uninterested in the story. The Kissing Booth 3 works to wrap up the storylines of Elle, Noah and Lee... mostly. It won't be a satisfying ending for many fans of the series, but it's perhaps the most interesting choice the trilogy makes. So anyone looking for some frivolous popcorn fun that's more summer-themed escapism than a well-paced movie can check out The Kissing Booth 3 . But those looking for a truly satisfying ending to a Netflix teen rom-com trilogy that kicked off in 2018 would be better served by fellow 2021 release To All the Boys: Always & Forever .

Next: The Kissing Booth 3 Trailer

The Kissing Booth 3 starts streaming on Netflix Wednesday, August 11. It is 113 minutes long and is rated TV-14.

Let us know what you thought of the film in the comments section!

Key Release Dates

The kissing booth 3.

Home » ‘The Kissing Booth 3’ review: The trilogy ends with a positive message all high school seniors should hear

‘The Kissing Booth 3’ review: The trilogy ends with a positive message all high school seniors should hear

The Kissing Booth 3 has it all: youthful abandon, whimsy, heartache and the stress that comes with making pivotal decisions in life. We may not all be Elle Evans (Joey King), trying to choose between top-tier schools like Harvard and Berkeley, but there’s a universal understanding of what it means to make a decision that will impact the rest of our lives. If you’re looking for a simple, feel-good movie that makes you smile, try The Kissing Booth’s first two installments . If you’re looking for a sincere, more mature installment, The Kissing Booth 3 might make you shed unexpected tears.

The narrative of the film feels similar to the previous two movies: Elle and her best friend Lee (Joel Courtney) playfully enjoy life until they find an old bucket list they created as kids. Because Elle made up her mind to attend Harvard with her boyfriend Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi), his brother Lee is absolutely devastated. See, Elle and Lee were childhood friends, and the two planned on attending Berkeley together ever since they were kids. In order to make it up to Lee, Elle decides the two of them will complete every single thing on the list.

It’s amusing watching Elle and Lee accomplish all of their youthful hopes and dreams, from jumping off a cliff to starting a flash mob at a fancy, upscale restaurant, to drinking as many slushies as they can until they get brain freeze. All of these moments oddly reminded me of the Disney Channel Original Movies I watched as a kid, but after further reflection, all of that childlike fun in this movie feels intentional.

In a way, The Kissing Booth 3 takes the audience along as Elle and Lee and even Noah grow up.

The characters go from teenagers who just want to have fun to serious young adults ready to start a new chapter in their lives. And it was absolutely heart-wrenching to watch. The idea of getting older and venturing into the unknown can sound unsettling at first. The “unknown” may just be college to Elle and Lee, but it’s also putting their childhood behind them, moving away from everything they’ve ever known, and starting new lives for themselves.

Nostalgia is the foundation of Kissing Booth 3 . Not only does Elle have to make the choice between Harvard and Berkeley, but also the Flynn Beach house that Elle, Lee, and Noah practically grew up in is going up for sale. So, while Elle has to make a huge life-altering decision in her life, she also has to say goodbye to many aspects of the world she’s come to know: either Noah or Lee (Noah if she chooses Berkeley, Lee if she chooses Harvard,) and all of her heartfelt memories associated with the beach house.

From cleaning up the toys, to showing the younger versions of Elle and Lee faded in the background as Lee drives off to college, to even the measuring height wall in the beach house, all of these small aspects of the movie add to the sentimental value.

But the movie is more than just nostalgia.

Elle fulfilling her bucket list with Lee complicates her relationship with Noah. Because Elle’s spending every minute she’s not working with Lee, she finds herself more distanced from Noah. Not to mention Marco’s in the area (Taylor Zakhar Perez,) the boy Elle kissed in The Kissing Booth 2, when she falsely thought Noah was cheating on her.

While Elle seems to be on the outskirts with Noah at one point in the movie, which was disappointing to see, we do see where their relationship stands in the final scene. As with Marco, I’m glad The Kissing Booth 3 explores this love triangle without leaving the viewer feeling unsatisfied, and Elle makes up her mind on who—or really, what —she wants.

My favorite part of The Kissing Booth 3 is its mature message. Elle spends so much time worrying which school to pick—Berkeley for Lee or Harvard for Noah?—that she fails to recognize what she wants herself. Mrs. Flynn (Molly Ringwald,) Elle’s mother-figure, gives her some important advice: do what you want, not what others want you to do.

The Kissing Booth 3 ends with a years-later epilogue. It would have been nice exploring both Elle and Lee’s college life in a fourth installment, but the epilogue pretty much makes that impossible now, since we know what paths all of the characters took. Elle certainly matures, and so does Lee and Noah. I’ve always liked epilogues in stories, so watching Elle and the rest of the characters get a proper ending was satisfying.

The Kissing Booth 3 wraps up its storyline well.

We got all of the answers needed from Elle, Lee, Noah, and all of the other minor characters. We learn the fate of Lee and Rachel’s relationship, which was a little rocky at times, and Elle gets a conclusion befitting her arc over all three films, finally having clarity in what she wants in her future life.

Ultimately, these stories have been all about friendship, and that’s remained true until the very end. Life may not have turned out the way these characters expected, but it was enjoyable seeing Elle succeed in her future endeavors. What started off as a fun, youthful movie on Netflix turned into a touching, tear-inducing story. If you like heartfelt movies with a bunch of romance, The Kissing Booth 3 may be the perfect film for you.

The Kissing Booth 3 will start streaming on Netflix Aug. 11. Check out the official trailer here .

Chelsie Derman

Chelsie Derman studies journalism and professional writing, as well as creative writing, at The College of New Jersey. She also serves as the Arts & Entertainment Editor at her school newspaper, The Signal. When she isn’t writing reviews or anything pertaining to entertainment, you will find Chelsie either writing her novel or watching anything fantasy related.

'Annette' review: A musical monstrosity with no heart

Destroy boys interview: alexia roditis on songwriting and the upcoming record.

8 TV-inspired Halloween costumes to wear this spooky season

‘Stargirl’ 3×08 review: “Frenemies – Chapter Eight: Infinity Inc. Part Two” explores The Shade’s regrets in the Shadowlands

“The Car” review: The most refined album Arctic Monkeys have ever released.

