When I signed into my Netflix account and caught the first few moments of The Kissing Booth splash across my screen, I thought the Netflix original movie seemed like a great option for older kids on a rainy day. It had all the makings of a quirky romantic comedy — and seemed like a pretty tame option at first. But, boy, was I wrong.
From a parent's point of view, the trailer is the epitome of misleading: it seems like a relatively innocent love story that mimics the classic storyline of an older, handsome jock falling for the younger nerd. That's true from a larger perspective, but when it comes to The Kissing Booth, the devil is in the details.
The story follows Shelly "Elle" Evans, who's played by Joey King (you may recognise her from Ramona and Beezus) and Lee Flynn (Joel Courtney), who have been besties since birth. Everything seems to be running smoothly until the characters' hormones start to kick in, and Elle catches the eye of Lee's handsome older brother, Noah (Jacob Elordi).
Throw in a school fundraiser that requires a kissing booth and a little bit of sneaking around on Noah and Elle's part and you have a recipe for disaster as far as high school relationships are concerned. And while The Kissing Booth may make for a hilarious date night, we'd recommend that parents keep their kids away from this flick even though it's technically rated TV-14.
Here are the most concerning aspects that make this one a pass for parents. And on the off-chance that you cave and let your kids watch it because all their friends have seen it, make sure you discuss sexual assault and underage drinking with them beforehand.