Forever frenemies Britain and the United States have always had a rather tempestuous relationship, what with The War of Independence and all that, but not nearly so tempestuous as the one at the centre of this brand-new queer comedy. Get ready for a romance of international proportions as Red, White, & Royal Blue hits Prime Video on August 11.
If the title sounds familiar, that’s because it’s based on the bestselling 2019 novel of the same name by Casey McQuiston, which tells the tale of a love affair between the son of the U.S. President and a British prince. In the big screen version, which marks the screen directorial debut of acclaimed playwright Matthew Lopez, that’s Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), respectively.
After taking an instant dislike at a royal wedding that culminates in them brawling in the remnants of the wedding cake, the two are forced to fake a friendship for the cameras in order to avoid a minor international incident. But wouldn’t you know it? After spending some time together, love blossoms between the brash yank and the posh brit—is the world ready for a cross-cultural romance between such high-profile political figures?
Well, maybe the world isn’t, but we are—this looks bright, breezy, and incredibly fun, and the chemistry between the two leads is palpable. Plus, the rest of the cast is all killer, no filler, with Uma Thurman as the US President, Stephen Fry as the King (it was, in fact, the Queen in the original novel, but history marches on), and Sarah Shahi, Rachel Hilson, Ellie Bamber, and Clifton Collins Jr in support.
Red, White, & Royal Blue looks like a nigh-perfect slice of romcom fun, dealing with real emotions but keeping the tone light as a soufflé. That sounds like a perfect night in to us.