Album Review: Maajo – ‘Water of Life’

‘Pantheon’ series premiere review: The future is bright in the animated science fiction drama

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Upcoming Movies and TV shows
Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

What's the Tomatometer®?
Login/signup

Movies in theaters

Opening this week
Top box office
Coming soon to theaters
Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

Fandango at Home
Netflix streaming
Prime Video
Most popular streaming movies
What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

Abigail Link to Abigail
Civil War Link to Civil War
Arcadian Link to Arcadian

New TV Tonight

The Sympathizer: Season 1
Conan O'Brien Must Go: Season 1
Under the Bridge: Season 1
The Spiderwick Chronicles: Season 1
Our Living World: Season 1
Orlando Bloom: To the Edge: Season 1
The Circle: Season 6
Dinner with the Parents: Season 1
Jane: Season 2

The Kissing Booth 3 Reviews

Elle's chapter is finally closed with the audience never getting to know her true identity.

Full Review | Aug 22, 2023

There is no bitterness, but only a clawing sense of hope - the best way to say farewell.

Full Review | Sep 1, 2021

It's definitely time to say goodbye to the gang, but it's been a hell of a fun ride.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 27, 2021

The Kissing Booth franchise had a trilogy up its sleeve, and for those invested, it's a must-watch.

Full Review | Aug 24, 2021

Many of the storylines feel like an overreaching attempt to give audiences more of these characters, but instead of giving them actual depth, the movie turns to petty love-triangle dialogue.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Aug 20, 2021

Kissing Booth 3 is the mess no one needed. Shocking lack of growth for characters dealing with the same struggles all over again.

Full Review | Aug 17, 2021

If you feel like a saccharine YA romcom series starring attractive twenty-somethings masquerading as high schoolers, feel free to pass on The Kissing Booth. Lara Jean Covey is just a click away.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Aug 16, 2021

Within the parameters of the two previous films, this last entry is a complete disappointment. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 14, 2021

A late-arriving sense of identity... gives this junk-food sequel just enough nutritional value to help its young audiences reconsider how to determine their own post-high school priorities.

Full Review | Aug 13, 2021

Much like the other two films in the trilogy, The Kissing Booth 3 delivers a lackluster, overstuffed story that doesn't care to give its leading lady any personality beyond the relationships with the men in her life.

Full Review | Aug 12, 2021

In addition to its narrative bloat, The Kissing Booth 3 looks like it's coming apart at the seams.

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.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Aug 12, 2021

The Kissing Booth 3 is a slight improvement on the second installment of the series. But overall, this has been a pretty woeful trilogy, characterised by far too many montages, and horrible characters.

Full Review | Original Score: 0.5/5 | Aug 12, 2021

Repetitive and exhausting, this third film feels aimless from start to finish. The cast has enough life to keep hardcore fans engaged, but the surrounding story falls completely flat.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/10 | Aug 11, 2021

The audience for this trilogy has probably aged out of the story, and the third film isn't really good enough to convince today's 15 year-olds to check out the first two installments.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Aug 11, 2021

The Kissing Booth 3 will provide some closure for fans of the previous films... But there's not much by way of deeper character development, and the story's central conflict doesn't really provide much conflict at all.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 11, 2021

The Kissing Booth 3 is overstuffed and overcomplicated, but provides some shallow summer fun as the final chapter to Netflix's teen rom-com trilogy.

King's charm isn't enough to save the series, but it's sure as hell the lone silver lining of a franchise that finally, blessedly, is coming to an end.

Full Review | Original Score: D+ | Aug 11, 2021

If you like heartfelt movies with a bunch of romance, The Kissing Booth 3 may be the perfect film for you.

Full Review | Aug 11, 2021

For most of its runtime, The Kissing Booth 3 is like narrative sand slipping through your fingers.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Aug 11, 2021

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

DVD & Streaming

The Kissing Booth

Comedy , Romance

Content Caution

In Theaters

May 11, 2018
Joey King as Elle Evans; Joel Courtney as Lee Flynn; Jacob Elordi as Noah Flynn; Carson White as Brad Evans; Hilton Pelser as Barry; Judd Krok as Ollie; Sandra Shandu as Randy; Joshua Daniel Eady as Tuppen; D David Morin as the School Principal; Bianca Bosch as Olivia; Jessica Sutton as Mia; Molly Ringwald as Mrs. Flynn; Byron Langley as Warren; Meganne Young as Rachel

Home Release Date

Vince Marcello

Distributor

Movie review.

You can’t help you who love. Or so they say. But is that really true?

Take Elle and Lee, for instance. They’re best friends … thanks to their mothers, who were also the best of friends. On top of that, Elle and Lee were born on the same day. They love to hang out. They love to dance. They’re best friends forever. And they’ve created a list of rules to make sure that fact will never change.

Friendship, of course, is their top priority. But sometimes rules can be bent, can’t they? Especially if your lifetime crush is your best friend’s older brother, Noah.

But Noah’s off limits. At least until a kissing booth—one that’s disguised as a school fundraiser—changes all the rules.

Suddenly, Elle must decide what’s more important: friendship or love.

Positive Elements

Elle and Lee share a sweetly close friendship. And the rule sheet they came up with when they were young has indeed helped their friendship to thrive over the years. For example, Rule 16 says that your best friend should be able to know what’s going on in your life. And both Elle and Lee are equally protective of one another and try to make each other happy. (Rule 18: “Always be happy for your bestie’s successes.”)

A handful of other guys also have protective attitudes toward Elle. That said, she gradually learns to stick up for herself and tries to get a handle on what’s most valuable in her life as well. Elle also tries to encourage Noah to be a better person. And she faithfully stays by her mother’s side when she’s in the hospital.

Lee and Noah’s mother emphasizes the importance of forgiveness. She tells Elle that arguments and disagreements are normal and must be resolved. Noah, for his part, apologizes to his brother and those he has hurt. He also mentions that he’s going to see multiple counselors. Someone chases off bullies for his friend.

Spiritual Elements

Someone jokes about Miley Cyrus becoming a nun.

Sexual Content

Despite a few positive moments, The Kissing Booth largely revolves around the theme of teens’ physical relationships with each other. At times, it feels as if Elle is practically looking for opportunities to shed her clothes.

