The original The Kissing Booth is rumored to be the most re-watched movie on Netflix—undeniably a huge success for the streaming giant’s first foray into romantic comedies. Old and new fans alike can now move on to The Kissing Booth 2, and while it’s long and predictable, it’s still a satisfying watch if you love wish fulfillment rom-coms. It also embraces rom-com tropes like nobody’s business, for better or for worse. Regardless, the rom-com writer can learn from breaking down these tropes and asking what worked and what didn’t land about each one. 

1. The Voiceover / Inner Monologue. Elle (played but the undeniably likeable Joey King) has an inner monologue again just as she did in the original film. While it’s oft recommended that writers have a wholly original voiceover adding opposite information to what’s on screen, or at the very least new information—Fight Club comes to mind as the holy grail of voiceover—Elle’s inner monologue is so earnest that it does add a fun element to the story. Additionally, this time it has a double hook. Elle reminds us of the sweet rules she has laid out with her best friend, Lee Flynn (played by the charming Joel Courtney) while she’s working on her less-than-stellar college essay answering the annoying question of, “Where will you be in five years?” Both hooks did a great job of justifying the existence of the voiceover, and for young fans of the movie, likely helped give them an in and relatable connection to Elle. 

2. The Hook. Speaking of hooks, The Kissing Booth 2 is a victim of one too many. There’s Elle’s big college essay, there’s the friendship rules, and of course, there’s the kissing booth. This time around, the kissing booth itself felt like a tacked-on, unneeded afterthought. While again this film is excellent at wish fulfillment and putting a young woman in some sticky love triangles, the film suffered from drawing out a hook it might not even have needed to bring viewers back in. Elle’s relationship with the enigmatic Noah and their turmoil over growing up felt like enough. But every successful rom-com needs a fabulous hook: Harry has Sally and a friendship they don’t want to ruin, Jack Lemon has his sordid apartment in The Apartment, and Bridget Jones has her diary. Elle has a kissing booth she’s damn near forgotten about because—also by the way—she has to go win a Dance Dance Revolution tournament with a super hottie. Don’t let too many hooks or set pieces overwhelm some awesome relationship page real estate. One great hook is enough. 

3. The Temptation. In many wish fulfillment rom-coms there’s the temptation character; or the red herring that stands in the way to divert the main character from their original love story, often creating a juicy love triangle and an impossible choice for the main character. Bridget Jones had Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver, The Notebook’s Allie has Lon and Noah, and Elle of The Kissing Booth has Noah and Marco (played by Taylor Zakhar Perez who does his darndest to steal every scene he’s in). Marco is a juicy temptation indeed. Early in the film he’s recruited to have a reserved spot in the kissing booth as a main attraction (a plot point unfortunately never fully paid off that could have gone a long way in justifying the hook of the story). He also fills in for Lee to help Elle win a very competitive Dance Dance Revolution dance-off. A good temptation character can add excellent conflict—as long as the temptation story can truly make you believe your protagonist may eschew one love interest for another. 

4. The Unwavering Best Friend. Rom-coms have rightfully received a lot of flak for non- dimensional best friend characters who are often the less pretty girl who never gets her own story arc, man, or original idea. Thankfully, most rom-coms have moved beyond that, and audiences have experienced memorable and fantastic best friend characters along the way. Rupert Everett in My Best Friend’s Wedding always stands out as an example of defying best friend stereotypes. Awkwafina in Crazy Rich Asians is another great example. Lee and Elle’s friendship in The Kissing Booth is one of the best things about both movies. To choose between your best friend and his hot brother you’ve fallen in love with was the great premise of the original. In The Kissing Booth 2, Lee feels he must make the impossible choice between his own budding relationship and his friendship. In fact, this choice felt much richer than Elle’s own choices and could have benefitted from more explanation. Regardless, scenes between Elle and Lee always warms the heart and one feels the pair might choose each other over a romance if push really came to shove. 

5. The Impossible Romance. Noah Flynn and Elle’s relationship always seemed somewhat improbable. Flynn was the bad boy of the high school and somewhat untrustworthy as a good boyfriend, but the pair survives the beginning of long distance at the opening of The Kissing Booth 2. But long distance and college pressure (and surviving the last year of high school) soon catches up to the pair. Elle builds up the impossibility of their relationship (and some major jealousy) to a fever pitch in the sequel. While it’s not original, audiences have been conditioned to have their heart strings pulled by an impossible relationship since Romeo and Juliet. Additionally, anyone who has ever been pained by the strains of a long-distance relationship can probably relate to Noah and Elle. And if they haven’t experienced an LDR yet, they will probably still grasp onto their red-hot chemistry. 

Final Takeaways: Screenwriters are constantly trying to avoid tropes and stereotypes and craft surprising, genre-bending new pieces. However, there’s something to be said for the simplicity and raging resurgence of the wish fulfillment rom-com. Sometimes, there’s comfort in predictability and a character getting everything she’s ever dreamed of, and The Kissing Booth 2 has all of the above. Additionally, knowing tropes and why they work or don’t work always allows the writer to break, bend and destroy them in the future, if so desired.