The Kissing Booth Two Recap That No One Asked For
If you haven’t seen The Kissing Booth (2018) and The Kissing Booth 2 (2020), you might want to skip this post. This is a recap of the sequel, which will contain detailed spoilers.
KB2 has decided that the oversized boy from the first film, Tuppen, is a very funny addition to this universe, he continues to get screen time. Everyone has decided that Elle and Noah broke up, and it’s the talk of the school. I would like to think this unrealistic, but one time in high school I got a haircut and it was treated like interesting news, so this is plausible. The OMG girls (Elle's nickname for the three most popular girls at school) converge on Elle and let her know that she is in fact suffering through a breakup because long-distance relationships aren’t real relationships. My apologies to basically anyone in quarantine who is now in an LDR with their partner in the next suburb. According to the elite at Elle’s school, you don’t have a relationship.
I would like to commend this film on having 90% fewer tits and ass than the first film but Elle is still at certain parts of this film displaying a lot of flesh, including regular cleavage and butt cleavage. Her male counterparts in the film, Noah and Marco are very appreciative of her lack of fabric.
Who is Marco?? Well, Marco is the new kid at school, he is hot. We know he is hot because Elle accidentally sings her praises to the whole school via an intercom. Her sexual objectification is as follows “I’m confused, do I need to get my eyes to check? Am I looking at a tray of ice cubes or a six-pack?” and “It’s like his sweat produces its own glitter.” Lee tries to stop the humiliation by running to Elle, but he somehow collides with a lot of people along the way. I think maybe Lee should consider getting his eyes checked.
After Elle realises her mistake, we see her discussing Marco with Lee and Rachel. Rachel asks, "is he really that hot?" to which Elle responds that she used 100 ways to describe Marco’s attractiveness. Not really Elle, because you said a bunch of abstract things that shouldn’t apply to a human male.
Marco is not only hot, but he also dances, he is good at arcade games, he sings, and in Spanish no less. Elle may like Marco’s abs, but she ends up hating his personality. At the arcade, Lee and Elle’s high score has been beaten by someone with the moniker “MVP.” Elle lets us know this stands for “most valuable player,” which to me signifies that it doesn’t actually stand for that, but rather Marco's full name. Of course, on this plot development, I was correct.
Elle spots a poster at the arcade for a dance competition with a $50,000 main prize. She thinks that she can use this money to make her way to Harvard to be with Noah. Elle and Lee have always planned to attend the same college at Berkeley, so Elle keeps her designs on Harvard as a secret from Lee.
I have so many questions about the execution of this competition's advertising campaign. First off, that is an overwhelming amount of money for a dance competition. Secondly, wouldn’t it make more sense for Elle, in the year 2020, to see the dance competition advertised on social media? We see her checking Instagram later in the film and with enough funding to be able to hand out 50,000 clams, you would think the competition organisers would have enough cash to set up an aggressive online marketing campaign.
Despite Elle’s initial dislike of Marco, the two end up as partners for the dance competition through some manipulation by Lee. This part of the plot is so dumb, I don’t want to have to describe it. Basically, Lee fakes an injury so that he can’t practice the dance routine, and he urges Elle to team up with the much better dancer, Marco.
This means that over time, Marco and Elle become close friends and eventually, romantic sparks fly. But what about Noah?? This is our second jealousy plot, my friends.
The film’s namesake, the kissing booth, makes a reappearance. The fundraising committee insists on another kissing booth for that year’s fair. This is not really a major part of the main plot. Kissing booths were gross even in a pre-Covid world, but now they are unimaginable and completely irresponsible. But yea, I, like this film, care very little about the actual kissing booth.
Elle and Noah continue to have missed connections. Noah has befriended *gasp* a woman. Elle is very suspicious of this woman, a beautiful and sophisticated Brit called Chloe. The actress playing Chloe is 28. She is just one of many actresses who this film will try to convince us is in her early twenties or teens. Rachel is notably played by a 30-year-old.
I’ve totally mixed up the timeline of events but I’m not fixing it!
There’s also a subplot about two young men falling in love. It seems like a weird side plot, but any representation is representation, I suppose.
Lee not only has a head like a squished basketball, he also has a brain like a squished basketball and completely mishandles the tension between Rachel and Elle. Rachel asks him to tell Elle to back off. Lee doesn’t actually talk to Elle. Instead, he simply tries to avoid Elle and fails to communicate with anyone, making him the lead asshat in the franchise once again.
There is a dance scene with an opulent ball with many many musical acts. Marco and Elle share a moment during a slow dance. Rachel blows her top at Elle because she thinks that Lee has already told her to back off.
