While adaptations are few and far between to come by, a classic retelling is always difficult to recreate. Matthew López’s “Red, White & Royal Blue” quickly dispels this notion in the first few minutes itself. Adapted from Casey Mcquiston’s book of the same name, the film revolves around the whirlwind romance between Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the First Son of the United States, and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), the spare to the British Crown. The novel became hugely popular because of the flirty banter between these two obnoxious characters who are uniquely divergent, yet loveable and vulnerable in their own ways. If you have read the original content, you will appreciate the slow burn romance between Alex and Henry, which briskly touches on the most important questions faced by the queer community. The movie takes these points into consideration while developing a love story that essentially celebrates Alex and Henry’s relationship. As such, let’s sit down and list our favorite moments as we reminisce about this beautiful movie; truly a film for one & all!

Krishna Naidu

“You’re gonna stay at least 500 feet away from me for the rest of the night. Then at midnight, you’re gonna come to my room on the second floor of the residence where I’m going to do some very bad things to you.”

This is probably one of my favorite quotes from the novel “Red, White & Royal Blue”. And to see this dialogue manifest into reality was a totally jarring, yet an unforgettable experience.

The movie does miss out on quite a few important bits and pieces (read characters), so you will regret not watching Alex’s sweet relationship with his sister, June; or his emotional bonding with mentor, Senator Rafael Luna. The film will either leave the loyal fans devastated or transport them to a new realm where the focus is entirely on the main protagonists, Alex & Henry. The irreconcilable contrast is inevitable; adapting 400 pages into an actual fiction is a tough call to make. Director López’s attempts to absorb the original essence (as much as possible) are indeed praiseworthy, buy concessions had to be made. The movie entirely subjugates to portraying the “Enemies to Lover’s” journey between Alex & Henry. The recognizable differences barely register, because the film is a 2 hours fun fest where our unruly couple only have enough time to figure out things between each other. Matthew López does his best at creating a world where Alex and Henry gravitate towards each other with the same intensity and passion as their textbook versions. Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine literally live and breathe their characters; their chemistry is electrifying, there is never a dull moment. The way Taylor’s eyes sparkle when he is looking at Nicholas will make you swoon. Nicholas, on the other hand, embraces the somber nuances of his character; as he portrays the restrained lifestyle of a British Prince who is bound by royal customs and traditions.

There are so many spell bounding moments between these two characters, that it would probably take three or four hours to watch this film in one go (you will understand if you were rewatching the same scenes again & again, while squealing like a fool). Starting from their flirtatious texts, to first kiss (which signals Alex’s confusion about his feelings) to their tasteful sex scenes, the movie redefines intimacy in the most rustic way possible. So, a special shout out to the haters who said that Taylor and Nicholas don’t have chemistry. YOU ARE WRONG. They have chemistry in spades and some more to spare.

If you have been anticipating this movie (the way I did), then you wouldn’t be disappointed. You just need to remove your rose-tinted glasses and stop comparing the film to the book. You will enjoy it much better than. Simply look at it with new eyes and the transpiring romance will be on your hit list!

Drama_Llama

Watching two people learn to accept themselves while falling in love is beautiful. Finding truth in each other and themselves while trying to navigate individual cultures and traditional values is empowering.

That’s the beauty and power Red, White, and Royal Blue brings to the screen. It follows the son of the American President, Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), and the British spare to the throne, Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) as they fall into a fun and endearing enemies-to-lovers romance under the prying public eye.

Adapted from the novel by Casey McQuiston, there will be a lot of readers who will point out the differences between the page and the film. But the most important thing a screen adaptation can do, especially when transplanting an over 400-page book into visual media, is to maintain what makes it powerful.

Like a bullet point presentation that focuses on the highlights.

While modified to fit a condensed format, Red, White, And Royal Blue truly maintains the novel’s essence and the beauty of a love story that holds onto itself and doesn’t let go. It felt good to hold onto that love with them.

It also beautifully shatters the wall of shame homophobia is determined to shove at same-sex romance. All while offering moments that those who haven’t found the support they crave can cling to.

As beautiful as the love story is, the coming-out sofa scene between Alex and his mother stands out the most. It’s vital to offer scenes of parental acceptance on screen to those in the community who didn’t find acceptance. It gives them a parent to look up to and a voice to cling to in a world where they are spiraling.

The only truth we’re bound by is our own.

And that’s the message this film delivers.

Red, White, and Royal Blue did what fiction does best. It throws away the chains we all feel bound by. It turns the real world into the world we wish we lived in. The kind of world we can throw a middle finger up at while still wanting to change it. The kind of world that we can break away from when it starts to choke us.

It’s impossible not to throw politics into a love story between two men tied to their countries. But beyond that, and beyond however you view politics, is the need to push for equality, acceptance, and love.

And for that, Red, White, and Royal Blue delivers.

PotatoBLChild

I had been waiting for this movie for so long, and it delivered.

Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue was among my top ten reads during the pandemic. The book was dear to me, mainly because of how much fun I have with the ‘rivals/enemies-to-lovers’ trope in general. Seeing Alex and Henry’s characters come to life through Taylor and Nicholas’ portrayals of them made me feel like the movie was worth the wait.

Of course, adapting a more-than-five-hundred-pages-long book into a movie that is barely two-hour-long movie certainly has its limitations. It almost felt like I’d gone through the plot once again, this time at 10x speed. Viewers who have not read the book before (my friend who’d watched the movie with me, for instance) may find that parts of the film more disconnected than those who are familiar with the books, who have a better idea of the context in which a situation in the arises. The movie also seemed to need a bit more in terms of editing for a smoother viewing experience.

