Toxicity In “The Kissing Booth”
Many debates have been had in my friend group over why Netflix’s The Kissing Booth is overrated. Aside from the terribly placed monologues, bad acting, and strange camera shots, The Kissing Booth showcases heavily toxic relationships and passes them off as normal and acceptable behavior. The two teenagers, Elle and Noah, become involved. Before they start dating Noah is possessive, often acting like no one else can date her. This fact is reaffirmed in one of the scenes, when a boy who is interested in Elle informs her that Noah threatens any boys who find her attractive. While threats are a red flag, it also made Elle feel inadequate for years. She had no idea why boys steered clear of her or why she never had a boyfriend. Another example of Noah’s toxicity is in a scene which takes place during a high school bonfire. Elle becomes upset because Noah was seemingly flirting with a nearby girl. As Elle starts to leave the bonfire, Noah follows her in attempt to explain the situation. But, Elle does not want to talk and needs space to clear her head. Not accepting Elle’s silence and visibly upset body language, Noah slams his fist into the car and demands she gets in. Reluctantly and tentatively, Elle complies.
As if the vitriolic behavior of Noah is not enough, Elle has another harmful relationship. This one, however, is a platonic friendship with her best friend, Lee. Lee and Elle have a list of rules which they have followed since childhood in order to insure a thriving friendship. But when Elle breaks the rule against dating Noah, she hides it from Lee. Eventually, her secret escapes and instead of Lee understanding and realizing childish rules are less important than Elle, Lee’s reaction is explosive. He walks out and doesn’t talk to Elle for what seems like weeks, possibly months.
On the other hand, Elle’s reaction to being involved with harmful relationships is to become highly insecure. Throughout the second film, Elle is unhappy in the relationship despite having feelings for Noah. The gathering insecurity within Elle expands in the second film and boils over when Noah gets a female friend in college named Chloe. While insecurity is understandable with long distance relationships, snooping through your partner’s phone and personal belongings is never a good sign. When Elle finds an earring on the floor of Noah’s bedroom, she assumes it is Chloe’s. And then, when Chloe text Noah, Elle scrolls through and starts packing her belongings. In a healthy and trusting relationship, this scene would have played out much different. Elle would have waited for Noah and asked him about the earring and trusted in his response. Suffice to say, The Kissing Booth is a terrible example of a relationship to set in the mainstream media.