Red, White & Royal Blue Movie Review: Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine’s Impeccable Chemistry Can’t Save This Fairly Basic and Safe Romcom (LatestLY Exclusive)

Red, White & Royal Blue Movie Review: Red, White & Royal Blue, directed by Matthew Lopez, is essentially a lighthearted romcom that falls short in trying to be more. The film excels at romance and comedy, but what it lacks is an acute sense of drama that it kept building up to but never delivered. As a result, the film actually hurts itself a little because there is some food for thought that is just left on the plate. Red, White & Royal Blue Review: Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine’s Movie Receives Positive Response From Critics.

Based on the Casey McQuiston novel of the same name, Red, White & Royal Blue sees the First Son of the USA – Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) – and the British Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) form a fabricated friendship to protect diplomatic relationships when the two get into a mishap at a publicised event. Growing close while trying to act as friends, the two develop feelings for each other and eventually fall in love.

The relationship between Alex and Henry is what makes Red, White & Royal Blue so fascinating. With the American being a loudmouth and the English man being more restrained and posh, their characters effectively fall into stereotypes, but this adds to the dynamic they offer to the movie. The scenes that they share at times do feel extremely genuine and heartfelt, and their exchanges have this amusing banter that keeps things moving.

The performances of Perez and Galitzine elevate this beautiful, burgeoning relationship, and Red, White & Royal Blue is at its best over here. The supporting cast is entertaining as well, with big names like Stephen Fry and Uma Thurman lending the film some much-needed star power. However, Red, White & Royal Blue starts losing steam when you pull away from the romance and dig deep into what the film is presenting you.

Watch the Trailer:

The second half significantly kills the mood, even though the first half is amusing. The film doesn't offer much because it ends up adhering to the romcom concept to a T. The movie is progressive for an LGBTQ+ story, but it falls short of offering a more satisfying viewing experience. Red, White & Royal Blue suffers when it becomes weighed down by some rather conventional plot techniques.

It keeps building up to conflicts that don’t come across. Both Alex and Henry have very distinct coming-out narratives, and the movie offers a chance to explore that which simply never happens. Red, White & Royal Blue's tendency to jump from scene to scene quickly is largely to blame for this, which subsequently dulls the central relationship. Red, White, & Royal Blue Trailer: Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine Turn From Public Frenemies to Secret Lovers in Prime Video's Queer Romcom (Watch Video).

Too often, Red, White & Royal Blue has an unappealing aesthetic, resembling a CW soap opera (which made all the more sense after seeing it was produced by Greg Berlanti). The movie is unavoidably reminiscent of a Riverdale episode, and occasionally the dialogue further ensures that association throughout the duration of the movie.

Final Thoughts

Red, White & Royal Blue is merely a standard romcom that never quite manages to be more. The leads' performances are certainly endearing, but the drama in the movie is what really falls flat. For those who just want to see a budding romance, then Red, White & Royal Blue is for you, but don't go in anticipating anything more. Red, White & Royal Blue is streaming on Amazon Prime Video right now.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 11, 2023 04:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).