At a high school party, for instance, she disrobes down to her bra and underwear. After her pants rip in one scene, she dons a very short skirt that reveals her underwear-clad backside. A guy grabs her there, and Noah crudely quips that she was “asking for it.” She also yells, “My boobs are fantastic!” in a family setting.

She’s shown on her bed wearing nothing but a towel. (At one point, it almost appears as if she’s unclothed.) Elle also struts around in a locker room filled with guys wearing just her bra and a skirt. Noah is also shown wearing next to nothing once, and draped in only a towel elsewhere. (His chest is visible.) In another scene, he appears to be completely naked, sitting on a chair, and the camera shows everything but his genital region.

And we’re not done yet. One morning, Elle wakes up in Noah’s bed and thinks they slept together. (He informs her that he slept elsewhere.) That scene shows her in his shirt and her underwear. Later, while rolling around on the ground together, she touches his (covered) crotch, which she says was an “accidental groping.”

When Elle and Noah finally begin a relationship, they kiss (thanks to the kissing booth) and make out a lot. They also take off each other’s shirts and then spend the night together. Elle talks about having had sex with him. They wake up outside covered in blankets. Elle is shown buying condoms. We see her on top of Noah, and it looks as though they’re having sex. (There are sounds and movements.) Elle steals a security tape that has captured video images of her and Noah (presumably) having sex at school. Though Elle asks herself a lot of questions about her relationship with Noah, in the end she suggests that she’s OK with being just “another one of his conquests.” Elle casually lies to Lee and tells him she was watching porn, and he asks to watch with her.

Girls wear bikinis and other revealing outfits, and guys are seen shirtless and in their boxers. The camera zooms in on a guy’s rear end. Lee jokingly says, “Any excuse to cross-dress, and I’m in.” And in one scene, Lee does wear a dress. Two guys have an obvious attraction to each other and dance together. Close-ups show guys and girls kissing (including shots that show tongues entangled) at the kissing booth. A guy tells a girl not to grind on her love interest’s genitals.

A girl talks about getting her first bra and her first period. A guy is called a “perv,” and he texts something inappropriate (but we don’t see what it is). A male athlete’s “sports cup” is mentioned. A girl says that kissing gives you cold sores. Other conversations include references to the male and female anatomy. A girl is called a “slut” and a “ho.”

Violent Content

Noah gets into multiple fist fights. We see him punch a guy in the face several times. Noah is also extremely controlling and aggressive with Elle; at one point he shouts at her and slams his fists in frustration. Lee accuses Noah of hitting Elle (though he doesn’t actually do so). Someone dies from cancer. A young boy breaks his leg as a child. Someone falls out of a window.

Crude or Profane Language

The f-word is used three times, and the s-word more than 10 times. God’s name is misused about half a dozen times. Jesus’ name is misused once. Other profanities include multiple uses of “a–,” “d–k,” “d–mit,” “d–n,” “h—,” “b–ch” and “douche.” Someone exclaims, “Holy crap!”

Drug and Alcohol Content

High school students attend numerous house and beach parties and drink hard liquor, beer (once doing keg stands) and shots. No one in the film seems to care that there is a ton of underage drinking going on. Elle gets very drunk at a party. Someone thinks taking an antacid will help a hangover.

Other Negative Elements

The parents in the film seem to be virtually absent and completely oblivious to their teens’ reckless choices. (Elle hides under Noah’s bed at one point after sneaking into his room.) Parents’ voices and opinions don’t matter at all, and they’re never around to guide their children or shape their values.

At one point, Elle’s dad makes it clear that he doesn’t approve of Noah but tells the young man that it is Elle’s choice. It’s good that he cares about his daughter’s feelings (in this one instance, at least), but the rest of the movie makes it seem as if he couldn’t care less and has absolutely no power to speak into Elle’s life or to establish boundaries for her.

There’s a lot of lying going on throughout most of the film, especially by Elle. (That said, she eventually confesses some things to her father.) And Elle will do anything to fit in.

Disturbingly, Noah “doesn’t allow” other guys to be anywhere near Elle, even though they’re not even dating. His controlling behavior is normalized throughout the entire film.

Girls are rude to one another. Various characters use others for personal gain. Guys and girls sneak around together. A boy sneezes, and mucus flies into a girl’s face. Someone sets off a stink bomb. A boy gets multiple wedgies and is hit in the face with a soccer ball.

Let’s cut to the chase: The Kissing Booth is a disaster on every level. Not only is it a terrible movie artistically (currently at 13% on Rotten Tomatoes ), it sets an equally terrible example for teens about what constitutes normal adolescent behavior.

I’ve seen a lot of movies. But watching this as an adult made me feel very uncomfortable. I didn’t want to see these teenagers taking off their clothes and having sex. I didn’t want to see Elle buying condoms. I didn’t want to see them getting very drunk as if it was the most natural thing in the world. I didn’t want to see Elle’s pseudo-boyfriend treat her like a piece of property. I didn’t want to hear them continually use harsh profanity.

Watching this movie also raised a lot of questions for me. Where are the parents throughout this entire film? Why do they seem to have no clue about what’s going on? Why is Elle always taking her clothes off whenever she has the chance? Why is a guy’s sexual harassment dismissed by school officials with a casual detention? And why does no one (other than Lee) have a problem with how controlling and aggressive Noah is?

Like I said: The Kissing Booth is a disaster— especially for the target audience Netflix has aimed this TV-14 at. Suffice it to say it’s not appropriate for 14-year-olds … or, really, anyone else, for that matter.

Kristin Smith

Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).

Latest Reviews

Spy x Family Code: White

Villains Inc.

Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Weekly reviews straight to your inbox.

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

For Parents
For Educators
Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

Get the app
Movie Reviews
Best Movie Lists
Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

Best TV Lists
Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
Common Sense Selections for TV
Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

Book Reviews
Best Book Lists
Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

Game Reviews
Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

Podcast Reviews
Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

App Reviews
Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

YouTube Channel Reviews
YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

Explaining the News to Our Kids

Family Tech Planners
Digital Skills
All Articles
Latino Culture
Black Voices
Asian Stories
Native Narratives
LGBTQ+ Pride
Best of Diverse Representation List

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

The kissing booth.

Parents say (95)
Kids say (238)

Based on 95 parent reviews

BEST.MOVIE.EVER!!!!!!!!!