This film is the epitome of using montages to save time on the many many plot points.
Just as an aside, I felt pretty proud of myself that I managed to spot that Joey King, who plays Elle, is wearing a wig. She recently starred in a TV show, for which she needed to shave her head. Me 1, movie 0. When will the deception end??
Next up, Marco and Elle are nearing their dance competition and have created the most elaborate dance routine which ends with them almost kissing. I just can’t understand why these two have the proficiency of professional dancers. Also, their routine seems to often miss the arrows, which I thought was the whole point of dance dance revolution. But I suppose I am picking apart the movie magic (yes, I looked into it a little and dance doubles were used).
There is a confrontation over the dinner table where Elle says in front of everyone that she found Chloe’s earring under Noah’s bed, implying the two have been intimate. Lee is also annoyed at Elle for failing to tell him she is applying for college at Harvard. Rachel and Lee fall out. As I said, I won’t be dwelling on them because I don’t care!
Noah and Marco have a face-off at a football game and Lee wins homecoming king. Rachel turns up unannounced and is upset that Lee is briefly happy since their estrangement. Like a psychopath. No one is miserable all the time following a breakup, just most of the time, you twit. It is strange seeing a 30-year-old behaving like a child, but then I am humbled when I remember I am also almost 30 and I'm writing a recap post about the KB2.
The fair happens, people swap germs at the kissing booth. Lee and Rachel are set up to kiss, which seems an impossible plan to orchestrate, but the film doesn’t dwell on this. The two make up. No one cares. Ok, that’s a lie, but I don’t care. Two guys get together at the kissing booth, it’s a bit cute. I care more about this couple who had far less screen time.
Meanwhile, Noah is mopping at the airport. Accused temptress, Chloe, encourages him to chase after Elle. Who knew! She was misunderstood all along. She wouldn’t try to steal your man. In defence of the film, it really makes the case that men and women can be just friends, which is a debate that has historically mystified many cishet men.
Elle and Marco finally talk things out at the kissing booth, because as you know, we are all at our most articulate in front of a crowd of people. That’s the other weird thing about the kissing booth, everyone just crowds around and watches everyone kiss. To be fair, I’m also just sitting here watching people kiss. Elle rejects Marco. Lol.
At the airport, Elle and Noah once again suffer from a missed connection as Noah has left to find her. But, she’s able to talk to Chloe. Chloe lets her know that she was only invited to thanksgiving to make friends with Elle and the earring under the bed thing was a complete misunderstanding. Once again, the team is foiled by their lack of ability to communicate any arising issues. Chloe informs Elle that Noah has gone to the kissing booth to find her.
Elle and Noah arrange to meet at their make-out spot from the first film. Thus, completing their pointless narrative arch.
Elle, Lee and their friends' graduate. Elle tells her friends she was waitlisted for both colleges. This is yet another lie. She somehow made it into both colleges despite writing the cheesiest admission essay of all time. This creates the cliffhanger to be resolved in The Kissing Booth 3! The uncouth booth makes a return!
That’s the film. Oh, I forgot to mention that Elle and Lee have a gaming podcast. How does she have time to record in amongst all this drama?
You can watch The Kissing Booth and The Kissing Booth 2 on Netflix. If you want to watch a trashy film where you don’t have to think too hard, be my guest.
Alright, The Kissing Booth is essentially about two teens who have been best friends for their entire conscious lives. Lee and Shelly, preferred name Elle, are obsessed with dance dance revolution and one another. They even have a contract of sorts of the dos and don’ts of their friendship, which, of course, creates the main point of tension in the film's plot.
Elle falls for Noah. Noah (or Flynn as he’s known to his athletic friends) is the older brother of her best friend, Lee. Elle and Noah kiss at, you guessed it, a kissing booth and begin an illicit affair from then on. Why is it an illicit affair? Because it is in conflict with Lee and Elle’s contract. Rule number whatever says that they don’t date each other’s siblings.
Best friends fight while sparks fly between Elle and Noah. Other stuff happens, a lot of gratuitous shots of Elle in her underwear take place, despite her character being in her mid-teens. It’s all just a little bizarre. In some unfathomable movie magic, we are led to believe a couple could have sex by the Hollywood sign. Noah leaves for college on the other side of the country and Elle rides off into the sunset on his motorbike contemplating what their future may hold.
We didn’t need to wait long for answers. Soon after The Kissing Booth made its cultural impact, the announcement for The Kissing Booth 2 was released. I was tentatively looking forward to this sequel.
