Things Only Adults Noticed In The Kissing Booth 3
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"The Kissing Booth” film series might've come to a bittersweet end with the third installment, but it's not quite time to shut down the carnival just yet. After all, there's still so much to talk about when it comes to the final stretch of this heartwarming story.
The final film in the romantic series finally answers the question of what will happen to Elle Evans (Joey King), Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi), Lee (Joel Courtney), and all of their favorite — and some not so favorite — friends after high school. What starts off as a summer of fun, friendship, and romance at the beach turns into a major test for Elle's relationships with Noah, Lee, her family, and even herself as she looks to the future to determine what will be the best course for her.
Throughout the film, all of the characters must learn to cope with the new pressures and pratfalls of adulthood, which means "The Kissing Booth 3" has a lot to offer even the most seasoned of audiences. Here's a look at some parts of the movies that grown-up viewers might be more inclined to identify with.
Elle majorly overextends herself
While the Flynn boys are free to take it easy all summer long and live it up at their parents' beach house before their fall semester of college begins, Elle has a whole lot more responsibilities on her plate than either one of the fellas. Not only is she constantly working as a waitress at the surfside cafe to save for school, but she's also responsible for helping her father keep up with her little brother's camp and soccer needs. As if that weren't stressful enough, she continues to accept additional responsibilities that are extremely taxing on her just to keep the people in her life happy.
For example, when Noah and Lee decide they want to spend the summer at the beach house while their parents put it on the market, Elle agrees to help them get it ready for sale and suddenly finds herself facing the brunt of the cleaning and commuting. When Lee feels dejected by Elle's decision to accept her admission at Harvard instead of going to UC Berkeley with him like they'd always planned, Elle cheers him up by suggesting they complete their massively complex beach bucket list together. And since that list includes everything from skydiving to setting up a life-size Mario Kart match to staging a full-on flash mob at a restaurant, Elle has to find the time to not only do these activities but to arrange for a lot of them.
Elle's dilemma of trying to fulfill everyone's needs at once is probably all too familiar to any parent who's ever found themselves racing around town to keep up with work, childcare responsibilities, and homemaking needs. Of course, Elle does reject one major opportunity to have some help when her dad's new girlfriend tries to pitch in and take care of her brother, so she does shoulder a tiny bit of the blame for her own overextension. But still, it's extremely relatable that, eventually, all of that commitment catches up to her, causing extreme exhaustion and frustration and major guilt whenever one of the many balls she's juggling inevitably falls.
Chloe is Elle's biggest cheerleader
Another thing mature audiences are bound to notice in "The Kissing Booth 3" is just how clued in Chloe Winthrop (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) is when it comes to Elle's feelings and needs. Whereas Noah and Lee can occasionally be a little obtuse, Chloe hits the nail on the head every single time she talks to or even about Elle.
For example, it's Chloe who first notices Elle's passion for video games and suggests that perhaps her best professional course is to go into that field rather than attending college with her and Noah. Chloe is also fully on Elle's side when she talks to Noah, insisting that Elle is not only worthy of his trust but that he should also be willing to fight for their relationship if he's worried about it.
Elle and Chloe might not have started out on the best of terms, given the major misunderstanding that happened with that loose earring in Noah's dorm room. But it's clear that Elle couldn't ask for a more thoughtful and intuitive advocate than Chloe is at this point in the story.
Rachel gives Lee a much-needed wakeup call
There's a lot to love about the lifelong friendship between Elle and Lee. The two make each other laugh to no end, and they have a secret language with one another that can only come from being side by side for so long. But they also have a bit of a codependent relationship, and that especially comes through in the third film, especially once they find themselves in very different kinds of partnerships and spend more time apart.
For Elle's part, she gets a bit jealous when she sees Lee becoming close buddies with a fellow Berkeley recruit, realizing that she won't get to share in all of those close moments they've had all their lives. But at the same time, she does try to be happy for him that he has someone else. Lee, on the other hand, seems determined to turn his relationship with Rachel (Meganne Young) into another Elle and Lee dynamic.
Just as he has with Elle, Lee thinks it's completely fine to expect Rachel to map out her every spare minute in college to be with him. Even though Elle accepted Lee's tendency to be a bit possessive and demanding with her, Rachel worries that it's just going to be too difficult for them to make a long-distance relationship work. All's well that ends well, of course, but Rachel's resistance certainly gives Lee a much-needed wakeup call.
Noah shows a lot of personal growth
While all of the characters in the "Kissing Booth" films have majorly matured by the final moments of the trilogy, Noah Flynn has had a particularly impressive growth spurt. When we met Noah in the first film, we immediately learned that he's always had a bit of trouble controlling his temper, and he was notorious for getting into fights, especially when it came to defending Lee or Elle. But in this leg of the story, he makes a decision to control that impulse, even when Marco Peña (Taylor Zakhar Perez) makes a pretty obvious effort to win over Elle and even punches Noah during their argument about it.
And it's not just his newfound ability to avoid fights that shows how far he's come. Once Noah realizes that his relationship with Elle is not quite as solid as he hoped, especially after she allows Marco back into their lives against his wishes, he makes a difficult decision. He knows Elle is only planning to go to Harvard to be with him, and even if it breaks his heart to walk away from her, he doesn't want to be responsible for her making a decision she regrets. And instead of being petty about their breakup, he still comes through for Elle when she asks him to take a group photo for their mother. He's also genuinely happy to hear of Elle's choice when she decides to go to USC and pursue video game development as a study since that path actually suits her.
By putting aside any hard feelings and rooting for her successes and growth, Noah actually gives them a chance to reunite when they're both actually ready for forever. Most teens his age wouldn't be so forward thinking, but Noah has clearly come into his own as a person in this film.
Elle finally chooses Elle
Perhaps the most critical bit of character growth that we get to see in "The Kissing Booth 3" is Elle finally waking up to the fact that she has to look out for herself sometimes too. After spending the summer running herself ragged to keep up with everything and everyone, all the while putting her own needs and questions about her future aside, Elle finally realizes that she has to stop.
Of course, Noah's decision to break up with her certainly helps that realization along, but Elle still comes to terms with the fact that she hasn't given her own needs enough attention. Deciding to forego her acceptances to both Harvard and Berkeley and pursue an education that best matches her own interests is a big, big step for her, and in the end, it pays off. In the look ahead at her all grown up, it's clear that everything that happened between her first trip to the kissing booth and an unexpected return to so many years later has allowed her to truly thrive in her own way.
If she had gone on to join Lee at Berkeley or chose to study something else at Harvard with Noah, she might never have gotten to a place where she could have healthy relationships with either of them. So, while her journey of friendship and love might've taken a different path and timeline than she initially expected, it definitely has a happy ending for everyone after all.