This title has:

Report this review

I think it’s for no one., do not let under 16 watch, so inappropriate for young teens, bad for kids under 18, if you want your 17 yr old to act 35, not for kids. not cute or whatever 13 year olds say., not appropriate for 11+.

a fanfic writer working on a story that can become a movie deal

How Fanfiction Took Over The Movies

It’s the era of the Wattpad girlies gone mainstream.

There was a time when fanfic was looked down upon. Passionate fans would only gush about their OTPs and dream up imagined scenarios for them in the dark corners of Tumblr and Wattpad , where fellow shippers could spend hours devouring every morsel of content about their fave pairings.

But now, there’s nothing shameful about being a vocal pop culture fan , and fanfic has gone mainstream. The form has become so popular, some of the most famous fics have been turned into hit movies. And these specific journeys from computer screen to movie theater hold some important lessons for fanfic authors.

Even before the Internet popularized it, fanfic has long existed as a way for creative superfans to take control of their most beloved characters. Back at the onset of the 20th century, Jane Austen fans were writing their own versions of fanfic , but the practice didn’t get its modern name until the sci-fi fanzines of the 1960s .

Of course, the Internet changed everything for both writers and readers. Sites like Archive of Our Own (AO3), FanFiction.net, and Wattpad exploded in popularity in the 2000s , though they were still considered pretty niche. That is, until almost every major book and movie release started coming from these fanfic sources . Now that studios have their eyes on fanfic like never before, here’s how four authors turned their fandom stories into blockbuster hits.

The Idea of You

The Idea of You ’s source material isn’t technically fanfic, although the story was inspired by a deep admiration for a real-life singer. Author Robinne Lee published her debut novel in 2017, about a 39-year-old divorcée who begins dating a much younger British pop star. Lee has played coy about the book’s celebrity inspiration, but it’s easy to decipher that she based her male lead, at least in part, on Harry Styles.

“A few years ago, my husband was away on business and I was up late surfing music videos on YouTube when I came across the face of a boy I’d never seen in a band I’d never paid attention to,” Lee said in a 2017 interview about how the story came to be. “It was so aesthetically perfect it took me by surprise. It was like… art. I spent a good hour or so Googling and trying to figure out who this kid was, and in doing so, I discovered that he often dated older women, and so the seed was planted.”

Although Lee has gone on to try to diminish the connection between the fictional Hayes Campbell and very real Harry Styles , it’s undeniable that One Direction fans are at least a big part of what helped the novel become popular. The Idea of You was widely recommended by basically every 1D fan blog , and fan pages devoted to Styles were filled with reaction posts .

In a 2020 Vogue interview, Lee conceded she did research on One Direction for the book but clarified that she created Hayes Campbell as an amalgamation of several men . “I made him into my dream guy,” Lee said. “Like Prince Harry, meets Harry [Styles],” plus Eddie Redmayne, and details from some of her personal romances.

Lee also mentioned in that interview that she had previously worked on a novel more directly inspired by her past relationship with a younger man, but that book never sold. It seems the allure of celeb inspiration is just what the juicy romance needed, because The Idea of You was picked up for a movie adaptation a year after it hit shelves.

The lesson: Embrace the mystique.

'After' was a fanfic before it became a movie.

While The Idea of You may shy away from its roots as One Direction fanfic, another hit film series embraces the stan culture. Author Anna Todd began posting chapters of her fanfic After to Wattpad in 2013 under the username imaginator1D. As her pen name made clear, Todd was a massive One Direction fan, and each of the male leads in After was directly inspired by one of the boy band’s five members.

Todd was posting this fic in the heyday of 1D’s fame — the band had just embarked on its Take Me Home World Tour and was still a couple years away from going on a permanent hiatus. The fandom fervor quickly garnered Todd’s series millions of reads on Wattpad, and by the next year, she published novelizations of After that topped the New York Times bestsellers list .

With a lucrative book came a buzzy movie deal. Studios picked up the film rights the same year After topped the book charts. The deal spawned a five-movie saga , with a new chapter in Tessa and Hardin’s (the Styles-inspired character) love story hitting theaters each year from 2019 to 2023.

Styles himself has awkwardly avoided questions about the film series , but his bandmate Liam Payne hilariously reacted to learning 1D inspired them in 2020.

The lesson: Give the fandom what they want.

Fifty Shades of Grey

Perhaps the most famous example of a fanfic turning in a major movie series is Fifty Shades ; fans know well how the kinky romance was born as a smutty reimagining of Bella and Edward’s relationship in Twilight . Author E.L. James began posting chapters of a novel called Master of the Universe on FanFiction.net around 2010 under the name Snowqueens Icedragon. Initially, the series’ lead characters were named Bella and Edward, but when James moved the novel to her own site, FiftyShades.com, she changed the names to Anastasia and Christian.

The renamed Fifty Shades of Grey book was released modestly in 2011 as a self-published e-book . But it quickly became a cultural phenomenon for tapping into the latent sexual desires of overlooked demographics . Oh, and the steamy twist on a famously puritanical hit pop culture saga was quite the draw as well.

After the next two books in the trilogy were published to even more fanfare in 2012, James found herself in the center of a studio bidding war for the film rights . While the three movies weren’t well-received critically , they were cash cows at the box office .

The lesson: Yearning is one thing, but sex sells.

The Kissing Booth

The Kissing Booth is its own interesting take on this online forum-to-movie pipeline, since the original story is not based on existing characters. Author Beth Reekles has made it clear her story is not fanfiction — however, the ascension from Wattpad to a major film series will sound very familiar to the fanfic community.

At 15, Reekles posted the first few chapters of a story called The Kissing Booth to Wattpad . The love story about a relatable teenager named Elle who’s hopelessly crushing on her best friend’s suave older brother, Noah, struck a fire within the romance-obsessed Wattpad readers in 2010.

Fast-forward a few years, and Reekles got her very first book published in 2012, with a deal to adapt it into a movie. The first of the Kissing Booth movies hit Netflix in 2018 , with two more buzzy sequels in the following years.

Reekles said in an interview with The Face that she never expected her story to blow up in such a huge way, but now she’s happy that the higher-ups are actively looking at platforms like Wattpad for the next big book or movie: “There’s such a huge and passionate following from readers that I think has made the filmmaking and publishing industries really stand up and say, ‘Wow, there’s an audience here ready and waiting.’”

