The Kissing Booth 3's image hints that the upcoming movie is fixing the biggest problem of The Kissing Booth 2. Netflix's rom-com film series is releasing its third and potentially final installment and in preparation for that, the streaming platform unveiled its first look. While the still doesn't include any context, it offers an idea about what can be expected from the story, including the threequel potentially fixing its predecessor's most glaring issue.
Based on the novels of the same name written by Beth Reekles, the original The Kissing Booth film was released in 2018, and on the heels of its success, Netflix greenlit the sequel, The Kissing Booth 2 which rolled out in 2020. Unlike the first installment, the follow-up had a more complicated storyline brought about by the string of additional characters. New players like Marco and Chloe made Elle and Noah's attempt at making a long-distance love affair work much more difficult. Couple that with Lee's new girlfriend Rachel not being a fan of his best friend and things got ugly on all fronts of the movie.
While these stories were intertwined with each other, a lot of the complications with them were because the main cast of The Kissing Booth 2 was barely together. After a montage of their fun summer together, Noah moved across the country to start college at Harvard. From there, it's either Elle was with Noah visiting him in Massachusetts or back home with Lee. Once her relationship with her best friend became strained, she started spending time with Marco instead. The sequel has only ever shown Elle, Noah, and Lee together over Thanksgiving and it wasn't even a good reunion as everyone was already fighting at this point due to a web of misunderstanding. The Kissing Booth 3's new image teases that Elle, Noah, Lee, as well as, Rachel will be spending a little bit of time together as the movie features them during the summer break. If anything, this also allows them to do the traditional Kissing Booth scene that has been in both previous films, maybe they decide to bring the idea and make it a proper business venture so they have something to do while waiting for school to start.
It's uncertain how much of this period will be tackled in the prequel, but it's great seeing all of them together past the feel-good post-graduation scene in the second movie. Perhaps The Kissing Booth 3 shows them go through fun adventures that solidify their bond, especially now that it seems like Rachel will be a significant player in the narrative. That being said, doing this route might mean that the film will play out the mystery left in The Kissing Booth 2's cliffhanger ending: where does Elle go to college. It's worth remembering that she was waitlisted in both Harvard and U.C. Berkeley; going to the former will reunite her and Noah, but she's also made a promise with Lee to go to the latter together. There was no given indication whatsoever regarding what Elle's choice might ultimately be.
Netflix's To All The Boys: Always and Forever already did a similar plot with Lara Jean having to choose whether she stays true to which college she really wants to attend or follow where Peter ends up in. Given this, t's curious how The Kissing Booth 3 will resolve Elle's biggest issue. If the threequel doesn't address the looming university question right away, at least it seems like the gang will get to have some fun together before issues inevitably arise due to her decision.