I’m going to level with you, I’m on summer break but I’m currently trying to figure out how to fill my time without going outside for fear of melting or catching Covid 19. At the time of writing, Osaka has over a hundred recently confirmed cases of Covid, it’s also 33 degrees but it feels like 39. Movies like The Kissing Booth distract us from the current bout of suffering. I am trying to stay upbeat, but friends, I am suffering under the weight of 53% humidity. Rest in peace my good mood.
Best friends fight while sparks fly between Elle and Noah. Other stuff happens, a lot of gratuitous shots of Elle in her underwear take place, despite her character being in her mid-teens. It’s all just a little bizarre. In some unfathomable movie magic, we are led to believe a couple could have sex by the Hollywood sign. Noah leaves for college on the other side of the country and Elle rides off into the sunset on his motorbike contemplating what their future may hold.
We didn’t need to wait long for answers. Soon after The Kissing Booth made its cultural impact, the announcement for The Kissing Booth 2 was released. I was tentatively looking forward to this sequel.
I’m going to level with you, I’m on summer break but I’m currently trying to figure out how to fill my time without going outside for fear of melting or catching Covid 19. At the time of writing, Osaka has over a hundred recently confirmed cases of Covid, it’s also 33 degrees but it feels like 39. Movies like The Kissing Booth distract us from the current bout of suffering. I am trying to stay upbeat, but friends, I am suffering under the weight of 53% humidity. Rest in peace my good mood.
My point is that The Kissing Booth Two may be the lowest of low art to some, but surely this commentary is even lower. But I will still unashamedly roast the shit out of this film. This film exists in a realm beyond our comprehension. In a time and in a place where jealousy reigns supreme and no one shares an ounce of common sense between them. We have entered the Twilight Zone.
Prepare to stretch your suspension of disbelief beyond where you ever have before.
This film had the audacity to not make just one, but two references to the Hollywood sign scene from the first film. We are thrown back to the moment of passion beneath the large O (I don’t care to fact check what letter they actually got off under). The Kissing Booth 2 is seen on the side of the hill to introduce this film as we watch Elle, still riding off on Noah’s motorbike. This opening prepares us for the tone of the rest of the film. The KB2 is leaning into the ridiculousness of the first film, and I mean really leaning in.
Now prepare to hold your breath as we are treated to a montage of all of the events that took place over Elle’s summer. This montage includes “making sparks fly at the beach” where we see Noah and Elle once again in a moment of passion in public. Just to let you know that these carefree youths are getting more action than you have ever gotten and can ever hope to get.
Elle has also spent her summer as the unobservant third wheel to her best friend Lee, and his girlfriend Rachel. Rachel is fed up with Elle always being around. I care very little for this subplot and I will be dwelling on it as little as possible. Suffice to say that this film will be treating us to not just one point of tension, but three. More on that later.
Inevitably, Elle must attend her final year of high school. References to her previous episode with a short skirt from the first film are made, everyone laughs, no one acknowledges the creepy over-sexualization of a near child.
Prepare to stretch your suspension of disbelief beyond where you ever have before.
This film had the audacity to not make just one, but two references to the Hollywood sign scene from the first film. We are thrown back to the moment of passion beneath the large O (I don’t care to fact check what letter they actually got off under). The Kissing Booth 2 is seen on the side of the hill to introduce this film as we watch Elle, still riding off on Noah’s motorbike. This opening prepares us for the tone of the rest of the film. The KB2 is leaning into the ridiculousness of the first film, and I mean really leaning in.
Now prepare to hold your breath as we are treated to a montage of all of the events that took place over Elle’s summer. This montage includes “making sparks fly at the beach” where we see Noah and Elle once again in a moment of passion in public. Just to let you know that these carefree youths are getting more action than you have ever gotten and can ever hope to get.
Elle has also spent her summer as the unobservant third wheel to her best friend Lee, and his girlfriend Rachel. Rachel is fed up with Elle always being around. I care very little for this subplot and I will be dwelling on it as little as possible. Suffice to say that this film will be treating us to not just one point of tension, but three. More on that later.
Inevitably, Elle must attend her final year of high school. References to her previous episode with a short skirt from the first film are made, everyone laughs, no one acknowledges the creepy over-sexualization of a near child.
 |
| Elle in her mini skirt |
KB2 has decided that the oversized boy from the first film, Tuppen, is a very funny addition to this universe, he continues to get screen time. Everyone has decided that Elle and Noah broke up, and it’s the talk of the school. I would like to think this unrealistic, but one time in high school I got a haircut and it was treated like interesting news, so this is plausible. The OMG girls (Elle's nickname for the three most popular girls at school) converge on Elle and let her know that she is in fact suffering through a breakup because long-distance relationships aren’t real relationships. My apologies to basically anyone in quarantine who is now in an LDR with their partner in the next suburb. According to the elite at Elle’s school, you don’t have a relationship.