The lesson: Original content can still make it big.

These Movies & TV Series Are Based on Wattpad Stories

W hen Fifty Shades of Grey rose to infamy, it was slammed for its depiction of romanticized unhealthy relationships, its wacky portrayal of BDSM, and, most laughably, the fact that it was once a piece of Twilight fan fiction. Despite the years spent revising the fan fiction story into an original novel, many could not let go of its origins, drawing parallels between Fifty Shades ' Anastasia Steele and Twilight 's Bella Swan. Even so, the Fifty Shades trilogy was brought to the big screen and skyrocketed the careers of its lead stars, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. Despite how polarizing the Fifty Shades of Grey films were, they proved that everything and everyone has to start somewhere.

To this day, stories once written as fan fiction, or specifically on the writing platform known as Wattpad , have become the source material for major movies and TV shows. While a large portion of today’s media seems to be adapted from previous material, stories have been taken from page to screen for decades. Given that Wattpad tales are often altered into tangible novels, it’s no surprise they are added to the forever-growing list of book to film adaptations . As such, here’s a list of Wattpad books and stories that were turned into movies and TV shows.

Updated December 21, 2023: This article has been updated with even more information about movies and TV shows based on Wattpad stories.

After Series (2019 – 2023)

Based on the series by anna todd, after everything.

Release Date 2023-09-13

Director Castille Landon

Cast Benjamin Mascolo, Louise Lombard, Mimi Keene, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Josephine Langford, Stephen Moyer

Genres Drama, Romance

Anna Todd’s fan fiction series, After , amassed a combined total of over one billion amorous Wattpad readers, each one eager to see what was in the disorderly, yet addicting worlds of Tessa Young and Hardin Scott. The stories were picked up by Simon & Schuster to become a bestselling series, which includes four books, one prequel, and two spin-off novels. Readers follow the journey of Tessa and Hardin from the day they meet in college to the future versions of themselves, with the film's plot following a similar progression.

In 2019, the first After movie premiered, followed by three sequels: After We Collided, After We Fell, After Ever Happy, and After Everything. The latest film in the series, After Everything , was released in September 2023. Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin thoroughly brought life to the characters, embodying their fictional counterparts in a way that imitates perceiving the book in motion right before your eyes.

After Everything marked the official end of the After film series, bringing the once-annual institution of romance and drama to a close. Castille Landon, who directed the latter films in the After series, would later write and direct Summer Camp. The composer of After Everything , George Kallis, was also attached to the latter After films alongside Landon. Stream the After series on Netflix .

Cupid’s Match (2018)

Based on the story by lauren palphreyman.

Cupid’s Match gained tens of millions of readers on Wattpad, and was later turned into a book by Lauren Palphreyman. The novel tells the story of Lila, a dejected high school student who uses Cupid’s Matchmaking Service in search of love, only to be matched up with Cupid himself.

What appears to be a quintessential romance is actually a supernatural fantasy, with Lila entering a mythological world overflowing with supernatural wonder. What's even more fantastical is that the original Cupid himself wants to reciprocate Lila's feelings. Though it was turned into a full-length pilot for The CW in 2018, it didn't receive a full-length season.

Michel Janse, who played Lila in the pilot, currently has no recent credits attached to her name. She was previously featured in a pair of Idiotsitter episodes. Robert Palmer Watkins, who played Cupid, would continue his acting career with roles in projects like The Walking Dead: World Beyond and S.W.A.T. Prior to his involvement in Cupid's Match , he also had an extended stay in General Hospital as Dillon Quartermaine. Cupid's Match is not available on streaming.

Explained: What is Wattpad (& Why Studios Are Turning to the Platform for Movie Ideas)

The kissing booth trilogy (2018 – 2021), based on the works of beth reekles, the kissing booth.

Release Date 2018-05-11

Director Vince Marcello

Cast Chloe Williams, Jack Fokkens, Caitlyn de Abrue, Lincoln Pearson, Megan du Plessis, Stephen Jennings

Genres Romance, Comedy

In 2018, Netflix released The Kissing Booth with Joey King taking the lead role as the quirky, lovable Elle Evans. This high school rendezvous was originally written by Beth Reekles, who published the story chapter by chapter online when she was 15-years-old.

The Kissing Booth follows the classic “best friend’s brother” trope, with Elle falling for Noah (Jacob Elordi), the sibling to her especially codependent best friend, Lee (Joel Courtney). Though the film saw negative reviews, it made a tremendous impact among general audiences, likely due to the popularity of its source material.

The Kissing Booth would later receive a pair of sequels, The Kissing Booth 2 and The Kissing Booth 3 , which were released in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Joey King and Joel Courtney would reprise their roles for each of these sequels. King would later go on to star in a pair of 2022 action films, Bullet Train and The Princess , with the latter eventually being pulled from streaming in 2023. Courtney, meanwhile, would appear in Peacock's exclusive pandemic-themed thriller Sick . Jacob Elordi also got his start with The Kissing Booth , though Elordi's comments about The Kissing Booth movies left some fans feeling a little miffed. Stream The Kissing Booth series on Netflix .

Light as a Feather (2018 – 2019)

Based on the story by zoe aarsen, light as a feather.

Release Date 2018-00-00

Cast Haley Ramm, Liana Liberato

Genres Documentary

This fantastic Hulu original series was, yet again, based on an original Wattpad story. Zoe Aarsen wrote the story of Light as a Feather and acquired over three million views before the series was made. Currently, it’s up to almost five million.

After a group of friends messes with a supernatural board game, brought upon them by the new girl Violet (Haley Ramm), they mysteriously begin dying one by one, exactly as Violet’s game predicted. The lead character, McKenna (Liana Liberato), grows suspicious and recruits her neighbor Trey (Jordan Rodrigues) to get to the bottom of everything. It debuted on Hulu in 2018 and ran for a total of 26 episodes before going off the air in 2019.

With names like Peyton List, Brianne Tju, and Brent Rivera, the show had many familiar faces in its impressive cast. The series was nominated for 10 Daytime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Young Adult Program and Outstanding Writing for a Digital Drama Series, though it never secured any wins.

Liana Liberato later went on to star in Peacock's Based on a True Story , in addition to having roles in Prime Video's Totally Killer and Scream VI . Stream Light as a Feather on Hulu .

