“The Kissing Booth 2” 

Netflix Review

Directed by:  Vince Marcello

Rated: TV-14

Runtime: 2:11

After the release of its Netflix predecessor two summers ago, which surprisingly became a streaming sensation, “The Kissing Booth 2” proves that some people are just too bored to care if this film is worth wasting an entire two hours on. 

The second installment of this cheesy teen flick follows Elle Evans (Joey King, “The Act”) as she prepares for her senior year and spends her last summer with her boyfriend, Noah (Jacob Elordi, “Euphoria”) before he heads off to Harvard. However, instead of focusing on the unbreakable bond between Elle and her best friend, Lee (Joel Courtney, “Super 8”) like the first film’s narrative showcases, this sequel tends to focus only on Elle and Noah’s relationship, and how long-distance can shatter what once was a passionate high-school fling.

There are quite a few things wrong with this film, but I’ll only mention a few. First off, both of the lead actors, Joey King and Jacob Elordi, have dazzled critics with roles that proceeded after this first film. For example, Joey King went on to be nominated for an Emmy, as well as a few other prestigious accolades for her autobiographical role as Gypsy Rose Blanchard in Hulu’s limited series, “The Act.” Similarly, Jacob Elordi starred in HBO’s hit series, “Euphoria” (2019), that has recently been nominated for multiple Emmy awards this upcoming awards season. I mention all of this because it is quite clear that these two talented actors are stuck in a three-film contract for this absolutely horrible franchise that they just cannot get out of. To make matters worse, the two actors were the “it couple” in terms of young Hollywood whilst filming the first “Kissing Booth” installment. As expected, they broke up right before shooting the second film, thus the now non-existent, real-life chemistry between the two leads makes this sequel that much more cringey to watch. Again, the contract proves once more to be a negative component for these two actors.

Aside from the chemistry creating a painful, “fake” relationship to watch on-screen, the acting is just flat-out terrible. I’ll admit, I had high hopes that this film’s acting would be drastically better than the first film considering that once again, the stars went on to become critically acclaimed young actors after the first installment. But no, I was proven wrong. It is almost like all of the actors are being directed to not give a decent performance. It seemed very Disney Channel, if you ask me. Again, I feel so embarrassed for King and Elordi. 

Additionally, the script is horribly written — I do not know how else to put it. Again, the writing in the first film was also terrible, but somehow, it became even worse. There were so many loose plot-holes in the movie, meaning that there were quite a few questions we never got answers to. Lazy, lazy screenwriting, if you ask me. No wonder the acting was so horrific — they had poor content to draw inspiration from. I am an amateur screenwriter and even I could write a script better than this one in my sleep. I mean, even someone who has never written a script before could have!

All in all, this film is nothing short of disappointing. The writing, acting, and overall ambiance of the flick is lazy at best. I knew this film was going to be bad, but I stayed optimistic and watched it anyway, and now, I just want the two hours that I wasted of my precious time back. Luckily, the actors of this film have found success beyond the franchise but boy, is it going to be hard for them to recover from this catastrophe. I give it a 1 out 10 — don’t waste your time.