How many movies does it take to tell a story about high school senior Elle Evans (Joey King) trying to decide whether to honor her friendship to lifelong bestie Lee (Joel Courtney) or break the “rules” by dating his smoking-hot older brother, Noah (Jacob Elordi)? If you’re Netflix — the content factory that milked “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” for its full trilogy potential — then the answer is three, obviously. Except the makers of “The Kissing Booth” didn’t have a solid book series to fall back on, nor a compelling romantic rivalry to stretch across multiple movies.

What they did have was the data to suggest audiences wanted more. I too wanted more — less of the same, but a little substance for a change. How great would it be if Elle found enough self-respect to pursue her own dreams, rather than deciding her future according to which...