TL;DR – A perfectly fine rom-com, but the narrative never gets beyond the surface level.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this film.

Red, White & Royal Blue Review –

While some might find them sappy, I will openly admit that I love a good rom-com, especially an excellent political rom-com like Dave or The American President. In fact, I have not seen one of these in quite a while, so when I heard there was a new one out on Amazon, well, I had to check it out.

So to set the scene, we are in London at Westminster Abby, where Prince Philip (Thomas Flynn), the future King, has married his childhood friend Martha (Bridget Benstead). But this is not the heart of the story because also in attendance is Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), his sister Princess Beatrice (Ellie Bamber), the son of the President of America Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and the granddaughter of the Vice President, Nora Holleran (Rachel Hilson). Henry and Alex intensely dislike each other, shenanigans occur, and oh, is that a falling cake and a forced fake press damage control tour?  

Well, how does this work as a rom-com? It works just fine. I think you will be able to see the rough parameters of the film going in. Two people don’t like each other, they are then forced into close proximity where feelings form until a calamity tests their love. This would be a very boilerplate narrative if not for who the two leads are. Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez work well together, which is essential given the story. However, I think it was some of the supporting characters played by Sarah Shahi, Aneesh Sheth, and Akshay Khanna who really got to shine.

There was much of the production that I did like. For example, the film represented two people conversing over the phone without needing to always use a series of text bubbles and awkward insert shots. There are many of these moments where the film dips into the almost fantasy-reality world where people fall away, and our protagonists remain. It is an interesting stylistic choice, and it works. A plethora of wonderful sets and locations also helped elevate the film. Filming in the UK gives you access to lavender gardens and tree archways that make anything pop. Though there were a few moments when they used digital sets where you could tell they needed more time with the compositing.  

One problem with the film is that I never bought into the central premise, oh, that two people would mess up and have to do an awkward press tour where they fall in love, that I buy. That the kid of a President and a long-term Senator would feel out of place in a wealthy and privileged world just does not pass the pub test. I think part of this is the film uses ‘Prince of England’ and ‘Son of the President’ to do a lot of heavy lifting on the personality front. So, what we get is only a surface-level story that never reaches the depths it aims for. Dabbling in the world of our current monarchy but not committing to having any more than a token comment on it.    

In the end, do we recommend Red, White & Royal Blue? Well, I think you know if a film about the son of the president and the prince of England is one that you want to watch. I would have liked to see more substance to the story, and there is a lot of handwaving of realities going on, but it is nevertheless a solid story with interesting characters. If you liked Red, White & Royal Blue, we would recommend to you Red, White & Brass.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Red, White & Royal Blue?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Red, White & Royal Blue
Directed by – Matthew Lopez
Screenplay by – Matthew Lopez & Ted Malawer
Based on – Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Music by – Drum & Lace
Cinematography by – Stephen Goldblatt
Edited by – Kristina Hetherington & Nick Moore
Production/Distribution Companies – Amazon Studios, Berlanti-Schechter Films & Amazon Prime
Starring – Taylor Zakhar Perez, Nicholas Galitzine, Uma Thurman, Clifton Collins Jr., Stephen Fry, Sarah Shahi, Rachel Hilson, Ellie Bamber, Thomas Flynn, Malcolm Atobrah, Akshay Khanna, Sharon D. Clarke, Aneesh Sheth, Juan Castano, Bridget Benstead & Jemma Redgrave with Rachel Maddow,
Rating – Australia: M;