Critics pan Red, White and Royal Blue which sees president’s son fall in love with Prince of England

Critics have panned Red, White and Royal Blue as ‘bland’ and a ‘trashy teen romance’ after it’s release this weekend – with many comparing the story to that of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. 

The Amazon film, which was released over the weekend, is based on the bestselling novel by Casey McQuiston,  which sees Mexican-American character Alex Claremont-Diaz, played by Taylor Zakhar Perez, fall in love with Britain’s Prince Henry, portrayed by Nicholas Galitzine. 

The duo go to desperate lengths to keep their romance under wraps from the rest of the world, in an effort to avoid upending the two nations – leading to some very steamy, intimate scenes.

When it was first published in May of 2019, the book created an immediate sensation and rose to the top of the New York Times bestseller list.

However the highly anticipated film – which includes an A-lister cast, from Uma Thurman as Ellen Claremont, the president of the US, to Stephen Fry – has been widely panned by critics. 

The Guardian’s Benjamin Lee gave the film two stars, calling it ‘overwhelming blandness’ and writing: ‘Red, White and Royal Blue just isn’t the fun, brain-disengaged romp it could have been, any praise going toward intention rather then execution.’

Meanwhile  

Here, a taste of what the critics have to say…

THE GUARDIAN 

Benjamin Lee brands the film ‘well intentioned but listless’, writing: ‘[The leads] go from hating each other to falling in lust to falling in love while forces prevent them from going public, hitting every beat one would expect yet never with more than a light tap, the romantic highs never high enough and the melodramatic lows never really that low.’

THE INDEPENDENT

Jessie Thompson describes an ‘air of liberal fantasy’ in the film, writing: ‘The whole plot feels heavily inspired by Prince Harry’s relentless, disgruntled media tour, up to the line “Prince Henry belongs to Britain” and the fact that the character lost his father at a young age and “the palace insisted on parading me around”…

The review goes on I just wish it was as good as the hype.’

BBC 

Louis Staples writes the film is ‘not trying to revolutionise queer storytelling’ with it’s plot.

He comments the British characters appear ‘wooden’, adding: ‘From the start, the film’s aesthetic and tone feel akin to a big-budget Hallmark movie. It has all the predictable stereotypes: British people are uptight. And Americans? They’re loud and obnoxious! Groundbreaking.’

He ends his review by commenting: ‘If you’re looking for a film about beautiful men with perfect hair and sculpted abs, which doesn’t demand too much from you, then it might be for you. 

‘But if you’re expecting it to be in the grade of romcoms that are laugh-out-loud hilarious and actually say something interesting about relationships – or anything beyond lazy clichés – then you’ll be royally disappointed.’

FINANCIAL TIMES

Leslie Felperin writes: ‘Spoiler alert: everyone gets a happy ending, more or less, even the uptight monarch (none other than Stephen Fry).

‘The script evenly distributes the sassy quips between the Brits and Yanks so as to avoid any diplomatic ill will. 

‘Some of the lines are fairly funny, like calling someone as gay as “the first 50 rows at a Lady Gaga concert”, but they never dilute a sugary-sweet confection. 

‘It’ll leave many viewers feeling as if they’d been covered in marzipan, cake and royal icing.’

EVENING STANDARD 

Meanwhile Maddy Mussen was more generous to the film, giving it four out of five stars in her review.

She writes that the sex scenes are a ‘highlight’, comparing it to Sally Rooney’s Normal People.

She pens: ‘The plot is relatively predictable, so you do just go through the motions, like with most romcoms, but it’s the leads’ chemistry that makes Red, White and Royal Blue so watchable.

‘Red, White and Royal Blue is a welcome arrival in a time where we’re relatively lacking in romcoms, and it will mean the world to queer teenagers everywhere – though I have no doubt it will be voraciously gobbled up by straight and LGBTQ+ teens alike.’

EMPIRE 

Helen O’Hara writes: ‘If you can get past the exposition-soaked and leaden opening act, the story does come to life a little as the pair struggle with their respective ambitions and positions…

‘The resolution that Alex and Henry reach, after an inspired bit of third act stunt-casting, is glibly achieved, but then, overly pat endings are almost a feature and not a bug of the romcom genre. 

‘There’s nothing especially substantial or groundbreaking about the way things play out beyond our heroes’ identity, but at least there are laughs along the way (many thanks to Sarah Shahi’s Presidential Chief Of Staff). Perhaps that’s enough.

‘Everyone deserves a brainless, fluffy romcom now and again — even if this time the fluff is ermine.’

VARIETY

Peter Deburge comments the plot is ‘Nickelodeon-level’, adding: ‘While most of the movie functions as wish-fulfillment fantasy, López takes the Trojan horse approach to raise issues of HIV prevention, consent and personal privacy alongside the film’s most important political point: namely, that queer romances can be every bit as corny as their hetero counterparts.

‘As political platforms go, that’s hope and change all rolled up in one.’

NEW YORK POST 

Lauren Sarner writes that it’s a ‘career-worst performance’ for Uma Thurman, commenting: ‘The second half of the movie plods on too long, and gets sappy…

‘Despite all this, many of the movie’s jokes are amusing, the relationship is cute, and though Thurman almost sinks the ship, Perez and Galitzine are good enough to float it through choppy waters.’

THE SPECTACTOR 

Deborah Ross writes the film ‘doesn’t have the same wit or knowingness or budget’ as Bridgerton’, adding: ‘It is modest fun, and there is the occasional good line, but the characters appear rushed and representative rather than living, breathing human beings and, as a result, the actors can offer only limited performances. 

‘Overall, it’s like being hit round the head with one of those photo-love stories from Jackie magazine. Probably, there is more depth in the book. But that’s just a guess.’

Despite the poor reviews, Prime Video may be hoping the film follows in the success of other sexy book adaptations from streaming services, like Netflix’s hit series Bridgerton. 

When an altercation between Alex and Price Henry makes front-page news, US and British relations take a quick tumble. 

Both nations’ most important people decide that the two boys must stage a truce: and make it convincing.

But what initially starts as a fake, Instagram friendship quickly develops into one where both are harbouring more intense feelings. 

The only problem? They have to keep it a secret to avoid ruining a presidential campaign and unsettling both nations even further.

For the film adaptation, intimacy coordinator Robbie Taylor Hunt was given the role of ensuring that the physical intimacy between Henry and Alex was told ‘in the best and safest way possible’, according to Glamour. 

For the movie adaptation, intimacy coordinator Robbie Taylor Hunt was enlisted to ensure that physical intimacy between Henry and Alex was told in the best and safest way possible.

Nicholas Galitzine said: ‘It’s a very vulnerable and trusting space. Taylor and I had to rely on each other because we really wanted to tell that story honestly and feel that we weren’t hindered by any of our own boundaries that we were setting up. 

‘It becomes a sort of wonderful choreography that all serves to facilitate these two young men who fell in love with each other. Robbie was really helpful in educating me in the physical language of the character.’

The Prime Video description reads: ‘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).’