It’s been over 20 years since “The Princess Diaries” delighted readers of all ages with its big heart and royal intrigue. 2017 brought the low-budget charms of “The Christmas Prince” onto Netflix (three films and counting). The latest royal romance — based on the beloved bestseller by Casey McQuiston, who executive produces here — is a delight that gives rom-com fans all the trope-y moments they crave: Embarrassing karaoke scenes! Jane Austen references! Declarations of love while wearing a wet shirt due to rain! “Red, White, & Royal Blue” is a hopeful, fresh twist on a genre that should charm both fans of the book as well as anyone who enjoys a frothy love tale.
The story follows Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) the son of the current president of the United States (Uma Thurman, landing on an exaggerated Texas accent) and his arch nemesis, England’s Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine). At a royal wedding, a literal push comes to shove and the papers report the duo are feuding. Due to forthcoming international manufacturing treaties — don’t worry about it — they must make nice for the cameras so there aren’t any U.S./U.K. diplomacy issues. When the two wind up shoved in a closet together following a make-nice appearance at a children’s hospital (trope alert!) a different kind of sparks begin to fly. Neither are out, and given their respective public roles, a whole host of issues arise before these college-aged guys can get to their potential happily ever after.
Leave aside the hokey opening moments. The best part of this faithful adaptation, directed by Matthew López and written by López and Ted Malawer, is the tentative getting-to-know-you flirtatious scenes that expertly capture the sometimes-awkward thrill of realizing just how much you like someone. It’s a smart choice by Lopez to deploy the now-du jour on-screen text bubbles for their fumbling messages, and a smarter one still to physically place the two in the same spaces as they correspond back and forth, including in bed together as the rest of the world metaphorically falls away. Perez in particular is excellent here, showcasing a real charisma and excitement that all onscreen romantic heroes require.
Speaking of romantic, part of the reason the book became a viral sensation was its steamy love scenes between the beleaguered prince and the optimistic First Son. Those moments survive mostly intact. Much has been written about the dearth of sex scenes at the movies these days, and while perhaps not quite as many in number here as do in the novel, the script does great work showing all kinds of first intimacies.
It’s a pleasure to watch two characters fumble through all the charged bedroom commentary about preferences, and — at least once — the camera does’t just cut to The Morning After, as it does in so many YA adaptations. The scenes are hot, and the film relishes it. (Though marketing suggests a YA bent, the book was very much an adult romance novel.) This is all the more exciting given that sex scenes between men in coming-of-age mainstream tales are still rare. It’ll be a treat when this is common enough to not be remarked upon, but for now, watching two charming guys is a sweet treat.
The movie loses a bit of steam — in both senses of the word — as it goes. As Alex is grappling with the struggles of being in a long-distance, clandestine relationship, his mom is running for reelection and amateur politico Alex thinks up a new strategy wherein the campaign should divert resources from the midwest to his home state of Texas. In the novel, this subplot is a moving exploration of identity that also gives this frothy fantasy some heft. Here, while admirable, none of the moments are ever engaging enough to not just wish we were back watching our young lovers together. Thurman’s best moments as the first female president of the United States aren’t strategy sessions, it’s when she goes full overbearing, well-intentioned mom on her struggling child. Ditto an underdeveloped British royal family (including Stephen Fry as the king), which looks and feels like any knockoff TV palace stuffed with stuffy royals.
But these are certainly quibbles for those of us who enjoy mainlining sleepover-standard royal movies such as “The Prince & Me.” The film is straightforward and radiates TV movie production values, but viewers could do worse than spend a few hours escaping our current 2023 hellscape with this feel-good fantasy where politicians do the right thing, gerrymandering can be taken care of in just one quick montage, a well-timed optimistic speech cures homophobia, and sometimes, true love really can conquer all.
Grade: B
“Red, White & Royal Blue” begins streaming on Prime Video on Friday. August 11.
