When High School Romance Became Challenging Began with accepting The Kissing Booth on Netflix, Version 1.0, in 2018, it involved more than just a teen rom-com since it offered a deliciously dubious pleasure which transformed into a phenomenal success. Hence, it was a no brainer as to why people were passionate about The Kissing Booth 2 in 2020. People really wanted to know about what happened to Elle Evans (Joey King) and Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi) and how their starry-eyed romance was taken forward.
In the sequel, the first film’s sweet touch was combined with the touch of heartache and romance. People understood the complexities of love and romance that the other touch, heartache, and other conflicts of youth that ever been, distance, uncertainty, and the difference between love and friendship. What made it more than just a regular sequel was how the true sentiments of the cast blanketed the performances they were showcasing.
A Plot Full of Choice and Opportunity In the second film, we saw Elle in her upper secondary school and Noah in Harvard, in what should have been the fairytale ending of a romance, was littered with suspicion and doubt. Elle is concerned with how she is perceived at Harvard in comparison to the many beautiful girls, while Noah is more preoccupied with his thoughts of Elle and her best friend Lee (Joel Courtney).
And during this moment, everything awkward is steeped in even greater intensity when a new student named Marco Peña (Taylor Zakhar Perez) steps into Elle’s orbit. Their chemistry—exposed even more through a subplot in the dancing competition—fuels another pivot of the conflict of the movie. Should Elle remain faithful to Noah, or now turn her attention, along with a hot new Marco ‘situation’?
At is base form, the movie is about the choices we make. The choices to be made are; love or friendship, ease or danger, and even in the instances, distance and desire can easily coexist. Oddly, the actors in this movie faced and lived through their own choices of this nature.
Joey King: Carrying Elle While Carrying Her Own Past
By the time The Kissing Booth 2 was in production, she along with the co-star Jacob Elordi, was no longer together in real life. The character of Elle, who at the time was heartbroken, is in the movie extremely convenient to get along with, but sadly to a pair with a dreadfully awkward ex; a simply unfortunate coincidence.
This, in many ways, is a sophisticated exercise in both professionalism and exposure. These two is to painlessly fulfill social expectations, but even more so make the work appear real. Moreover, there is a strong resemblance to Joey in real life and also the character in the movie. The character’s name is especially Noah, because both of them find it extremely difficult to distance themselves from the other.
Joey’s emotional intensity during certain scenes of Elle’s life, particularly during the doubts and heart breaks, was believable, as she herself experienced the combination of love and separation at its most bitter.
Jacob Elordi: From Heartthrob to Hesitant Star
Between the first and second films, Jacob Elordi’s life suddenly seemed to change. After The Kissing Booth, which became a global phenomenon, was released, he became a teenage sensation overnight. Despite the fact that the title came with many advantages, he did not seem fond of using it. He subsequently stated that there was a form of commodification, as most of the surrounding conversations were concerned with his body instead of his talent.
In The Kissing Booth 2, Noah’s character has to deal with the fact that he is the one being misunderstood. Elle thinks that he is cheating on her and his friends begin to question his intentions. That idea of being misunderstood seemed to resonate with Jacob’s experience. He was already in the process of transitioning to more challenging roles, such as in the series Euphoria on HBO, in a bid to break free from the rom-com image he had been associated with.
It was as if a part of Jacob was yearning to be free as he watched Noah defend his love and at the same time, feeling as if his love was not worth being trusted. Jacob longs for the same level of respect that a part of his image is more than what is savored on the surface level.Marc’s arrival into Hollywood scene came with his role as Marco in the film. Marco’s arrival into Elle’s life was as surprising as his on-screen debut. Having the role of Marco in the production placed his star on the Hollywood scene overnight. His fans were not the only ones who enjoyed his on-screen performances.
His role in the film came as a big break. This caused him to leap in his career which he was unprepared for. His sens of gratitude along with his ability to remain grounded at pressure were qualities which matched Marco’s character. His ability to recite heartfelt lines portraying the character of Marco gained him some appreciation as well. The lines he recited were in some ways similar to his personal experience of Marco in the film.
This was not the only thing which gained the attention of the audience. The warmth of the set along with the professionalism captured on the faces of the actors were a magic to witness. The undeniable floaty feelings cast on the actors when the filmed intimate scenes together were also of interest.
Another fact which is relatively unknown is that the dance competition scenes were not simply entertaining montages. They took weeks of choreographic coaching where Joey and Taylor mastered the art of the dance and synchronized and electrifying routines. Bonds that were formed from the hours of practice were evident from the natural chemistry that fans appreciated while the dancers were on screen.
Joel Courtney for instance always teased that playing Elle’s best friend Lee was simple because of how effortless being friends with Joey was due to how big sister and little brother their dynamic was.
A Teen Romantic Comedy Which Became a Cultural Discussion Topic
Kissing Booth 2 was not simply an addition to the Netflix library. It had also entered the realm of the internet with debates on which side users were on, Team Noah or Team Marco. TikTok was filled with uploads of fans who reenacted the dance that Elle and Marco shared. Memes sharing the idea of long distance relationships, high school and, of course, Noah going to Harvard, were shared widely.
The country of India had just started receiving Netflix films which were aimed toward the younger generation. During the lockdown, The Kissing Booth 2 was very well received. For a lot of people, it was the Kissing Booth 2 that had provided the much-needed humor, nostalgia and a reminder of first loves that came with the hardships of the year.
When Fiction Shapes Reality
By the end of the movie, Elle had still not made up her mind, was it Noah, the long-distance boyfriend, or Marco, the new love interest? This ambiguity annoyed some of the viewers, but it also highlighted the reality of love, which more often than not, does not serve up simple responses.
The film was more than just another teen drama for Joey King, Jacob Elordi, and Taylor Zakhar Perez. To them, it was a reflection of their own personal transitions, with Joey having to climb a mountain of personal adversity, while Jacob started to break away from the image of a teen idol, and it was Taylor’s first step into the world of cinema.
What stands out the most, and is the most important aspect of The Kissing Booth 2, is not Elle’s decisions, but how they mirrored the real lives of the actors. They were trying to explore love, loss, fame, and identity and were still quite young, which is also true for the characters that they had to portray.
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