Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Let’s get this straight: the 2023 movie “Red, White & Royal Blue” is not your typical romantic flick; rather, it’s a fluffy fantasy love story. Fantasy… because America has a woman President, and there’s a grand romance afoot between America’s first son and a British Prince who is second in line to the throne. So the unsaid expectation from viewers is to suspend practical notions about the plot.
Based on the novel of the same name by Casey McQuiston, “Red, White & Royal Blue” stars Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez as British Prince Henry and U.S. President’s son Alex Claremont-Diaz, respectively. The film opens with lavish wedding celebrations at Buckingham Palace, where Henry and Alex openly express disdain for each other, leading to a mishap when they accidentally crash into the gigantic wedding cake, making global headlines. To rectify the situation, the two are compelled to make public appearances together, pretending to be best buddies. As the two get to know each other, a possible romance brews. But it’s obviously not going to be easy sailing for two public personalities who are constantly in the limelight, and Alex needs to be extra cautious as his mother’s (Uma Thurman) re-election campaign is ongoing.
Nicholas Galitzine is no stranger to portraying royalty, having played Prince Charming in the 2021 Cinderella movie, and he is pitch perfect as Prince Henry in “Red, White & Royal Blue.” He masterfully captures the charm and sensitivity of the character, adding substantial depth to the film with his nuanced performance. On the other hand, Taylor Zakhar Perez’s portrayal of Alex falls somewhat short, possibly due to the character’s generic American stereotypical nature in the writing. Definitely out of a mushy romance novel written for young readers.
Since the leads are dashingly handsome, and the cinematography glitzy, bright and beautiful, it will easily blind most viewers into not noticing a lot of the cheesy dialogues that made me stop and pause and go “realllyyyy?!!!”. The leads are meant to be highly educated young men in their twenties, with one of them trained from birth to excel in eloquent verbal deliveries. However, the dialogues come across as immature and superficial, not reflecting the sophistication expected of their characters. And yes, the plot is unrealistic itself, but better written exchanges would’ve elevated this production to an entire different level. It’s hard not to compare “Red, White & Royal Blue” to the Netflix series “Young Royals”, which deals with similar themes, but the dialogues are more authentic.
Uma Thurman is engaging as U.S President Ellen Clarement, a loud political Texan who loves her son unconditionally. Her scenes with Alex is filled with warmth, and the duo deliver some memorable mother-son moments. Rachel Hilson has a small-sweet cameo as Alex’s best-friend Nora Holleran, and even though she wasn’t immediately recognizable due to a gorgeous new hairdo, as soon as she begins to speak a little, viewers will remember her as the compassionate Mia Brooks from “Love, Victor”. With an almost 2-hour runtime, most supporting characters don’t get much space to shine; it is, after all, Henry and Alex’s story. This is great for those of us who enjoy romances with razor-sharp focus on the lead pair. However, after an engrossing first half, the script becomes predictable, and the dialogues start to lose their sheen. Fortunately, a well-written speech by Alex’s character saves the day, and we are treated to a joyously big happy ending!
Will you get misty-eyed? Perhaps. It’s an extravagantly sumptuous romantic flick and definitely worth watching.
Rating: 7 on 10. Stream “Red, White & Royal Blue” on Prime Video.
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