In this Red, White & Royal Blue movie review, we will share our thoughts about the movie. Is it worth seeing? Is the film a good novel adaptation? Let’s find out more.
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Introduction to Red, White & Royal Blue movie
Red, White, and Royal Blue is based on the New York Times’ best-selling debut by Casey McQuiston. The book depicts LGBTQ+ characters in young-adult novels. The story follows a love story between two young men in their early twenties, which affects U.S.-British relations.
The chemistry between the two leads was terrific, and the movie did a great job of bringing the novel to life. It was an enjoyable watch, perfect for a night in. Additionally, we loved the dynamic between the two main characters and how their relationship evolved throughout the film.
Red, White & Royal Blue movie review pluses
Amazon’s “Red, White & Royal Blue” portrays a romantic relationship between the son of a U.S. president and a British prince, with a progressive political message.
Playwright Matthew López makes his directing debut with the film, which filters issues of coming out to one’s family through the prism of two of the world’s most under-the-microscope families.
Getting to that, though, requires overcoming a somewhat awkward start, as Britain’s Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) and presidential progeny Alex Claremont-Diaz ( Taylor Zakhar Perez) dislike each other. And when they’re at a royal banquet, it ends in an enormous scandal.
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Alex and Henry must have faced a challenging situation, balancing their emotions and political pressures. Witnessing how characters’ relationships can transform throughout a book or movie is fascinating. We’re relieved Alex and Henry finally discovered love and acceptance despite their hurdles.
As complications go, few match those that the prince faces since the life of a Royal is essentially built around being displayed as an object of public curiosity. Yet Alex has his issues, including his desire to be taken seriously as a contributor to his mom’s campaign, despite the skepticism of her aide (Sarah Shahi), who, like most others, sees him as a handsome party boy.
Like many screen romances, the attraction is only as good as the obstacles thrown at the couple. In this case, those stand out. As Henry notes, having grown up hiding who he is, the thought of entering the spotlight through the lens of politics would force him to “trade one prison for another.”
In that respect, as well as its handling of sex, the movie is a bit more adult than most Y.A. titles; otherwise, “Red, White & Royal Blue” is at its core a fairy-tale romance – only where the challenge isn’t the customary wicked stepmother or evil witch, but instead what happens when true love finds two princes, not one.
Red, White & Royal Blue movie review Minuses
Henry believes that he cannot be in a public relationship. In this case, the reason for their fight needed to be more developed.
We’ve heard Henry discuss his fears and concerns about whether his private life ever became public. Still, we only see moments that allow us to understand that it’s his reality after the fight when the emails leaked.
Something that would’ve helped is if we had spent more time with Henry in England when he’s not with Alex. AAlex’slife outside of their romance is a big film focus, as the secondary storyline is the PPresident’sreelection campaign and Alex’srole in it.
But Henry doesn’t get the same ” ain character” treatment. We spend time with Henry and his family only after the fight, which is a shame. It would’ve allowed us to get to know him (and fall in love with him) even more.
Final wordings
We loved the movie “Red, White & Royal Blue”! Furthermore, it was a solid novel adaptation and did justice to Alex and Henry’s love story. Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine were perfectly cast and had great chemistry. The movie was funny and easy to watch, perfect for a two-hour pleasure. Overall, we highly recommend it and would love to hear other people’s thoughts in the comments below.
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Feature photo: ©Amazon Prime