The Kissing Booth 3 Movie Review - A Decent Wrap-Up
Joey King shines in this finale to the film series.
Read Kidzworld’s review of the last in the Kissing Booth movie series. Questions are answered as relationships wrap up. Will it end as you hoped? Find out in our review of The Kissing Booth 3!
In The Kissing Booth 3, Elle (Joey King) finally has to decide if she will go to Harvard and be with love Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi) or fulfill her promise to attend Berkeley with his brother, her bestie Lee (Joel Courtney). Spending their last summer before school at the Flynn family beach house, Lee and Elle find their childhood “bucket list” of crazy activities they planned to complete before college. They decide to complete it while Elle works as a waitress at a local beach restaurant, runs into school fling Marco (Taylor Zakhar Perez), tries to accept her dad’s new girlfriend and struggles with her desire to not hurt either of the Flynn brothers with her final decision.
Noah wants a romantic eveningCourtesy of Netflix
Final Summer
After their road trip, the gang returns home to live their last summer before college. Elle gets a job waitressing at a beach restaurant, dad is dating Linda whom Elle is determined not to like and Noah and Lee learn that their parents plan to sell the beach house that has been in the family for ages.
Elle gets a job at a beach restaurant for the summerCourtesy of Netflix
Vastly disappointed, they, along with Elle and Lee’s girlfriend Rachel (Meganne Young) ask if they can live there for the summer. Since they need someone to look after the house, the parents agree. Noah asks if Elle will get an apartment with him near Harvard, making her decision harder. She is waitlisted at Harvard and gets a call from Berkeley. They want her decision. Lee and Rachel will go to different schools and hope a long-distance relationship will work for them.
The gang asks to live at the beach house for the summerCourtesy of Netflix
The Bucket List
While cleaning up the house, Lee and Elle find their childhood “Bucket List” containing a bunch of wacky activities they planned to complete before college.
Elle finds the old Bucket ListCourtesy of Netflix
For “the best summer ever”, they decide to complete it. Elle decides to reject Berkeley in favor of Harvard. Lee is upset. He will be with Rachel on holidays so he will now never see Elle but he is proud of her. At a big party at the house Lee meets a next door neighbor who already attends Berkeley. Elle is a bit jealous of the new friendship. We see bucket list activities that include skydiving, pie eating contest, cliff jumping and helium karaoke. At work, Elle runs into old flame Marco who works at a local amusement park and will arrange a crazy go-kart race from the bucket list. Noah is jealous that he’s back in Elle’s life. Chloe (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) arrives to spend the summer on her family boat.
Marco comes back into Elle's lifeCourtesy of Netflix
Kart Race
Marco arranges the go-kart race at the amusement park in which the gang wears Mario Brothers costumes. Noah finally agrees to race when he sees that Marco will. It’s a fun race but deteriorates when Noah gets angry that Marco won. Elle is upset at his behavior. He is sure Marco wants her back. He’s right. She is upset that Noah doesn’t trust her. Stress grows when Elle has to choose bucket list items with Lee over a romantic dinner with Noah. She confides in Marco while Noah complains to Chloe but he apologizes to Elle and they agree to stop fighting and they hook up.
Noah talks to Chloe about his fight with ElleCourtesy of Netflix
Marco sees them kissing and realizes he doesn’t have a chance with her. Noah learns that Elle was accepted to Berkeley way back in May and said nothing because she was waiting to go to Harvard with him. After a party Marco hits Noah and admits he loves Elle.
Elle and Noah dream of a happy life at HarvardCourtesy of Netflix
Realizations
Elle finds Noah sitting at the Hollywood sign. He tells her she is putting herself last. What if it doesn’t work out between them? Don’t go to Boston because of me. They break up. She and Lee argue. Is she just doing the bucket list to make it up to him that she didn’t choose Berkeley? Elle feels that no matter what she does, somebody is hurt. Where does she really belong? She talks to Chloe who says Noah loves her but maybe the timing is just wrong. Mom Flynn (Molly Ringwald) tells Elle to follow her own passion. Go to a school for her future career, not to please a guy. Rachel breaks up with Lee because she is worried about a long-distance relationship with him. Elle focuses on herself and decides to study video game design at USC!
Mrs. Flynn tells Elle to concentrate on what SHE wantsCourtesy of Netflix
Loose Ends
Mom Flynn decides not to sell the house. Elle gifts her with a modern framed photo of herself, Noah and Lee to match a childhood one. Everyone leaves for school a bit sadder but as friends. Who will end up with whom? Will the gang reunite in the future?
Lee and Rachel have fun before going to different collegesCourtesy of Netflix
Wrapping Up
If you get past the fact that two brothers are selfishly determined to run the life of a girl they claim to care deeply about, you can enjoy this last installment. It’s a celebration of the last summer before our lives change forever and we go to college or into the working world. It is a visual fest as Elle and Lee finish their childhood bucket list of crazy doings before college but when Elle figures out (finally) that her life is really her own and should not be controlled by what two guys she cares about want, the realization seems far overdue.
Lee and Elle work on accomplishing the old bucket listCourtesy of Netflix
A side story of Elle’s being insensitive to her dad’s need to be dating again and her hostility toward the woman he picks seems an unnecessary addition.
Joey King gets to run an emotional spectrum from giddy joy to despair with some flair (ooo, that rhymes). As I watched I wanted to yell “Girl! What do YOU want? Stop trying to please the men in your life!” It seems so obvious. But I did enjoy the pathos of reliving happy childhood moments when you are about to have to leave childhood behind. I went through it before college and, if you haven’t, you will too. Sooo, the film is relatable in that way.
The wrap-up kind of goes overboard to fulfill its goal of a happy ending for all. Without too much of a spoiler, we do see the gang six years after college and wrap up relationships then. Only the Chloe character is omitted in the “six-years-later” scenario which is a bit disappointing.
Summer fun on the pierCourtesy of Netflix
If you have stuck with this series, based upon novels by Beth Reekles, you will no doubt be beyond ready for this final wrap-up. Although Elle’s self-awareness revelation takes way too long in materializing, you should enjoy the silly, fun action and relate and be happy with the way life goes for these teen characters. Only because of that, we can award four stars.
Stick around for bloopers that run under end credits.
The Kissing Booth 3 Movie Rating: 
Courtesy of Netflix