Perfect Addiction (2023)

Based on the story by claudia tan, perfect addiction.

Release Date 2023-04-14

Cast Nicholas Duvernay, Bree Winslow, Matthew Noszka, Manu Bennett, Kiana Madeira, Ross Butler

Genres Drama, Romance, Action

Perfect Addiction , originally written by Claudia Tan , follows 18-year-old Sienna (Kiana Madeira), whose perfect world is turned upside down when she discovers her boyfriend, Jax (Matthew Noszka), has been cheating on her with her sister. While still a romance, Perfect Addiction is a sports drama, as Sienna works in a local gym and soon comes face to face with Kayden (Ross Butler), the moody boxer that her boyfriend famously defeated in the ring. Despite their ill feelings towards each other, the two team up and learn that, maybe, they don’t actually hate one another. The original story earned 85 million reads online and won the People’s Choice Award at the Wattpad competition, The Wattys.

The film released in April 2023 to mixed reception, though praise was directed towards the film's high production values and the rivalry between Ross Butler and Matthew Noszka . Interestingly, Castille Landon, who was previously involved with the After series, also directed this Wattpad adaptation. Buy or Rent Perfect Addiction on Prime Video or Apple TV.

15 Movie Adaptations the Author of the Book Said They Loved

Turn on (2021 – 2023), based on the story by tiara wales.

Turn On , originally written by Tiara Wales, is about an affluent tech executive, Andreas (Giorgino Abraham), who forms an unlikely bond with Maria (Clara Bernadeth), a girl next door struggling to make ends meet. The first season of this Indonesian series launched on Vidio in January 2021, running for a total of eight episodes before quickly being renewed for a second season. Similar to the first season, the second go-around featured eight episodes and originally premiered in June 2023. The original Wattpad story continues to draw in new readers to this day, with nearly 20 million unique reads total. Stream Turn On on Vidio .

Through My Window (2022)

Based on the story by ariana godoy, through my window.

Release Date 2022-02-04

Director Maral Fors

Cast Pilar Castro, Julio Pea, Clara Galle

Rating TV-MA

Genres Drama, Romance, Comedy

Originally published in Spanish, Ariana Godoy’s A Través de Mi Ventana , or Through My Window , earned a combined total of 400 million reads between its original language and the English adaptation. The story follows Raquel (Clara Galle) and the apple of her eye, Ares Hidalgo (Julio Peña), a boy whom she literally stalked before becoming his girlfriend. Raquel was head-over-heels for the boy next door, and once she finds him using her Wi-Fi password, she is finally given a chance to make her move. Little did Raquel know, however, that Ares had always returned those feelings, and with a little drama, passion, and canoodling, their crushes might turn into something more.

The story was brought to Netflix in 2022 to mixed reception. However, a total of two sequels were quickly planned out following Through My Window 's debut on streaming. Through My Window: Across the Sea , the first of these sequels, officially debuted on Netflix in June 2023. A second sequel is still in development, currently slated for release in 2024. Until then, there are plenty of other movies like Through My Window on Netflix in order to get your romance fix. Stream Through My Window on Netflix.

These Movies & TV Series Are Based on Wattpad Stories

Cast & crew
User reviews

Back to Black

The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.

Sam Taylor-Johnson
Matt Greenhalgh
Marisa Abela
Eddie Marsan
Jack O'Connell
41 User reviews
54 Critic reviews
50 Metascore

Amy Winehouse

Mitch Winehouse

Blake Fielder-Civil

Cynthia Winehouse

Joey the dealer

Janis Winehouse

Nick Shymansky

Raye Cosbert

Artist Development Man

Chris Taylor

Perfume Paul

Aunt Melody

Uncle Harold
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

Trivia Marisa Abela did all the singing in this film herself. She trained extensively to mimic Amy Winehouse 's vocals.

Technical specs

Runtime 2 hours 2 minutes

More to explore

Under the Bridge review: A truly depressing true-crime drama

Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone star in this adaptation of Rebecca Godfrey's book about the murder of Reena Virk.

Kristen Baldwin is the TV critic for EW

In the first episode of Under the Bridge , Hulu ’s relentlessly grim new true-crime drama, writer Rebecca Godfrey ( Riley Keough ) comes home to Victoria, British Columbia for the first time in 10 years. She’s flown in from New York to research her next book, about the “misunderstood girls” of her gorgeous but gloomy coastal town. Growing up, Rebecca was one of them — a rebellious kid who hid pot under the floorboards in her bedroom and partied with friends at an abandoned warehouse. She never really wanted to come back to Victoria, but the muse of her past misery beckons.

Early on in her visit, Rebecca hears about Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta), a local 14-year-old girl who went missing after going to an outdoor party. Sensing a hook for her story, Rebecca begins chatting up a band of teenagers — including Josephine Bell (Chloe Guidry) and Dusty Pace (Aiyana Goodfellow), who live at the Seven Oaks foster care group home, and Kelly Ellard (Izzy G.) and Warren Glowatski (Javon Walton) — who were among the last people to see Reena alive. Rebecca’s informal investigation pushes her into an awkward reunion with Officer Cam Bentland ( Lily Gladstone ), who was her best friend until about a decade ago, when a mysterious falling out ended their relationship.

Jeff Weddell/Hulu

Over the course of the season, Under the Bridge jumps between past and present timelines, chronicling Reena’s final days — including her clashes with her mother ( Archie Panjabi ), a devout Jehovah’s Witness — and the investigation into her murder, as Rebecca and Cam sort through the rumors and lies to uncover who killed her, and why.

The more we learn about Reena and the Seven Oaks girls she so desperately wanted to impress, the clearer it becomes that the most terrifying thing about this story is its underlying mundanity — that fleeting mean-girl squabbles and adolescent angst could lead to an utterly senseless death. But writer Quinn Shephard ( Blame ), who adapted Godfrey’s book for the screen, clutters Under the Bridge with several half-formed plots that dilute the powerful narrative about sad, mad, and lonely kids channeling their pain into violence.

