The Kissing Booth 3 (2021)

 

Streaming Services: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: The Kissing Booth 3 (2021)
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Length:  112 minutes
Rating: TV-14
Production/Distribution: Netflix, Clearblack Films, Komixx Entertainment, Picture Loom
Director: Vince Marcello
Writers: Vince Marcello, Jay Arnold, Beth Reekles
Actors: Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi, Molly Ringwald, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Meganne Young, Stephen Jennings, Carson White, Morné Visser, Bianca Bosch, Camilla Wolfson, Zandile Madliwa, Judd Krok, Sanda Shandu, Hilton Pelser, Frances Sholto-Douglas, Evan Hengst, Joshua Daniel, Eady, Trent Rowe, Michelle Allen, Nathan Lynn, Byron Langley, Chloe Williams, Cameron Scott, Bianca Amato, Daneel Van Der Walt, Nadia Kretschmer, Matthew Dylan Roberts, Maria Pretorius, Peter Butler, Colin Moss, Michael Kirch, James van Helsdingen, Megan du Plessis, Lincoln Pearson, Michael Miccoli, Chase Dallas, Lya du Toit, Kingsley Pearson, Jesse Rowan-Goldberg, Caitlyn de Abrue, Juliet Blacher

Blurb from IMDb:  It's the summer before Elle Evans is set to head off to college, and she has a big decision to make.

Cat’s Point of View:

The first thought that came to mind at the end of The Kissing Booth 3 was ‘thank goodness that’s finally over.’
 
Did I hate the movie? No, I just had a laundry list of issues with it that goes back to The Kissing Booth 2 (2020). The endcap of this trilogy was fine but largely unnecessary.
 
The first thing I feel I must share is that while the trailer flows rather smoothly through the elements that comprise this sequel, the film, itself, does not get right to the point. The Kissing Booth 3 is twice as long as it should have been. It feels like everything was – or could have been – settled in the second installment.

 
I feel I must add as a disclaimer, however, that I have not read the book that this trilogy was based upon. That being said, I am unable to objectively state whether or not the first 2 movies covered all of the important plot points for the novel’s story. Maybe there was a call for a third installment based on something there. Audiences watching only the Netflix Originals, however, wouldn’t necessarily know that.
 
Though, just like the main character drags her heels in making her decisions, The Kissing Booth 3 takes a meandering route to its conclusion. Somewhere along the way it also lost a bit of the more comedic tone that the first 2 installments had. Don’t get me wrong, there were a couple of epic scenes here and there that had me laughing – but it was pretty firmly a romantic drama as a whole.

 
Somewhere along the way, it felt like the story lost the elements that helped me identify with the production’s protagonist way back in the beginning. With that kinship missing, it was hard to view the narrative as anything other than extraneous exposition that you might find in a basic romance novel –sans the graphic steam. These characters lived entirely in a fantasy world where money was no object and the pandemic didn’t exist.
 
I get that it wasn’t a factor in the book, and the first 2 films were developed before Coronavirus was a household word. I simply can’t help it that the overall experience dramatically impaired my ability to suspend disbelief.

 
While I am generally satisfied regarding the conclusion to this trilogy, it feels like this is one of those times that the sequels didn’t do the original any favors. If you’ve been following along through the first 2 movies, then I can only urge you to go ahead & finish it up with The Kissing Booth 3, if only for some closure.
 
If you haven’t started this Kissing Booth journey yet, perhaps weigh your decision to watch accordingly.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 13%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 21%
Metascore – 35%
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 5.2/10
 
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 2.5/5
 
Trust the Dice: Parental Advisory Rating – PG-13
 
P.S. There are some bloopers and outtakes during the credits.
 
Movie Trailer: