Time for a royally dumb gay romcom

Movie Review
Red, White & Royal Blue
Directed by Matthew Lopez
Amazon Prime Video

By Brontë H. Lacsamana Reporter

RANKING high on the LGBTQ+ wish list (along with same-sex marriage and protection from discrimination) is the development of sillier, steamy, sexy romantic comedies in the mainstream that center on homosexual relationships.

Basically, the straights have had their fair share of romcoms, and now it’s time for the gays! (Sure, its exact order on the wish list is debatable, but it’s definitely up there.)

For proof, look no further than the Philippines’ own Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival this year, which saw Samantha Lee’s Rookie, about the budding romance between two lesbian students on a volleyball team, garner the Audience Choice award. See the boom of the boys love (BL) genre popularized in Thailand, usually taking the form of TV or web series. BL stories became hits during the pandemic and beyond, spanning Gameboys and Hello Stranger in 2020 to Gaya sa Pelikula and Quaranthings in 2022.

Now, Casey McQuiston’s best-selling book, Red, White & Royal Blue, adapted to the big screen by director Matthew Lopez and available in the Philippines via the Amazon Prime Video streaming platform, shows just how the time is ripe for a dumb gay romcom.

It follows Alex, the US president’s charismatic son (played by Taylor Zakhar Perez) and the UK’s Prince Henry (played by Nicholas Galitzine), who start off as rivals and clash at a royal event. With their long-running feud now threatening to derail US-UK relations, they are forced to become friends for the sake of public appearances.

Needless to say, the thawing of their initially icy relationship makes for an entertaining, exciting watch, especially for fans of the classic, cheesy enemies-turned-lovers trope. This is due in large part to the dreamy, hunky leads, with Perez and Galitzine displaying just the right friction and chemistry (both verbal and non-verbal) that closeted gay lovers Alex and Henry would have being such public figures. They each shine on their own as well, Perez exuding a politician’s charisma and confidence and Galitzine subtly conveying princely angst and inner turmoil.

The rest of the cast is decent, too. Sarah Shahi plays the president’s assistant Zahra with ample overreactions given the stress of her job, and Uma Thurman as the US president delivers both gravitas and motherly concern despite the distracting fake Texas accent. Personally, a cool highlight was Stephen Fry as the King of England, shifting into a role of traditional masculinity in contrast with Fry’s own homosexuality in real life.

Apparently, the movie fails to cover a lot of the nuance and detail in the book — an age-old complaint against any sort of adaptation — but it manages to make something beautiful and fun amid the hot mess. Friends who’ve read the book have said that Red, White & Royal Blue would have been paced better and fleshed the characters out properly over the course of a limited series.

As it is, Alex’s family’s working-class background pre-politics, supposedly crucial to the story, was only mentioned during a brief moment. We also barely see the consequences of Prince Henry’s eventual open relationship with Alex towards the end (though perhaps it may be akin to the real-life Prince Harry’s exit from the royal family).

Most glaringly, having one of the leads operate squarely in the world of politics makes it hard to suspend disbelief when major sweeping political decisions and situations occur in service of the story. The US elections, for one, might be flagged for multiple inaccuracies.

Perhaps the snappy wit and filthy humor are much more evident in the book, but the movie only has sprinkles of that amid what is mainly an inconsistent, abruptly paced romance with heavy exposition.

It does work best when it leans into typically corny romcom scenes but lingers on the details and vibes.

A notable scene is at a party when the two leads find each other’s eyes in the crowd when “Get Low” by Lil Jon plays and everyone drops low to the floor except for them. To be fair, every steamy scene is notable. For queer people, such cringey moments in mainstream romantic comedies are welcome additions to the pantheon of LGBTQ+ cinema.

Is it an objectively good film? Perhaps not, but often that’s not really the point. It’s heartwarming, horny, and a hell of a good time, and for romcoms, that can be enough.