The Kissing Booth 2 Has Everything You Loved About the First Movie—Times 100

You can rest easy, people. I'm happy to announce that The Kissing Booth 2 is good. Quite good, actually. In fact, if you're a fan of the first movie—and there's a good chance you are—then you'll absolutely love this one...because it's truly just the first film with the volume turned way up.

Which is to say The Kissing Booth 2 is loud. And bright. And colorful. After all, that's what made viewers fall in love with the first movie from 2018—and what revitalized the rom-com genre in the process. It offered a much needed escape from our then tumultuous (and, let's face it, still tumultuous) political climate. Like three giant scoops of ice cream, the film was sweet, sugary, and uncomplicated: the perfect sedation for scary times. 

And if 2018 was scary, 2020 is downright horrifying. I don't need to tell you why, because you're living it. But the need for candy-coated distractions is even higher than it was two years ago, so The Kissing Booth 2 will no doubt resonate. 

The plot is almost secondary to the overall aesthetic, but here it is: Elle (Joey King) and Noah (Jacob Elordi) are trying to make long distance work as he starts Harvard and she enjoys her high school senior year. Of course, though, they encounter some hiccups—namely Chloe (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), a new college friend of Noah's who Elle is convinced is hooking up with him. You'll need to watch the movie to find out if that's true, but I'll say this: The story subverts whatever tropes and stereotypes exist in teen films. So don't think you know the answer.

Interspersed with this main plot: a Dance Dance Revolution competition with a $50,000 prize, Lee (Joel Courtney) struggling to balance time with his girlfriend and best friend, another kissing booth (obvs), and a hot new love interest for Elle, Marco (Taylor Perez), who causes her to question everything. Even Noah. 

What I will say about this film (and the Kissing Booth franchise in general) is that it's low-stakes. The problems are quickly, head-scratchingly tied up in the neatest of bows, and no tension lasts longer than, say, a few scenes. But that's the point. You're not watching this movie to be engrossed by a complicated plot or be moved by poignant language. This is pop-culture dopamine in its purest form. Put it on, and enjoy the high. 

“It feels good to watch,” Richardson-Sellers tells Glamour. “It's really cool to see a modern take on the rom-com, a genre we all love so much.” 

There's certainly a lot to love about The Kissing Booth 2. Everything about it is an exaggeration of the first movie in the best way. The DDR scenes are more dazzling, the dudes hotter (see below), and the dialogue more cheeky and fun. It's all so effortless and fast-paced—like an Aaron Sorkin comedy for the TikTok set.

There is some substance underneath the froth (though, to be clear, there's nothing wrong with enjoying something that's just froth). The movie's cast is incredibly diverse and its characters nuanced; no one is pigeonholed or type-cast as one thing, which Richardson-Sellers really responded to. 

“[Classic rom-coms have] a lack of diversity,” she tells Glamour. “I really like that this film steps outside of that. You have my character. You have Marco. You have a queer love story. It just makes it more real. High school isn't this white-washed, heteronormative world. There are so many other amazing stories and experiences, and I'm excited this film is bringing those in. I hope more will be done in the future.” 

What The Kissing Booth 2 does a great job at illustrating is that these amazing, diverse stories and experiences don't have to involve identity struggles. Yes, there is a bit of that in the queer love subplot, but the majority of what you see onscreen is joy. Black joy, Latinx joy, queer joy, female joy—there's so much joy in this film that it almost overflows. It's a shining example of how casting should be done (and hopefully will be done going forward). Sometimes sexuality, gender, and racial identity are essential parts of a character's journey, but other times it's a silly, simple love story with Dance Dance Revolution montages. That latter type of story—the lighter stories—shouldn't go only to white, straight, cisgender actors. It's an insane thing to even have to say out loud, but everyone on this planet knows how to have fun. And wants to. 

Ultimately, that's what Richardson-Sellers wants people to do with The Kissing Booth 2. “I was smiling so much watching the first Kissing Booth, and I think we re-created that and, if anything, pushed it even further," she says. They absolutely did. 

The Kissing Booth 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

Christopher Rosa is the staff entertainment writer at Glamour. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrosa92. 

Originally Appeared on Glamour