Even if there had never been a pandemic, the book Red, White & Royal Blue would’ve been a hit. But once 2020 revealed what it had in store, the royal rom-com about the son of a female American president (and a father who hailed from Mexico!) and a British prince became a soothing balm about an alternate, kinder world. That some of its rougher, darker edges would be left on the page is expected, but the real question is why, why, WHY the movie felt the need to scrub most of the politics out of the equation.
The answer likely lies in Amazon Studios’ interference rather than filmmaker timidity, but this baffling choice means the movie isn’t so much going through the motions of various plot points as plowing through them. Media, both official and social, are another character in the film, first giving us the outside perspective of the pomp and circumstance of a royal wedding. This lends a delicious behind-the-scenes feel when we cut to our charming duo, First Son Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), making a public spectacle that quickly spirals into a tabloid sensation.
We then get a dose of relatability, as nearly everyone can recall getting chewed out by their mom (Uma Thurman) for bad behavior, even if it generally doesn’t involve trade agreements. But even as Alex and Henry’s chemistry smolders, then burns, blossoming into a sweetly tender love scene, what first gives us a hint of the wider world quickly traps the two in insularity. Friends are mere window dressing, important characters are left out entirely, development is practically nonexistent, and even the real opposition is a jealous ex rather than a predatory politician.
Those who desire mere fluff will be satisfied, but the reason the book became a sensation in the first place was its real awareness of the risks it took to truly build a better world. This groundbreaking love story deserved better. R, 118 min.