Once upon a time a debut feature director fell in love with a beloved LGBT romance and agreed to bring its treasured words to the small screen. Despite understandable early scepticism about chemistry and authenticity from BookTok, BookTube and beyond he held his course and now Red, White & Royal Blue is primed to hit Prime and steal the hearts of loyal readers and total strangers alike. Brace yourselves for loveliness!
Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and Prince Henry George Edward James Hanover-Stuart Fox (Nicholas Galitzine) have engaged in a mutual animosity for years. The handsome, headline-hitting young men are considered royalty in their respective homelands with Alex the politically-ambitious son of the first female President of the United States and Henry the philanthropic “spare” heir to the British throne. They ought to share a bond but instead they trade verbal blows.
Prince Henry’s protocol-heavy upbringing has made him better at maintaining a dignified air of cool displeasure but even he can be provoked. When jabs from Alex at a State wedding reception push him over the edge and the two end up doused in (literal) royal icing and disgrace, Henry must join forces with his arrogant foe to convince the world they are old chums before their private dislike turns into a diplomatic incident.
Alex is no keener to play happy royal families than Henry but a tag-team telling off from the President (Uma Thurman) and her straight-talking chief of staff Zahra (Sarah Shahi) hastens him to England. There a series of photo opps and their forced proximity give the rivals the opportunity to fall reluctantly in like and opens the door to a friendship which enriches both their lives and sets the wheels in motion for a life-altering, history-making love story to begin.
Red, White & Royal Blue is an inspiring example of a fluffily romantic M/M Romance making it all the way to our televisions without losing its magic or having the potency of its sex scenes diluted away to nothing. Acclaimed playwright Matthew López has crafted a film with the classic ingredients of a chirpy rom-com, then surprised us by exposing its beautiful vulnerable heart. Red, White & Royal Blue is Nora Ephron-winsome. And we do not invoke her name lightly. We loved it!
Alex and Henry’s evolving connection is cemented by late night Pillow Talk phone calls and it becomes clear that each has been lonely in his own way. Stephen Goldblatt’s cinematography is intimate but not intrusive, matching the relationship’s evolution by drawing ever closer, involving us in their journey (and taking our breath away on a crowded dancefloor). Activism matters, in all forms, and normalising love stories that venture beyond boy meets girl is an essential part of effecting meaningful change.
Red, White & Royal Blue’s bubbly meet cute marketing campaign with its emphasis on queer joy will likely attract plenty of Heartstopper fans to Prime (and offer merciful comfort to its finale-stunned Good Omens following). This is a gentle warning that the movie depicts an adult relationship and not a schoolboy romance therefore the content does subtly tackle more mature themes and situations than previews suggest. The rare authenticity of the love scenes is one of its greatest strengths. Its weakness; a borderline Hallmark aesthetic.
Matthew López and Ted Malawer’s screenplay has rightly condensed the content of Casey McQuiston’s source novel. But one place where this cull is less successful is the loss of Princess Bea’s backstory. Failing to take 40 seconds to reveal why she is empathetic to Henry’s plight is reductive both to her character and the overall picture of the fishbowl existence the siblings are fighting to survive. Bea is left wafting around in floral frocks being supportive. It is a needless misstep for a film which otherwise does a fine job of swerving stereotypes.
Sadly Henry’s flamboyant bestie Percy (Malcolm Atobrah) is another victim of the cull, with limited screentime only giving crumbs of the one true constant and source of sunshine in the Prince’s dark and troubled life. This pruning of Pez and Bea, along with the loss of Alex’s sister also means that audiences will never meet the delightful friendship group which forms around the new couple. Happily, vice-presidential granddaughter Nora (Rachel Hilson) remains as the stand-in for all and offers Alex the straight-talking support he needs but doesn’t always want!
The more subversive, shaking up the system, narrative at the heart of Red, White & Royal Blue arrives cleverly wrapped in a cloud of enemies to lovers candy floss. And a swooningly sweet soundtrack too. Mainstream audiences’ familiarity with the trope will hopefully help it sneak into their affections, ensuring this isn’t the last time we will see a queer fairytale warming hearts and opening minds. With their easy teasing chemistry, winning vulnerability and buckets of charisma, the two leads should guarantee that the inevitable happy ending hits everyone in the feels.
Red, White & Royal Blue will be released on Prime Video on 11th August 2023.
