Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)

Red, White & Royal Blue surprised me. I had written it off as a cliched romcom with a novel yet rather silly premise. And perhaps it is all that somewhat in the end. But it surpassed that for me in four ways:

First the film doesn't skim over the political nature of its premise. It would be easy for a film like this to take the safe road by not being politically offensive to anyone. But recognizing that queerness remains, even in 2023, hotly political it takes on the polarized nature of American politics (the similar British polarization is pretty much ignored in favour of a "tradition" obstacle) by sneaking in subtle but palpable critiques of political issues. Yes Red, White & Royal Blue does jettison the more overt subplot of the book which exposes the right wing homophobic Republican candidate as a sexual predator, but the film still takes a decidedly progressive stance which is refreshing. 

Second the film exploits the charismatic and quite talented lead in Taylor Zakhar Perez. It is easy to write him off as being cast just because of his obvious poster-boy beauty, but he shines here both mastering the comedic and the dramatic elements of his character. He went from being that sort of actor you'd see in a Hallmark movie to someone who, with the right parts, could break out as a real star. 

Third his character is bisexual and this is handled in a way that is so refreshing for mainstream comedies that often don't know how to manage these things. This is important for the plot (in how he figures out his attraction to his Prince Charming) and yet it isn't used as a barrier or problematic element. He may be attracted to people of different genders but he is all in with his feelings and doesn't hide them as his gay partner does. The film quite deftly handles the dynamics of having a romance between a gay man and a bisexual man and the different ways that manifests itself in their identify building. 

Finally Red, White & Royal Blue is a good example of many of the subtle ways a queer film made by queer film makers differs from when a straight film maker is behind it. There are many little moments that just feel so authentically queer, such as the couple's first (brief) conversation preparing for their first "time" and then the scene that shows it. There is a realness to their interactions that is often missing from films made by straight film makers who haven't lived those moments. This doesn't mean straight film makers can't make these movies, it just shows how it can be different when there are queers behind the camera. 

But don't worry casual movie lovers Red, White & Royal Blue is full on romcom in all the best ways. It follows the traditional arcs of the genre and will satisfy fans who love this sort of film. Also the leads are both simply gorgeous so the whole thing has the warm and fuzzy vibe that the genre does so well. Just noted that it might be a little but more than many of us expected. 

Red, White & Royal Blue

Starring: Taylor Zakhar Perez, Nicholas Galitzine, Uma Thurman, Stephen Fry, Clifton Collins Jr. 

Director: Matthew Lopez

Writers: Ted Malawer, Matthew Lopez