Red, White and Royal Blue
‘It’s like there’s a rope attached to my chest, and it keeps pulling me towards you.’
Any regular readers of my reviews knew there’d be a strong chance that I’d like this movie, right? A based-on-a-book romantic comedy with the enemies to lovers trope? Sign me up! Based on Casey Mcquiston’s 2019 viral book sensation – arguably one of founding pillars of BookTok – it was inevitable that a film adaptation would follow. What would be less certain, however, is how good it would be. And the verdict? A rather charming adaptation that follows the heart (if, perhaps advisably, not the full plot) of the original novel.
Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) is the son of the president of the USA, Ellen Claremont (Uma Thurman). The world’s eyes are constantly upon him, and they like what they see – he’s warm, witty and personable. The only person who is seemingly immune to his charms is Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) who happens to be a British Prince. The pair become a source of gossip at the wedding of Henry’s older brother, the heir to the throne, when a cake-tastrophe occurs. Their respective advisors decide the only thing to fix things would be to stage a friendship between the pair. False platitudes quickly become real, and something far deeper than either of them ever expected forms. But can their love really be possible?
Mcquiston developed the book during the 2016 US Presidential elections, and it’s not hard to see why. There’s a hopefulness in the story being told and the world in which it resides. This is not our world currently, but maybe it could be. One day. And, for the film’s two hours runtime, we get to immerse ourselves in a world that is supportive, optimistic and LGBTQ+ friendly.
The film’s central romance between Henry and Alex is so joyful to follow, believable how it grows from texts and emails (surely some of the most realistic representation of young people using phones we’ve had in a long time!) to a deep and supportive intimacy that both surprises and scares them. In an age where romantic comedies feel increasingly PG (this scene from 2019’s Isn’t It Romantic sums it up beautifully) there’s a wonderful tactile quality to proceedings here. The use of touch between them, form the quieter moments to some surprisingly tender and sexy sex scenes. The rapport between Zakhar Perez and Galiztine is key to making their relationship so believable, there’s a palpable want and desire between their characters which writer-director Matthew López‘s dialogue expresses so swooningly. It ‘s also fiercly funny as well as romantic, packed full of laughs and funny moments. MVP has to go to Sarah Shahi as the Chief of Staff, who steals every scene she is in.
All-in-all, this is a sugary cinematic treat and an excellent addition to the (much-needed) growing number of gay romcoms.
[3.5/5 stars]
Red, White and Royal Blue is available on Prime Video from Friday 11th August.
Charlotte Sometimes 