The Kissing Booth 2 may not be an instant classic, but the 2020 movie sequel is a step in the right direction for the Kissing Booth franchise. Critics have rightfully called out Vince Marcello's sequel for being too clunky and melodramatic, and the film arguably doesn't match the overall quality of the 2020 Netflix sequel To All the Boys 2. Even so, The Kissing Booth 2 aims high with its thematic material, and Joey King delivers with her lead performance.
Marcello's original film resonates with many streamers become of the accessible storytelling. The Kissing Booth actually begins with a recap montage, which at once informs audiences about the basics while establishing the personality of protagonist Elle Evans (King) through voiceover narration. The script, written by Marcello, stays focused on the titular premise, and the primary conflict derives from the kissing booth concept. In terms of the cast, there's something for everybody: Elle and her best friend Lee (Joel Courtney) are charismatic teenagers; Jacob Elordi functions as the charming yet arrogant high school senior Noah Flynn (Lee's Brother); '80s movie icon Molly Ringwald plays Lee and Noah's understanding mother, Sara. And rounding out The Kissing Booth cast, for extra narrative depth, there's a "Mean Girls" element with the OMG trio, and there are relatable side characters, whether it's the sexually-confused school photographer (Judd Krok) or Lee's endearing girlfriend, Rachel (Meganne Young). At 110 minutes in length, The Kissing Booth gets the jobs done with its romantic comedy references and adherence to genre tropes.
The Kissing Booth 2 raises the bar, both thematically and conceptually. Sure, the padded runtime may feel a bit long, but the extra 20 minutes makes sense given the inclusion of two important supporting characters: Taylor Perez as Marco Valentin Peña, and Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Chloe Winthrop. Unfortunately, Marcello strays from the economical storytelling of the original production in favor of heavy final act suspense, evidenced by the director's willingness to tease viewers with a Noah-Chloe romantic subplot throughout most of the film. Still, the sequel effectively captures all the varying emotions that Elle experiences as a high school senior. Rather than living in the moment, she worries about her boyfriend. Similarly, Lee worries about Elle, and thus upsets Rachel in the process. Marco looms in the background as the observant spectator, waiting for his moment in the spotlight. The original film lacks proper romantic drama as The Kissing Booth is fundamentally about whether Elle will remain friends with Lee but to its credit, the sequel quite literally doubles down on the drama by adding Perez and Richardson-Sellers, all the while adding an extra layer of depth with references to Noah's mental health. That depth is where the sequel really surpasses the original.
In The Kissing Booth 2, Elordi fades to the background so that Perez can shine as Marco, which is undoubtedly one of the sequel's main selling points. For example, Elle is completely lovestruck in The Kissing Booth while thinking about what could be with Noah, and also what she could lose in terms of her friendship with Lee. When Marco shows up in the sequel, he ultimately befriends both Elle and Lee, rather than being the local bad body who's too cool for Dance Dance Mania or kissing booth fundraisers. In fact, Marco embraces what Elle and Lee love so much: spontaneity and the sequel picks up much a lot of energy from that alone. The downside is that Elordi's sequences as Noah are rather boring, even though there's plenty of thematic depth. Marcello establishes Noah's personality struggles in the original film, and builds upon them in the sequel, as it's revealed that he only befriended Chloe because he felt inspired by Elle's friendship with Lee. For audiences, though, it may seem like Noah is merely an aloof boyfriend who doesn't know what he wants. Noah may indeed be exactly that, but he appears to be much more complex, at least based on the sequel's subtext about mental health awareness. The irony, it seems, is that neither Elle, Marco, or even Lee fully understand Noah as a person, or what he aspires to be.
Whereas The Kissing Booth ends with clarity and Elle's decision to pursue a romance with Noah, the sequel concludes with a major cliffhanger and that is a genuinely great choice. It's revealed that Elle doesn't really know what she wants after graduating high school, though it appears that she's definitely headed to either The University of California-Berkeley or Harvard University. Movie logic suggests that Elle will have major issues with both of the Flynn brothers in the third franchise installment, and ultimately decide to follow her instincts, possibly with Marco or even maybe on her own. It's that unknown that makes the sequel so impactful - a wildcard factor that the original film simply doesn't have. The Kissing Booth 2 may feel sloppy at times, or even too cute for its own good, but it's clear that Marcello is building toward something big in The Kissing Booth 3.