I would like to commend this film on having 90% fewer tits and ass than the first film but Elle is still at certain parts of this film displaying a lot of flesh, including regular cleavage and butt cleavage. Her male counterparts in the film, Noah and Marco are very appreciative of her lack of fabric.
| Joey King as Elle, empowering young women everywhere |
Who is Marco?? Well, Marco is the new kid at school, he is hot. We know he is hot because Elle accidentally sings her praises to the whole school via an intercom. Her sexual objectification is as follows “I’m confused, do I need to get my eyes to check? Am I looking at a tray of ice cubes or a six-pack?” and “It’s like his sweat produces its own glitter.” Lee tries to stop the humiliation by running to Elle, but he somehow collides with a lot of people along the way. I think maybe Lee should consider getting his eyes checked.
After Elle realises her mistake, we see her discussing Marco with Lee and Rachel. Rachel asks, "is he really that hot?" to which Elle responds that she used 100 ways to describe Marco’s attractiveness. Not really Elle, because you said a bunch of abstract things that shouldn’t apply to a human male.
Marco is not only hot, but he also dances, he is good at arcade games, he sings, and in Spanish no less. Elle may like Marco’s abs, but she ends up hating his personality. At the arcade, Lee and Elle’s high score has been beaten by someone with the moniker “MVP.” Elle lets us know this stands for “most valuable player,” which to me signifies that it doesn’t actually stand for that, but rather Marco's full name. Of course, on this plot development, I was correct.
Elle spots a poster at the arcade for a dance competition with a $50,000 main prize. She thinks that she can use this money to make her way to Harvard to be with Noah. Elle and Lee have always planned to attend the same college at Berkeley, so Elle keeps her designs on Harvard as a secret from Lee.
I have so many questions about the execution of this competition's advertising campaign. First off, that is an overwhelming amount of money for a dance competition. Secondly, wouldn’t it make more sense for Elle, in the year 2020, to see the dance competition advertised on social media? We see her checking Instagram later in the film and with enough funding to be able to hand out 50,000 clams, you would think the competition organisers would have enough cash to set up an aggressive online marketing campaign.
Despite Elle’s initial dislike of Marco, the two end up as partners for the dance competition through some manipulation by Lee. This part of the plot is so dumb, I don’t want to have to describe it. Basically, Lee fakes an injury so that he can’t practice the dance routine, and he urges Elle to team up with the much better dancer, Marco.
This means that over time, Marco and Elle become close friends and eventually, romantic sparks fly. But what about Noah?? This is our second jealousy plot, my friends.
The film’s namesake, the kissing booth, makes a reappearance. The fundraising committee insists on another kissing booth for that year’s fair. This is not really a major part of the main plot. Kissing booths were gross even in a pre-Covid world, but now they are unimaginable and completely irresponsible. But yea, I, like this film, care very little about the actual kissing booth.
Elle and Noah continue to have missed connections. Noah has befriended *gasp* a woman. Elle is very suspicious of this woman, a beautiful and sophisticated Brit called Chloe. The actress playing Chloe is 28. She is just one of many actresses who this film will try to convince us is in her early twenties or teens. Rachel is notably played by a 30-year-old.
Elle visits Noah in Boston. Their chemistry is actually very believable. Chloe has some of the worst lines in the entire script, which is really saying something. At one point she says this weird thing about Noah doing what he’s told so she keeps him around. This film fails Chloe who is just present in this bloated film to create yet another point of tension. I also fail to see what she sees in this group of obnoxious men that her and Noah hang out with, but I guess she’s not like other girls and prefers the company of insufferable men. During her time in Boston, Elle finds Chloe’s earring under Noah's bed, which Elle takes as evidence of their probable affair.
I’ve totally mixed up the timeline of events but I’m not fixing it!
There’s also a subplot about two young men falling in love. It seems like a weird side plot, but any representation is representation, I suppose.
Lee not only has a head like a squished basketball, he also has a brain like a squished basketball and completely mishandles the tension between Rachel and Elle. Rachel asks him to tell Elle to back off. Lee doesn’t actually talk to Elle. Instead, he simply tries to avoid Elle and fails to communicate with anyone, making him the lead asshat in the franchise once again.
There is a dance scene with an opulent ball with many many musical acts. Marco and Elle share a moment during a slow dance. Rachel blows her top at Elle because she thinks that Lee has already told her to back off.
