Despite unfavourable reviews, Joey King still enjoys the Kissing Booth movies

The Kissing Booth Trilogy

Despite the unfavorable reviews, Joey King says she still loves The Kissing Booth movies. Based on Beth Reekles' novels of the same name, The Kissing Booth franchise debuted on Netflix in 2018 and was followed by two movies, The Kissing Booth 2 in 2020 and The Kissing Booth 3 in 2021.

Plot

The YA love story is centered on King's quirky Shelly "Elle" Evans, who defies her closest friend Lee Flynn (Joel Courtney) by dating his elder brother Noah (Jacob Elordi). The films examine the trio's complex interaction, following Elle and Noah's turbulent relationship and their struggles with finding love and maturing.

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Infamous Netflix Series

In terms of streaming figures, the Kissing Booth trilogy was a success, and Netflix frequently listed the films as some of its most-watched releases. Nevertheless, despite its success, the movie series received negative reviews, in part because of its perceived repetition of plotlines and reluctance to delve into the characters' lives outside of their romantic adventures. The use of rom-com clichés and misogynistic stereotypes was criticized, and critics also noted that The Kissing Booth 3, the franchise's final film, failed to provide a mature and sincere finale.

King loved playing Elle's character

King admitted to The Independent U.K. that she still feels strongly about The Kissing Booth trilogy despite the criticism. The actress loved playing Elle and is pleased with her performance in the movies. The King acknowledged their unfavorable reaction but assured her that she would "never regret" her efforts on them.

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Her Remark

“I couldn’t be prouder of those movies. I loved them so much and playing that character made me happy. I’ll never regret those movies, and I love them so much no matter what anyone says.”

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Criticized

The Kissing Booth trilogy got a lot of criticism, but there is no denying that the series contributed to King's rise to stardom. Of course, the actress had already established herself as a rising star before agreeing to feature in The Kissing Booth movies, thanks to her work in Wish I Was Here and The Dark Knight Rises. However, the actress's breakout performance in Elle propelled her to stardom.

Hollywood's adored actress

She became one of Hollywood's most adored young actresses as a result of her performance in the movies, landing roles in the current Brad Pitt-starring movie Bullet Train as well as the Emmy-nominated miniseries The Act.

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Proud of her work

King's admiration and pride for her role in The Kissing Booth trilogy make sense given that, despite the films' negative reviews, she consistently received acclaim for her performances. Elle was given life by King, and Elle deserves appreciation for the way she captured the development of her character.

Conclusion

While the Kissing Booth films were never able to stand out from their genre peers, this does not diminish the acting prowess of the cast. Even though the scripts for King, Elordi, and Courtney's characters weren't the best, they still managed to deliver compelling performances that made the movies sparkle. King is grateful for the opportunity The Kissing Booth trilogy gave her, and she should be since the movies are among the actress' most well-known works.