Opinion: The Kissing Booth is good actually, Jacob Elordi

Australian actor and noted private school graduate Jacob Elordi recently called the rom com that put him on the map “ridiculous”. He should dismiss stuff women enjoy at his peril, Eliza Barr writes.

Jacob Elordi (right), Joey King (centre) and Joel Courtney (left) attend a screening of 'The Kissing Booth' in 2018 before Elordi decided it was ridiculous.

It’s hard to believe in the year of our Lord 2023 that I have to warn a man not to disparage art for women – but here we are again.

Very tall actor and private school graduate Jacob Elordi recently made headlines after telling Variety that The Kissing Booth – the Netflix teen rom com movie series he starred in – was “ridiculous”, “not universal”, and “an escape”.

Firstly, Jacob, those movies put you on the map so I’m sorry that we all really liked the movies that helped you kick off your career? Wow.

One would say it’s a bit rude to insult the audience that gave you your flowers because you starred in something they cared about and enjoyed, but perhaps that’s just me.

Secondly, when Elordi refers to The Kissing Booth as “ridiculous”, I have to wonder if he also thinks male-dominated sports are “ridiculous” or if it’s only art and media for women that aren’t absolutely 100 per cent life or death serious that he apparently finds so silly.

Jacob Elordi in “ridiculous” film The Kissing Booth.

If “ridiculous” and “an escape” is shorthand for entertainment that one personally thinks isn’t changing the world, to be honest basically every single Oscar-winning film is “ridiculous” to me because I find stories about men “going through something” boring. Sorry! (I’m not.)

As for the criticism that The Kissing Booth is “not universal” – I’m just not really clear on the problem here?

Personally I wasn’t married to Elvis (Elordi recently starred as Elvis in the Sofia Coppola film about his wife Priscilla) but are all movies that aren’t specifically about me and my experience just inherently bad now? Because they’re “not universal”?

Jacob Elordi having the not very universal experience of being a rich, famous actor.

Finally: take a look around, my brother in Christ. 2023 is the year of the girl. Haven’t you noticed?

The most all-consuming cultural moments of this entire year have been Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, Beyonce’s Renaissance tour, and the Barbie movie.

Everybody knows that, it’s not up for debate.

(Men’s rights activists loudly disagreeing on the internet is not the opposing side of a debate it’s just a really annoying high pitched sort of squealing noise and it’s best to just ignore it.)

What do they have in common? They, like The Kissing Booth, are about womanhood, growing up, and falling in and out of love (oop, those themes sound a bit universal, don’t they!).

Lots of women showing up to support Jacob Elordi several months before he called a movie they enjoyed "ridiculous”. Picture: Emma Brasier

Above all it’s art, culture and media that tilts significantly more female-centric than male and it has been incredibly successful, beloved, and lucrative.

And it’s proof we have moved well and truly past deriding, diminishing and dismissing art that is geared towards women, and saying that movies for girlies are “ridiculous” is actually pretty passe of you Jacob! Just letting you know!

Art for women isn’t a guilty pleasure. It’s not shallow. It’s not “ridiculous”. It's probably more universal than you realise if you stop looking at things through, uh, whatever lens you’re looking at them through, and if it’s an escape, well – what’s wrong with that? Have you read the news? (I’m a journalist so I have and it’s pretty grim.)

Also when women are really into something they buy merch, they talk about it on social media and they show up in utter droves so if you hate being beloved, successful and rich then by all means, dismiss us and call the things we love “ridiculous”.

See how that works out.