THE KISSING BOOTH

My Take: 7/10

Parental Rating: Younger Teens and Families

The Kissing Booth embraces the vibrant, high-energy nostalgia of classic coming-of-age films, choosing to focus on the emotional milestones of junior year rather than heavy, cynical subplots. The movie anchors its story in a deeply committed, lifelong childhood friendship, demonstrating that navigating the unspoken rules of loyalty is just as important as navigating romance. It offers an incredibly fast-paced, entertaining study of teenage boundary-setting, communication, and personal identity, making it a highly engaging and conversational watch for families and teens.

The story centers on Elle Evans, a quirky, late-blooming high school student whose life is entirely defined by her bond with her lifelong best friend, Lee Flynn. Born on the exact same day in the same hospital, Elle and Lee have maintained an absolute, unbreakable set of friendship rules to protect their relationship, with Rule Number Nine explicitly stating that Lee's brooding, hyper-protective older brother, Noah, is completely off-limits. However, Elle's world is turned upside down when she and Lee decide to run a fundraising kissing booth for the school carnival, leading to an unexpected, secret romance between Elle and Noah. Forced to navigate a complicated web of hidden relationships, Elle must balance her intense new feelings with her deep desire to protect her friendship with Lee, quickly realizing that growing up means making choices that can impact the people you love the most.

What makes this narrative so compelling is how it frames the inevitable friction that occurs when childhood dynamics begin to shift into young adulthood. The writing maintains an energetic, upbeat momentum, showing that while Elle and Lee’s bond is built on incredible history, shared humor, and fun traditions, it must eventually evolve to allow both of them room to grow independently. The production design captures this beautifully, utilizing the sun-drenched, bright landscapes of Southern California to match the optimistic, high-spirited energy of the characters. Rather than building a story around malicious rivalry or mean-spirited high school tropes, the plot focuses entirely on interpersonal choices, showing how the transition into maturity requires honesty, accountability, and the courage to voice your true feelings.

Joey King turns in a wonderfully expressive, charismatic performance as Elle, grounding the character with a fantastic sense of humor, physical comedy, and a relatable vulnerability that carries the film. Joel Courtney matches her step-for-step as Lee, capturing the fiercely loyal, slightly sensitive nature of a best friend struggling to accept that their childhood bubble is changing. Jacob Elordi brings a commanding, classic Hollywood presence to Noah, balancing an initial guarded exterior with a genuine emotional growth as the story progresses. Their natural on-screen chemistry forms the ultimate driving force of the movie, while Molly Ringwald adds a lovely, grounding touch of classic coming-of-age authority as Lee and Noah’s understanding mother.

The Parental Lens

Watching Elle, Lee, and Noah navigate the complicated boundaries of their social lives provides a fantastic launchpad for conversations with younger teens about the nature of friendship rules, boundaries, and personal autonomy. Elle and Lee’s strict childhood rules are designed to protect their bond, but as they grow older, those rules begin to restrict their personal choices and cause hidden friction. This serves as a perfect prompt for a living room chat: as teens transition into high school and build more independent lives, how do they establish healthy boundaries with friends, and how can relationships adapt to allow individual growth without breaking down trust?

The film also offers a deeply relevant, layered look at the concept of peer accountability, peer pressure, and learning to manage intense emotions. Noah struggles with a short temper and a reputation for fighting, which Elle actively challenges, pushing him to find better ways to handle conflict, while Elle herself must face the consequences of keeping major secrets from the person closest to her. This provides a natural opportunity to discuss emotional maturity and character with your kids: what does it look like to take responsibility for our actions rather than making excuses, and why is absolute transparency so vital for maintaining healthy, long-term relationships?

What makes this lighthearted romance uniquely valuable for family viewing is its ultimate focus on forgiveness, reconciliation, and self-acceptance. The characters make plenty of mistakes, let their insecurities drive their actions, and hurt each other's feelings, but they choose to talk through the pain, offer genuine apologies, and prioritize love over pride. For teens establishing their own social identities and navigating their first romantic experiences, this narrative delivers a reassuring lesson in resilience, reminding them that true maturity isn't about getting everything right on the first try, but about having the honesty to fix things when they go wrong.

My Final Take

The Kissing Booth is a thoroughly engaging, wonderfully vibrant romantic comedy that stands out because it captures the pure excitement, confusion, and high-energy emotion of teenage life with absolute sincerity. While its adherence to classic genre formulas and glossy presentation sets a stylized tone, the underlying themes of loyalty, family connection, and growing up are highly relatable, leaving families with a fun and thought-provoking viewing experience. By keeping the massive themes of personal accountability, friendship ethics, and the journey toward independence at the absolute center of the frame, this movie delivers an incredibly rich conversation starter for families to enjoy and break down together.

This is my personal view. Please always check local ratings. Poster used for review purposes only.