Darko Sikman/Hulu

The real Rebecca Godfrey, who passed away in 2022, wrote Under the Bridge from the perspective of the kids and investigators involved. The series, however, makes Rebecca a key protagonist. It’s an understandable impulse, given Godfrey’s ability to put the teen subjects at ease, which allowed them to tell her things they wouldn’t admit to other adults. Still, the show can’t decide if it's Rebecca’s — and to a lesser degree, Cam’s — story, or the story of Reena and the kids who ended her life so callously. From the outside, it’s clear the focus should be on the latter, but that poses a more practical problem: Would Hulu really gamble on a character-driven drama starring a group of mostly unknown young actors, excellent as they are? Probably not.

So, Keough and Gladstone loom large on the poster, and Under the Bridge is obligated to place a clumsy emphasis on the strained, vaguely defined relationship between Rebecca and Cam. Even six episodes in, when the two have a blowout fight over their conflicting interests in Reena’s case, it still isn't clear what the precise source of their pent-up anger and frustration actually was. The confrontation is well-acted but unearned.

Despite the uneven writing, the performances in Under the Bridge are consistently superb. The young actors are particularly impressive. Gupta, whose cherubic face belies an underlying intensity, vividly conveys Reena’s impotent teenage anger, while Goudry reveals the fragile spirit under Josephine’s wannabe-gangster bluster. Izzy G. brings a chilling edge to Kelly’s teenage insouciance, and Goodfellow is sweet and sympathetic as Dusty, who can’t summon the courage to do the right thing. Walton, who used his babyface to such discomfiting effect as Euphoria ’s Ashtray, is absolutely heartbreaking as Warren, a soft-spoken, neglected kid grappling with anguish he just can’t process.

Keough plays Rebecca with a kind of dreamy and alluring reserve, though her interactions with Warren veer uncomfortably close to flirtation. (If that was the intent… um, okay.) Gladstone elevates Cam beyond the character’s stern-yet-concerned cop framework. Though a subplot concerning Cam’s Native ancestry — she was adopted into a white family as a baby — feels shoehorned in, it at least gives Gladstone another emotional avenue to explore. Panjabi is reliably affecting as Reena’s shattered mother, Suman, and American Idol contender-turned-actor Anoop Desai is a standout as Reena’s kind and understanding uncle, Raj.

“You poisoned our life, and I need it to stop,” Suman tells one of the accused killers. “I forgive you… It’s the only way out of all of this.” It’s a devastating scene, and one that underscores the difficulty of watching the terrible story of Reena Virk's death unfold. True-crime shows — whether scripted or documentary — are almost always depressing, but seeing the perpetrators caught and held accountable can make the experience more bearable. With Under the Bridge , though, the justice is yet another tragedy — more young lives destroyed to pay for one so pointlessly taken. Grade: B- Under the Bridge premieres Wednesday, April 17, on Hulu.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly 's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

IMAGES

The Kissing Booth 2 Movie Review
The Kissing Booth
Film Review
The Kissing Booth 2 movie review (2020)
The Kissing Booth Movie
The Kissing Booth 3 Review: Netflix Trilogy-Ender Is Overcomplicated

