When Red, White and Royal Blue was first published four years ago protagonists Alex and Henry captured a million hearts. Fans have long awaited the film adaptation, which brought life to a host of much-loved characters and a thought-provoking narrative.

Akhila Thomas

When Red, White and Royal Blue was first published four years ago protagonists Alex and Henry captured a million hearts. Fans have long awaited the film adaptation, which brought life to a host of much-loved characters and a thought-provoking narrative.

Red, White and Royal Blue has been a film in the making for a while now, after being pieced together in the minds of a thousand readers, imagined through Twitter threads and envisioned through Instagram fan art. Since its confirmation, the internet has buzzed with excitement, and when the film finally came out, it delivered.

Getting into the action

The movie delves straight into the action as Alex heads to London for a fateful wedding, during which, a ruined cake sparks a chain of events. In a matter of scenes, Henry goes from “HRH Prince Dickhead” to Alex’s “North Star”. The chemistry between Alex and Henry exceeded expectations as actors Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzin managed to capture even the most subtle character traits with precision.

“Zahra’s lethal comebacks and toughness were captured to perfection”

From Henry’s emotional depth hidden beneath a forced facade to movements and expressions that reflect a sharp yet chaotic Alex, both lead performances seemingly fell right out of the book. Zahra’s lethal comebacks were captured to perfection by Sarah Shahi, and Uma Thurman brought life to Ellen Claremont, down to her distinct Southern drawl. Malcolm Atobrah, who played Pez, also left a lasting impression despite his brief screen time.

Perfect Pacing

The fast-paced narrative left otherwise memorable characters like Nora, Pez and Bea underdeveloped, especially given the expansive context the book provided.

However, the film does expand on its source material, making the production a success in terms of all that it stands for. Given that the novel contains so much more than romance, the movie delivers on the political nature of the original plot.

It brought to life an ambitious vision in which both the American President and British Prime Minister are women of colour and openly gay political icons. Therefore, world leaders embrace same-sex couples and provide homosexuals with a global platform.

Power and ambition

In one scene, Henry follows Alex onto the stage after his mom is re-elected, holding his hand as the world watches on. This moment is one of such power and ambition in our current times. Similarly, we later see the American president curl up with her son in an attempt to rehash her previous birds and bees talk. The redrafted version now includes the nuances of gay sex, which is discussed over shared pizza. 

We even saw the King of England accept that their love is genuine, despite giving Henry the speech about protecting his image as an ideal prince. This shows the clear difference between the King’s persona as a public figure, thinking of what is best for the royal family, versus his role as Henry’s grandfather. Still, the effort put in by characters who traditionally occupy villainous roles in the lives of gay characters is what has won hearts, and indicates progress in this genre as a whole.

Emotional Complexities

Tensions between the pair are broached at various points. There is a scene where Alex bares his heart to Henry as he speaks about what politics means to him as a mixed-race son of immigrant parents. The importance of seeing people who look like him in positions of power would surely be a distant reality for someone like Henry, who has had royalty handed down to him. When Henry replies that he is still learning following this conversation, it reveals the complex beginning stages of any relationship. To say they raised the bar for pillow talk would be an understatement. 

“Their differences and long distance problems make the boys seem even more real and relatable”

Their differences and long-distance problems make the boys seem even more real and relatable, although the prospect of such a power couple might seem far-fetched. Another scene depicted the shared safe space occupied by the two insomniacs, even whilst oceans apart.

Vulnerable Moments

Although the novel was told from Alex’s perspective, the film captured glimpses into the tortured psyche that underpins Henry’s perspective. His guarded nature was revealed in the moments when he realised that he was going to have to hurt Alex, which brought about episodes of self-isolation. 

The inability to face the fact that he might have found everything he was looking for, coupled with a resistance to simply exist in a given moment is shown in an impulse to jump into the water, an abrupt departure following their first kiss and inbuilt ghosting tendencies. The movie succeeded in giving the fandom a true taste of love and angst at its best.

https://twitter.com/woIftrapva/status/1694124787612721527?s=20

Positive LGBTQ+ Representation

With a narrative that upholds a picture of hope, the film represents an abundance of potential for positive change. The intricacies of religion, politics and tradition are interwoven throughout.

Alex’s dad is of Mexican origin with a Catholic background according to canon, but he paints the picture of a parent and politician who accommodates changing times and values into his beliefs and professional life. This is evident when he speaks of his part in introducing gender-neutral bathrooms in Texas. His progressive attitude explains the lack of religious conflict behind the decision to embrace his son’s relationship.

Although certain aspects left the fandom unsatisfied, filmmakers transformed a beautiful novel into a heartfelt film, making it visually immortal. The realisation of such personal narratives, including fan reactions online, only adds to a larger tapestry made more brilliant with each added layer. It’s a story that still leaves audience members, and readers coming back for more.

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Featured image courtesy of Roberto Catarinicchia on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image licence found here.

1 Comment

  1. This is so well written. I almost had flashbacks, both from reading the book and watching the movie. Great job!

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