This film is the epitome of using montages to save time on the many many plot points.
Just as an aside, I felt pretty proud of myself that I managed to spot that Joey King, who plays Elle, is wearing a wig. She recently starred in a TV show, for which she needed to shave her head. Me 1, movie 0. When will the deception end??
Next up, Marco and Elle are nearing their dance competition and have created the most elaborate dance routine which ends with them almost kissing. I just can’t understand why these two have the proficiency of professional dancers. Also, their routine seems to often miss the arrows, which I thought was the whole point of dance dance revolution. But I suppose I am picking apart the movie magic (yes, I looked into it a little and dance doubles were used).
The dance competition is a massive televised event with a huge audience and professional dancers. Noah is in the crowd, unbeknownst to Elle. Marco and Elle pull off a wonderful dance routine and at the end, shock horror, Elle feels compelled to really kiss Marco this time. Noah is in the audience and of course, understandably crestfallen.
Next, we see all of the three plotlines of drama collide at a thanksgiving dinner at Lee and Noah’s house. In attendance is Chloe to support Noah, along with Lee, Rachel, and Elle. And of course, teen movie legend Molly Ringwald is at the head of the table, playing Lee and Noah's mum. And the dad, lol whatever who cares. I wonder if Molly Ringwald is unknown to a lot of this film’s younger viewers? Who knows what kids are into these days beyond making tiktoks.
Next, we see all of the three plotlines of drama collide at a thanksgiving dinner at Lee and Noah’s house. In attendance is Chloe to support Noah, along with Lee, Rachel, and Elle. And of course, teen movie legend Molly Ringwald is at the head of the table, playing Lee and Noah's mum. And the dad, lol whatever who cares. I wonder if Molly Ringwald is unknown to a lot of this film’s younger viewers? Who knows what kids are into these days beyond making tiktoks.
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| Molly Ringwald in her mid-career as some teens' mum |
There is a confrontation over the dinner table where Elle says in front of everyone that she found Chloe’s earring under Noah’s bed, implying the two have been intimate. Lee is also annoyed at Elle for failing to tell him she is applying for college at Harvard. Rachel and Lee fall out. As I said, I won’t be dwelling on them because I don’t care!
Noah and Marco have a face-off at a football game and Lee wins homecoming king. Rachel turns up unannounced and is upset that Lee is briefly happy since their estrangement. Like a psychopath. No one is miserable all the time following a breakup, just most of the time, you twit. It is strange seeing a 30-year-old behaving like a child, but then I am humbled when I remember I am also almost 30 and I'm writing a recap post about the KB2.
The fair happens, people swap germs at the kissing booth. Lee and Rachel are set up to kiss, which seems an impossible plan to orchestrate, but the film doesn’t dwell on this. The two make up. No one cares. Ok, that’s a lie, but I don’t care. Two guys get together at the kissing booth, it’s a bit cute. I care more about this couple who had far less screen time.
Meanwhile, Noah is mopping at the airport. Accused temptress, Chloe, encourages him to chase after Elle. Who knew! She was misunderstood all along. She wouldn’t try to steal your man. In defence of the film, it really makes the case that men and women can be just friends, which is a debate that has historically mystified many cishet men.
Elle and Marco finally talk things out at the kissing booth, because as you know, we are all at our most articulate in front of a crowd of people. That’s the other weird thing about the kissing booth, everyone just crowds around and watches everyone kiss. To be fair, I’m also just sitting here watching people kiss. Elle rejects Marco. Lol.
At the airport, Elle and Noah once again suffer from a missed connection as Noah has left to find her. But, she’s able to talk to Chloe. Chloe lets her know that she was only invited to thanksgiving to make friends with Elle and the earring under the bed thing was a complete misunderstanding. Once again, the team is foiled by their lack of ability to communicate any arising issues. Chloe informs Elle that Noah has gone to the kissing booth to find her.
Elle and Noah arrange to meet at their make-out spot from the first film. Thus, completing their pointless narrative arch.
Elle, Lee and their friends' graduate. Elle tells her friends she was waitlisted for both colleges. This is yet another lie. She somehow made it into both colleges despite writing the cheesiest admission essay of all time. This creates the cliffhanger to be resolved in The Kissing Booth 3! The uncouth booth makes a return!
That’s the film. Oh, I forgot to mention that Elle and Lee have a gaming podcast. How does she have time to record in amongst all this drama?
You can watch The Kissing Booth and The Kissing Booth 2 on Netflix. If you want to watch a trashy film where you don’t have to think too hard, be my guest.
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