However, it was still pretty good production-wise, with all the actors giving their hundred percent. While Queerness is at the heart of the plot, just as in the book, even the tiniest of things, including switching from English to Spanish and the like, made the movie more intersectional. Most of the issues I had with the movie (which were very few) were just me nit-picking to find things to discuss. Overall, the film opens up some great conversations, is very gay, has bi-representation, and talks about it (along with notions about trans lives and gender identities). Also, supportive family members and friends for the win!

Sarinpai

What happens when the First Son of the United States and the Prince of Britain fall in love? A romcom full of fluff.

I defended the movie adaptation of Red, White & Royal Blue when the trailer first came out, saying that even if it seemed ‘cringe’ or ‘cheesy’, queer media where the characters end up having their happy ever after deserve as much to be made as the ‘treat your gays like shit and bury them’ media. As much as the movie was cheesy, it was also so happy and hopeful and beautiful, and it’s all thanks to Alex and Henry, played by Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine respectively, carrying the movie on their shoulders. Their chemistry together is off the charts, both in the lighter moments of banter, and in the emotional moments where their positions and realities come to haunt their relationship.

The one thing that stood out for me negatively were the accents. I understand the need to have them, since Alex’s Texan background is crucial to his role, but the accents are all over the place, and a bit distracting at times. While Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex foregoes the Texan drawl, his mother, President Ellen (played by Uma Thurman) overcompensates in her exaggerated accent. But do take my commentary with a grain of salt, since as a non-American, I’m not the biggest expert on American accents.

Fans of the book, don’t go into it hoping for a completely faithful adaptation. For logistic reasons I presume, Alex’s sister, stepfather (the whole subplot about his parents being divorced actually), and Rafael are some characters cut out, and the politics, at least the electoral kind, is given a backseat in favour of the romance. Which I honestly found myself not minding. If there was a choice, between rushing through the romance to cover everything, and having the focus on Alex and Henry by pushing the subplots to the back burner, I know what I would choose every time.

Watch it. Watch it when you’re sad to lift you up. Watch it when you’re happy to become happier. Watch it on a rainy day to feel comforted. Watch it right now.

Reveeiws

RWRB is such a charming, classic romcom in which a Prince of England (Prince Henry) and the “First Son” of America i.e. the President’s son (Alex), who seemingly dislike each other realize their feelings for each other while trying to make their relationship work despite the expectations that their positions impose on them. Although, I assume due to some scenes not making it into the final cut, a lot of interpretation is missing, which leads to a very vanilla storyline. The chemistry between the characters carries the movie and provides such swoon worthy moments, that’s perfect for a lovely light-hearted, gay romance without too much angst.

Prince Henry and Alex’s first meeting doesn’t go well because Prince Henry panics seeing the handsome Alex and is curt with him. Alex takes this personally and holds a grudge based on that one night. The two then project a mutual dislike towards one another, which they never justify until one day they have to confront it (while they are working together on the punishment for misbehaving at Prince Phillip’s wedding).

The confrontation leads to flirtatious banter between the two before Prince Henry kisses Alex on New Year’s. Both are forced to own up to their feelings. Alex does not hesitate to lean into his feelings for Henry because they have already been flirting over the text for a while. After Henry kisses Alex, he withdraws due to guilt, and that absence makes Alex grow fonder of Henry.

Although it is inevitable that the other shoe will soon drop; despite their cute and affirming love, the audience is in safe hands due to the way in which it is portrayed that the characters are fully aware of their circumstances. Although it is understood that the British Monarch is extremely conservative, the actual threat to the relationship isn’t quite apparent. Other than Prince Phillip, who just seems uptight, Prince Henry’s fears seem to stem mostly from a fear of the unknown, as even the King, prior to the messages being leaked, did not seem too concerned or strict beyond what Henry told Alex.

Adapting a book into a movie (as opposed to a tv show) is tricky because a lot of meaningful scenes are dropped in order to cut the movie into 2 hours and it is clear here that a lot was cut off, which kind of burdens the audience with having to fill in a lot of the gaps and project/envision the threats to the couple’s relationship to be more than what was actually presented to us. The actual stakes did not seem that high, and the resolution was sloppy because a lot was anchored on the fear of the unknown and not any actual threats we had seen Prince Henry receive. Even the reporter who leaked their emails lacks any proper motivation and again, this could be attributed towards scenes being cut and why a mini series might have been a better option to flesh out the characters more.

Although the movie has the advantage of depicting “forbidden love”, they somehow fail to really show the stakes/threats that our two leads face, especially in their world that doesn’t even particularly seem rife with bigotry. In fact, their love and relationship makes so much sense and the way both of them accept each other instantly makes for a classic, light romcom, which is very easy to digest. There is little conflict between the leads, other than internal struggles which is quickly resolved because they clearly want to be with each other and bravely state it. The external threats aren’t fleshed out well, which makes for a rushed resolution. A movie was the wrong medium for these characters, which was a disservice in terms of the plotline. Other than that, Red White and Royal Blue is a fun and hearty movie which can only warm your heart when you watch it and root for these rich boys who really have little to lose.

Rating- 4 out of 5

Streaming on- Amazon Prime

Krishna Naidu’s Sidenote-

☆ Red, White & Royal Blue’s stars Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine were featured on the covers of GQ Magazine & Out Magazine