Movies to watch: Kissing Booth 2 (2020)

Posted

2 out 5 stars
Rating: TV-14
Genres: Comedy/Romance
Cast: Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi, Taylor Zakhar Perez. Molly Ringwald, Meganne Young, and Maisie Richardson-Sellers
Director: Vince Marcello
Run Time: 130 mins

Netflix’s new original movie, the followup to the successful Kissing Booth, falls flat!
Kissing Booth 2 picks up right where the first Kissing Booth ended. Elle (played by Joey King) has just watched her boyfriend Noah (played by Jacob Elordi) leave for college. Now she must face her senior year of high school, while also dealing with her long-distance relationship with Noah.
Joey King’s performance is stellar. It does not matter what the role is or the film she always knocks it out of the park. She brings a lot of charm and wit to this role. The parts of the film that have Elle (Joey King) and Ms. Flynn (Molly Ringwald) together do at times feel like something out of a John Hughes movie.
Unlike the first Kissing Booth, this one has you question things more. Where the first film was very predictable, this one keeps you guessing.
This film does, however, drag on. This film has several plots and half of them are not needed. Besides Joey King, the rest of the acting is sub-par. The comedic parts do not land at all. Not to mention this a comedy, but feels more like a drama. I feel bad for most of the characters throughout the entire movie.
Overall, this is just another teen romantic comedy that has been played out. Here is hoping Netflix gives us more in Kissing Booth 3 due out sometime next year.

(Dustin Vitale’s hometown is here in Walterboro. He worked in the film business on and off since 2016, working on various projects and has been reviewing films since 2019. Catch Dustin on his YouTube Channel “Movies with Dustin Vitale” every Tuesday and Thursday.)