Red, White & Royal Blue is a romantic comedy film directed by Matthew Lopez from a screenplay by Lopez and Ted Malawer. The rom-com film is based on a book of the same name by Casey McQuiston and it follows the love story of Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of the first female President of the United States Ellen Claremont (Uma Thurman) and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), a British Prince. The romantic comedy film sees our protagonists pulled between love and duty while having carefree fun.
The YA rom-com film also stars Sarah Shahi (The L Word) as Zahra Bankston, Stephen Fry (Blackadder) as King James III, Rachel Hilson (Love, Victor) as Nora Holleran, Polo Morin (Who Killed Sara?) as Rafael Luna, and Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals) as Princess Beatrice).
So let’s find what the critics are saying about the YA rom-com film. Check out the review quotes from different publications lifted by Rotten Tomatoes below:
It is entirely predictable from moment to moment and frequently laughable in its portrayal of international relations and politics, but it’s also funnier than it needed to be, and, thanks chiefly to Zakhar Perez, often charming.
– Helen O’Hara, Empire Magazine
The romance between the two leads goes from slightly rough to very smooth to back again with a little too much ease, the plot never offering us enough juicy conflict despite the circumstance and the two actors failing to give us enough chemistry.
– Benjamin Lee, Guardian
Aside from the vaguest progressive platitudes, Red, White & Royal Blue doesn’t make any astute observations about romance, privilege or being LGBTQ+.
– Louis Staples, BBC.com
RW&RB offers something rare even in this half-enlightened age: the chance for queer people, specifically men attracted to men, to be pandered to in the hokey fashion familiar to millions of straight consumers of those Hallmark movies.
– Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair
It’s earnest and easily watchable meme fodder that riffs on the classic enemies-to-lovers trope. And unlike some of its predecessors, it attempts to meaningfully situate its love story within the high-stakes arena of contemporary politics.
– Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic
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.
– Erin Strecker, IndieWire
López finds his groove and the whole things starts to work, looking no worse than a hundred overlit, backlot-shot studio rom-coms, and featuring some pretty funny zingers to boot…
– Peter Debruge, Variety
Like a corgi back-flipping over a bathtub of champagne, “Red, White & Royal Blue” starts with a giddy premise and has the derring-do to succeed.
– Amy Nicholson, New York Times
Red, White & Royal Blue is a little too light on laughs, but its central romance will please die-hard fans and give casual viewers something to love.
– Graeme Guttmann, Screen Rant
Overall, in spite of its stumbles, Red, White & Royal Blue is a charming and diverting rom-com that introduces a welcome new viewpoint to the long-running genre.
– Carly Lane, Collider
Red, White & Royal Blue seems to impress the critics with its rating of 7.7/10 on IMDb and 77% on Rotten Tomatoes. So, if you were also looking forward to Red, White & Royal Blue you should log in to your Prime Video right now and watch this fun rom-com. Check out the trailer and official synopsis for Red, White & Royal Blue by Amazon Studios below:
“Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of the first woman President of the United States (Uma Thurman), and Britain’s Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) have a lot in common: stunning good looks, undeniable charisma, international popularity…and a total disdain for each other. Separated by an ocean, their long-running feud hasn’t really been an issue, until a disastrous—and very public—altercation at a royal event becomes tabloid fodder driving a potential wedge in U.S./British relations at the worst possible time. Going into damage control mode, their powerful families and respective handlers force the two rivals into a staged “truce.” But as Alex and Henry’s icy relationship unexpectedly begins to thaw into a tentative friendship, the friction that existed between them sparks something deeper than they ever expected. Based on Casey McQuiston’s critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Red, White & Royal Blue marks the feature film writing and directing debut of Tony Award-winning playwright Matthew López (The Inheritance).”