VIDEO

Part 1 ”Kissing Booth“ #movie #series #klip #funny

COMMENTS

The Kissing Booth Movie Review
Our review: Parents say ( 95 ): Kids say ( 238 ): An appealing cast, idyllic setting, and of course, forbidden romance, provide lots of teen appeal in this quirky romantic comedy. The Kissing Booth keeps the tone light thanks to Elle's engaging narration, which also provides a few laughs along the way. There are some problems with pace, like ...
The Kissing Booth
In The Kissing Booth, it feels like a cage. Rated: D May 31, 2018 Full Review Mikel Zorrilla Espinof A refreshing film in its start but whose interest soon decays to end up being a mediocre movie.
The Kissing Booth 3 movie review (2021)
Even perennial scene saver Molly Ringwald, as the boys' mother Mrs. Flynn, isn't around for most of the movie to smooth over ruffled feathers and bruised egos. It's hard to believe the cinematography of these movies could get worse, but believe me, it does. Likely due to the pandemic or a tight schedule, a number of close-ups of Elle, Lee ...
Netflix's 'The Kissing Booth 3' Film Review
Netflix's 'The Kissing Booth 3': Film Review. In the final installment of the popular teen franchise starring Joey King and Molly Ringwald, summer fun gives way to saggy fears. What I most ...
The Kissing Booth
When Elle Evans (Joey King), a pretty, late-bloomer who's never-been-kissed, decides to run a kissing booth at her high school's Spring Carnival, she unexpectedly finds herself locking lips with her secret crush- the ultimate bad boy, Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi). Sparks fly, but there's one little problem: Noah just happens to be the brother of her best friend, Lee, (Joel Courtney) and ...
'The Kissing Booth 3' Review: Last in the Pecking Order
Like a 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 ...
The Kissing Booth (2018)
The Kissing Booth: Directed by Vince Marcello. With Megan du Plessis, Lincoln Pearson, Jack Fokkens, Stephen Jennings. A high school student is forced to confront her secret crush at a kissing booth.
The Kissing Booth
The Kissing Booth is not a good movie. It is a good, drunk, mindless, late night rom-com watch, but it is not a good movie. For that, we say skip it. Full Review | May 11, 2018.
The Kissing Booth 3
2021 1 hr. 53 min. Romance Comedy TRAILER for The Kissing Booth 3: Trailer 1 List. 24% 21 Reviews Tomatometer 19% 250+ Ratings Audience Score It's the summer before Elle heads to college, and she ...
The Kissing Booth 2 movie review (2020)
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 3 Movie Review
Our review: Parents say ( 10 ): Kids say ( 26 ): In this lightweight third entry to the series, privileged teens spend their last summer before (Ivy League) college grappling with relationships and growing up. The Kissing Booth 3 will provide some closure for fans of the previous films, especially in its "Six years later" epilogue. But there's ...
'The Kissing Booth 3' Review: A Gratuitous Send-Off Kiss for Fans
'The Kissing Booth 3' Review: Hit Netflix Franchise Gets a Gratuitous Send-Off Kiss The final installment of the shallow YA trilogy serves up what audiences expect, starting out frisky, then ...
It's the Movie Hit of the Summer: Why 'The Kissing Booth' Clicked
Marcello intended "The Kissing Booth" to be a nostalgia-evoking homage to the teen comedies of the '80s and '90s. So he cast the Brat Pack queen Molly Ringwald as Lee and Noah's mom and ...
The Kissing Booth 3 Review: Netflix Trilogy-Ender Is Overcomplicated
The Kissing Booth 3 is overstuffed and overcomplicated, but provides some shallow summer fun as the final chapter to Netflix's teen rom-com trilogy. Concluding the trilogy that kicked off with The Kissing Booth in 2018 and continued with The Kissing Booth 2 in 2020, The Kissing Booth 3 wraps up the story of Elle Evans (Joey King).
'The Kissing Booth 3' review: The trilogy ends with a positive message
If you like heartfelt movies with a bunch of romance, The Kissing Booth 3 may be the perfect film for you. Advertisement The Kissing Booth 3 will start streaming on Netflix Aug. 11.
The Kissing Booth
The Kissing Booth is a 2018 American teen romantic comedy film written and directed by Vince Marcello, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Beth Reekles. 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 ...
The Kissing Booth
The Kissing Booth - Netflix movie review: "slapstick, social embarrassment and a secret affair". Joey King betrays her BFF when her lifelong crush on his hunky brother develops into something a ...
The Kissing Booth Review: Is It Good & Worth Watching?
The Kissing Booth is a completely unrealistic depiction of a teenage love story. It is a collection of stereotypes, sexualized characters, and lazy writing stuck together in the script. The movie makes jokes out of problematic elements and tells a very misogynistic story in which both Elle and Noah are complicit.
The Kissing Booth 3
The Kissing Booth 3 is a slight improvement on the second installment of the series. But overall, this has been a pretty woeful trilogy, characterised by far too many montages, and horrible ...
The Kissing Booth
Let's cut to the chase: The Kissing Booth is a disaster on every level. Not only is it a terrible movie artistically (currently at 13% on Rotten Tomatoes), it sets an equally terrible example for teens about what constitutes normal adolescent behavior. I've seen a lot of movies. But watching this as an adult made me feel very uncomfortable.
Film Review
Synopsis. Directed By: Vince Marcello. Written By: Vince Marcello. Starring: Joey King, Molly Ringwald, Joel Courtney, Meganne Young, and Jacob Elordi. When Elle Evans (Joey King), a pretty, late-bloomer who's never-been-kissed, decides to run a kissing booth at her high school's Spring Carnival, she unexpectedly finds herself locking lips ...
The Kissing Booth (film series)
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 ...
Parent reviews for The Kissing Booth
I think it's for no one. I'm 19. I wanted to watch a movie on a Friday night and I've heard about this one so I thought why not. I didn't look it up before hand like I usually do and I wish I did! It was downright horrible. It just kept getting worse and worse. The morals in this movie are extremely questionable.
How 4 Fanfics Became Movies, Like 'The Idea Of You' & 'Fifty Shades'
Fast-forward a few years, and Reekles got her very first book published in 2012, with a deal to adapt it into a movie. The first of the Kissing Booth movies hit Netflix in 2018, with two more ...
10 Best Netflix Movies That Are Based on Books
The Kissing Booth hit Netflix in 2018, and its fan reception was so impressive that it spurred the development of two sequels almost immediately. This Vince Marcello film stars Joey King, Jacob ...
These Movies & TV Series Are Based on Wattpad Stories
Release Date 2018-05-11. Director Vince Marcello. Cast Chloe Williams, Jack Fokkens, Caitlyn de Abrue, Lincoln Pearson, Megan du Plessis, Stephen Jennings. Genres Romance, Comedy. The Kissing ...
Back to Black (2024)
Back to Black: Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. With Marisa Abela, Jack O'Connell, Eddie Marsan, Lesley Manville. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.
'Under the Bridge' review: A truly depressing true-crime drama
Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone star in 'Under the Bridge,' Hulu's relentlessly grim adaptation of Rebecca Godfrey's book about the murder of Reena Virk. Read our review.

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

site categories

Related Stories

The Kissing Booth 3

Full credits

THR Newsletters

More from The Hollywood Reporter

The Kissing Booth

Shelly 'Elle' Evans

Jacob Elordi

Joel Courtney

User Reviews

Singin' in the Rain

City Lights

The Rules of the Game

Some Like It Hot

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

American Graffiti

The Shop Around the Corner

A Hard Day's Night

The Philadelphia Story

Ratatouille

The Lady Eve

Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World

La Dolce Vita

Meet Me in St. Louis

The Apartment

Chimes at Midnight

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

2024 Movie Release Calendar

April Movie Preview (2024)

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

Movie Reviews

Monica Castillo

Now playing

Brian Tallerico

Space: The Longest Goodbye

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

Accidental Texan

The Kissing Booth 2 (2020)

Writer (based on the book "The Kissing Booth" by)

Cinematographer

Latest blog posts

The Imperiled Women of Alex Garland’s Films

The Jinx – Part Two Continues One of the Most Fascinating True Crime Sagas of All Time

Introducing Ebertfest 25's Film Critics and Scholars

It's OK For Movies to Just End

‘The Kissing Booth 3’ Review: Hit Netflix Franchise Gets a Gratuitous Send-Off Kiss

Peter Debruge

Popular on Variety

Reviewed on Netflix, Aug. 12, 2021. Rating: TV-14. Running time: 112 MIN.

More From Our Brands

It’s the Movie Hit of the Summer: Why ‘The Kissing Booth’ Clicked

Explore More in TV and Movies

Screen Rant

Key Release Dates

‘The Kissing Booth 3’ review: The trilogy ends with a positive message all high school seniors should hear

In a way, The Kissing Booth 3 takes the audience along as Elle and Lee and even Noah grow up.

But the movie is more than just nostalgia.

The Kissing Booth 3 wraps up its storyline well.

Chelsie Derman

'Annette' review: A musical monstrosity with no heart

8 TV-inspired Halloween costumes to wear this spooky season

‘Stargirl’ 3×08 review: “Frenemies – Chapter Eight: Infinity Inc. Part Two” explores The Shade’s regrets in the Shadowlands

“The Car” review: The most refined album Arctic Monkeys have ever released.

Album Review: Maajo – ‘Water of Life’

‘Pantheon’ series premiere review: The future is bright in the animated science fiction drama

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Email not verified

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Movies / TV

The Kissing Booth 3 Reviews

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

The Kissing Booth

Content Caution

In Theaters

Home Release Date

Distributor