Rojo, blanco y sangre azul

Cramming the content of a novel into a two-hour movie means you're going to see characters eliminated and scenes combined, that's just a given. To say "the book was better" is a well-worn cliche, so I won't use it here, but having read the book first, I was saddled with expectations that were never met.

For a light, two-hour "Hallmark movie the week" style flick? Red, White & Royal Blue was fine. But the cost was having to eliminate most of the emotion, peril and building up to the big scenes that the book had. The pacing felt rushed, and it seemed like the director was trying to get to from one big moment from the book to the next, as quickly as possible before they ran out of time.

Casting-wise, the actors all pretty much looked exactly like how they were meticulously described in the book-with one glaring exception. In the book, Alex was much younger. Closer to 21. He was also noticeably shorter than Henry too, at around 5' 7" or 5' 8" (which is why his "He doesn't look 6' 2"!" line in the film seems to come out of nowhere). Nicholas Galitzine was a decade to old and far too tall for the part. Instead of seeing a young college student fall for a tall, handsome prince? We spent two hours watching two grown Abercrombie & Fitch models trying to "out hot" each other.

Overall the film was cute and worked fine, but it lacked most of the emotion and actual peril the book rewarded us with-and what a 3 to 5-episode mini-series could've delivered.

Great movie! We definitely need more of these. A LOT more of these. I'm happy that the big studios are finally noticing the need for big budget gay romcoms that don't end with one of the main guys dead or in a straight relationship.

The acting was not Oscar worthy but still quite believable. Except for Uma. She's absolutely electric every time she's on screen.

The cinematography - absolutely breathtaking. There were some scenes that were quite original - like the texting scene.

The writing - could have been better but "it got the job done".

One thing I'd like to point out - that I'm very happy about - is that this movie skipped on the stereotypical flamboyant gay character that I have been loathing in every gay movie made in the past 2 decades. Both of the main characters are your "average" handsome dudes who just happen to be gay and famous. I also LOVE how this movie portrays being gay as something sooooooo normal (which is it!) No one has some crazy reaction to the characters being gay. Even the King who is against it at first makes it clear that he's only against it for political reasons. Overall, this movie portrayed exactly what being gay felt like for so many of us and it did it phenomenally well.

Like I said - it's just nice that we are finally getting movies like these. I wish there were movies like this one when I was growing up. It would have really made a difference! So while I don't think that this movie alone will change anyone's life I think we need to support gay romcoms when they do come out so that eventually we'll have some really good ones!

Red, White and Royal Blue

This queer romantic comedy tells the story of a British prince falling in love with the son of an American president, and the roads they travel as they explore this love.

This movie is very reminiscent of the queer teen series, Young Royals, especially with the similar themes both portray, but Red, White and Royal Blue has characters that are more aged.

Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine are brimming with cute and endearing chemistry, making this romcom very enjoyable and believable. The progression from enemies to friends and eventual lovers was a bit fast, but each stage has memorable moments. The supporting cast was also good, especially Sarah Shahi and Uma Thurman (the coming-out scene between her and Taylor Perez was very memorable and sweet), but some of their characters could have been fleshed out better.

Having not read the book, I can't state how faithful it was to it, and if this adaptation is better or worse. But there were some resolutions I felt weren't done, like Nick's journalist friend not getting his comeuppance. The movie would have fared better if it was a mini-series. There's also a sort of imbalance that occurs in the sex/romantic scenes, the scenes before the Paris hotel scene have a Disneyesque tame feel to them, and then the Paris hotel scene packs in beautiful smut.

Red, White and Royal Blue is an easy and enjoyable watch, and should definitely please romcom lovers.

6.5-7/10.

This was a feel good romcom that leaned into the fantasy/fairy tale elements that all good rom coms do, and it was exactly what I needed! I can't think of another gay romcom I've enjoyed watching more. A few lines of dialogue are a bit iffy, but overall it's got solid writing and directing.

The movie shines with the passion the team behind it clearly brought to the table. The intimacy coordinator did an incredible job. The performances are all pretty good, and the leads have undeniable chemistry together, making the central romance one that the audience falls in love with as much as they are falling for each other throughout the movie.

Yes, it could fit in with a lot of the other Hallmark/Netflix genre romantic movies, but that's what makes this truly remarkable. The groundbreaking thing about this movie is that it felt like a movie I had never seen, and yet like a movie I had seen a million times. It is peak comfort viewing, it has a happy ending, and I for one am incredibly glad that this movie exists and is happy to just be what it is - unabashedly.

At only 2 hours, I am sure there are a lot of scenes that were cut that I would have loved to have seen included. I do think had this been a mini-series, it would have perhaps been even better. But then again, I think the movie succeeds very well for what it has chosen to utilize. The pace is fast, but it works.

This is a movie I'd highly recommend if you want to enjoy a feel-good romcom.

I said the same thing when I watched the trailer and I was right. The book had so much details that simply cannot be captured in a 2-hour movie. While, the movie does its best to capture important moments, many crucial moments were still lost to the winds. It's a good and entertaining movie but maybe I would've enjoyed it more if I hadn't read the book.

I missed the characters who were crucial to the story and to what makes Alex Alex. The characters they kept were watered down to the point of blandness and the story felt too fast-paced and rushed.

The chemistry between the leads though takes the cake and although their story could have been more expounded, it was really well done and for that I'm glad.