The Kissing Booth 2 Review: A Young Adult Rom Com That Will Evoke High School Nostalgia

Release date: July 24, 2020
Running time: 131 minutes
Starring: Joey King, Jacob Elordi, Joel Courtney 

In a direct sequel of the 2018 film The Kissing Booth, The Kissing Booth 2 is the story of Elle Evans (Joey King)  and her boyfriend Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi) as they turn the next page in their relationship.  Elle enters her senior year of High School while Noah is off to Harvard for his freshman year of college putting the two to the ultimate test, long distance relationship.  Elle will have to try to balance maintaining her relationship with Noah, following her childhood dream of attending UC Berkeley with her best friend Lee (Joel Courtney), and the complications of a friendship formed with new classmate Marco, a handsome and charismatic artist.  Even with all of that on Elle's plate, she will also have to decide how much she truly trusts Noah and his new college friendships.  This all leaves Elle with the question of who her heart truly belongs to.

This teenage High School film does not lack in the drama department. Picking up immediately from the first installment, which had a ton of success, this film instantly caters to its fans of both the film and the novel as many were left wondering what would be next in Elle and Noah's relationship. Now diving deep on what seems to be multiple love triangles, this film tackles the elements of love and trust in a relationship: from elation to heart breaks and tears high school.  But you don't have to be a fan of the books or the franchise to like this movie, it will appeal to anyone that has an interest in young adult, romance films, or just people looking for feel good stories.  It stays very light-hearted and provides cheesy laughs throughout the film.  And if you haven't seen the first movie don't worry, even without prior knowledge of the first film, the Kissing Booth 2 is easily watchable.  You can quickly become invested in the characters and enjoy the light-hearted story.

Joey King captivated her audience with the first film and she repeats that feat this time with another solid performance.  Not to mention her executive producer credit which makes total sense considering she is the demographic for this film.  Along with her other cast mates, this film truly brings a sense of High School feel and nostalgia to its viewers.  Joey also has some amazing chemistry with her cast mates which electrifies many scenes.  Part of this film takes place during a video game competition, which was so fun and energetic to watch that it made me miss the arcade days of my childhood.  I like how even when the movie could take moments to get really deep or upsetting, it keeps its light-hearted tone and uses its up beat score to keep the mood and tone positive.  Overall, the Kissing Booth 2 is just an enjoyable trip back to High School and one that many will be able to relate to.

So with this film expect exactly what you expect for all teenage love drama and the two hour runtime will just breeze by.  And even if you are punching your first ticket to the kissing booth and going in blind-folded, you will find an enjoyable teenage romantic dramady.  

Watch it.