5 times ‘The Kissing Booth 2’ resonated with our real life struggles on adulting

After the success of its first installment, The Kissing Booth is back with a sequel that would surely set your young hearts on fire and would make you reminisce on those personal struggles of adulting. 

Premiered last July 24 on Netflix, TKB 2 gathers the teens, the rom-com enthusiasts, and the young hearts alike in us to catch the rush of what it feels like to be young again!

But what is it exactly that makes this feel-good movie a very relatable one? We then enumerate the five times it identifies with our real life struggles on adulting.

The time when Elle (Joey King’s character) struggled into writing her college entrance essays.

While Philippine universities in general do not require an essay before accepting future students, applicants go through the same nerve-wracking experience during college entrance exams when every bit of their acquired knowledge is put into test. As she tries so badly to make a good impression through writing, we can’t help but relate when we pull countless all-nighters reviewing for the exam, which we believe is the sure ticket to admission to the school.

When Elle’s father (Stephen Jennings), Mike told her that he is financially incapable of sending her to a prestigious school so she decides to join a dance competition to fund her studies.

We can all agree that graduating from a reputable school paves the way for a promising career in the future, but it would cost you a good sum of money in the process. Though Elle’s motivation for getting into Harvard may not be the ideal [i.e. following her boyfriend, Noah’s (Jacob Elordi) footsteps], she still showed a great determination to alleviate her father’s financial burden by joining a dance competition to help him fund her studies. Such a scenario mirrored numerous inspiring stories of our financially-struggling Filipino students who never gave up on their dreams and persevered. Take John Eric Dagos for example!

The time Elle finally had the courage to confront Marco (Taylor Zakhar Perez’s character) about their short-lived romance and tell him her true feelings.

We can’t help but cry our hearts out for Marco when Elle rejected their budding romance and chose to still go after her old beau, Noah. While we feel deeply for Marco, we also admire Elle’s honesty that led to clarification and even closure for the two. In one way or another, we are faced with the same dilemma of having to confront a person regardless of how painful the outcome would be. Such troublesome experiences are inevitable, but the growth and maturity that comes after is surely worth it.

When Noah eventually admitted to Elle the true reason why he and Chloe (Maisie Richardson-Sellers’s character) started hanging out and became close.

A turning point in his character, Noah finally comes to terms with his weaknesses and admits to Elle his underperformance in studies and how it negatively took a toll on his ability to socialize. Luckily, Chloe, his newfound friend, was there to help him get back on track and make new friends. Being aware of one’s weaknesses and accepting them is already a good indicator of maturity, but more so admitting them to someone special. It is in our most vulnerable where we discover the real people whom we can depend on and draw strength from. Lucky you, Noah! You got these two gorgeous ladies!

The time when Elle wanted to make amends with Lee (Joel Courtney’s character) after fighting over Thanksgiving Day and found him in the arcade.

Probably one of the most heartfelt scenes in the movie, it encapsulated moments of forgiveness, reconciliation, acceptance, and outgrowing old habits. Lee finally understands that their made-up rules should not limit Elle from making crucial life choices (i.e. her Harvard application), while Elle realizes how her behavior towards Lee and his girlfriend, Rachel (Meganne Young’s character) slowly ruined their relationship. While we do not wish to hurt people especially our loved ones, we recognize that our shortcomings may inevitably do. But instead of harboring feelings of hatred and resentment, understanding where people are coming from speaks volumes about our character. When we choose to forgive and forget, we allow love and peace to reign – and that is indeed a hell ride of adulting! Way to go, fella!