The Kissing Booth 3 (2021)
Story overview
The Kissing Booth 3 follows Elle during the summer before college as she faces a pivotal decision between attending Harvard with her boyfriend Noah or Berkeley with her best friend Lee. This romantic comedy explores themes of friendship, young love, and the challenges of transitioning to adulthood, set against a backdrop of summer fun and emotional dilemmas.
Parent Guide
A lighthearted teen romance with positive messages about friendship and growing up, suitable for most viewers 12 and up with minimal concerning content.
Content breakdown
No violence or perilous situations. Some mild physical comedy and playful roughhousing among friends.
Nothing scary or disturbing. The film maintains a consistently upbeat, comedic tone throughout.
Occasional mild language like 'hell' and 'damn.' No strong profanity.
Kissing, romantic embraces, and flirting. Characters wear swimwear at the beach/pool. No nudity or explicit sexual content.
Social drinking by adult characters in background scenes. No underage drinking or substance abuse depicted.
Emotional scenes involving friendship conflicts, romantic tension, and decision-making stress. The overall tone remains positive and resolution-focused.
Parent tips
This film is appropriate for teens and pre-teens, focusing on relatable coming-of-age themes. Parents may want to discuss decision-making, friendship loyalty, and healthy relationships with their children after viewing. The movie contains mild romantic content and some emotional moments that could prompt conversations about growing up.
Parent chat guide
Parent follow-up questions
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- What did you think about Elle's friendship with Lee?
- How did the characters show they cared about each other?
- What factors should Elle consider when choosing between Harvard and Berkeley?
- How do you think she balanced her relationship with Noah and her friendship with Lee?
- What does this film say about the pressure to make 'perfect' life decisions at a young age?
- How realistically do you think the film portrays the transition from high school to college?
🎭 Story Kernel
The film's core theme is the painful, messy transition from the curated fantasy of adolescence into the unscripted reality of adulthood. It's less about romantic triangles and more about the disintegration of a childhood pact—the 'bucket list'—as a metaphor for clinging to a shared identity that no longer fits three diverging lives. The driving force isn't love, but fear: fear of change, fear of disappointing others, and the paralyzing fear of making a definitive choice that closes one door forever. Elle's central conflict exposes how the safety of a pre-planned, group-defined future becomes a cage when individual dreams begin to knock.
🎬 Visual Aesthetics
The visual language is aggressively aspirational, bathing every scene in a high-key, Instagram-filter glow of saturated blues and yellows. This isn't accidental; it visually constructs the 'perfect summer' fantasy the characters are desperately trying to live. The camera work is predominantly steady, wide shots of beach parties and lavish homes, selling a lifestyle brochure aesthetic. However, the few moments of genuine tension or decision are often shot in tighter, shakier frames or cooler lighting, visually separating the glossy dream from the gritty emotional reality. The action is low-stakes physical comedy, emphasizing the childish play they're trying to prolong.
🔍 Details & Easter Eggs
💡 Behind the Scenes
This film was shot back-to-back with 'The Kissing Booth 2' in South Africa during late 2019, capitalizing on the cast's availability and consistent summer lighting. A significant challenge was maintaining the visual continuity of a California summer while filming in Cape Town. Joey King, who plays Elle, has mentioned in interviews that the emotional climax of choosing her own path was the scene she found most resonant with her own transition out of teenage fame into more mature roles.
Where to watch
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- Netflix
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Trailer
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