Elle Evans is a lively high school student who has never been kissed. She runs a school kissing booth with Lee Flynn, her best friend since childhood. The booth brings her first kiss with Noah Flynn, Lee’s older brother and the school’s popular bad boy. Elle and Noah hide their romance while Elle tries to protect her friendship with Lee.
The movie uses a bright, silly teen rom-com tone with parties, school events, dance games, fights, and a costume party. Elle faces jealousy, secret dating, and the fear that love may end her closest friendship. Noah’s anger, fighting, and controlling behavior are treated as part of his bad-boy appeal, while Elle keeps choosing what she wants. The story ends with Elle and Noah accepting a long-distance relationship as he leaves for college.
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Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Kissing Booth.
Woke representation / casting
Not present. Casting uses mostly white leads and limited diverse supporting roles that fit a standard American high school rom-com premise and source material; no visible identity signaling, race swaps, or DEI emphasis to audiences.
0%
Woke political dialogue
Not present. Dialogue stays on school rules, personal crushes, jealousy, friendship pacts, and young love with no activist language or social justice themes.
0%
Identity-driven story themes
Not present. Core story follows classic forbidden romance and loyalty conflicts in a light teen drama structure without identity politics, representation arcs, or modern social messaging.
0%
Western institutional / cultural critique
Not present. Scenes show possessiveness and fights within a traditional bad-boy romance trope; the film offers no activist-style critiques of patriarchy, masculinity, family norms, or Western institutions.
0%
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. this is an original contemporary story with no legacy characters or canon alterations.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Not present. Backlash centered on regressive relationship portrayals and clichés from feminist or quality perspectives; no documented complaints that the film pushes woke, DEI, or identity politics.
0%
Creator track record context
Key creatives focus on commercial teen romance entertainment with no documented history of activist, political, or identity-driven work across their careers.
3%
Production
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