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Hello! I unironically need to make a short post for my sanity, so today, I'm going to tell you about my comfort movie and why I like it. As you can probably tell from my other movie-related posts, I love movies but not really the sitting down and watching them part. I don't know if it's the time commitment or my short attention span. For a lot of movies, I feel like I can look up the plot so that I know enough without actually having to watch it. If I actively want to go watch a movie, it means I've learned about it and like it enough to want to see the entire thing and get a complete understanding of it.
I was the most excited I had been in a long time, when in 2023, I watched the Amazon Prime Video original, the America-bait film.... Red, White, & Royal Blue. Yes, this post is about Red, White, & Royal Blue. Now, I don't think this is the best movie ever made. Part of the reason I love this thing is because it's trash. The pacing is off, it's super cliche, and doesn't even try to be realistic. I don't care that this movie is not good when considering the qualities of a movie. I just love the vibes.
In case you don't know, Red, White, & Royal Blue is based on the book by Casey McQuiston about Alex, the son of the United States president, and Prince Henry, a British prince, falling in love and having to hide their relationship. I've heard some people describe this movie as a "gay dystopia," where everyone is so diverse and openly accepting and knowledgable about the LGBTQ that it's fantastical. And? That's awesome. Like, of course this could never happen in real life. Alex's mom is the president, after all. A woman as president? Here?? Okay, before this gets too political, I just think a utopia where the main characters are major political figures facing no conflict despite minor homophobic backlash is amazing.
And who cares about cliché? It's a cheesy rom-com! I don't get why straight rom-coms get to be enjoyed for their cheesiness, and then here comes a queer movie doing the same thing, and it faces bad reviews. I mean, I guess I get why. There's not a lot of good queer representation out there, but the overt silliness here goes underappreciated. It's just two pretty men in love and that makes me happy, okay?
I should be watching better queer rep, but in a world where everything is sad and Trump exists, a silly movie about two political figures falling in love is perfect escapism. Like, the movie has a happy ending. There's so much incredible queer media out there, but it's hard to find one where the love interests don't split up or one of them dies. Spoiler alert (if you care), but the main conflict of the movie is Henry not being able to openly see Alex because he's British, and the royal family wants to keep tradition, but then they date anyway. And they live happily ever after. Their whole romance is cute (fanfiction dialogue aside). And I forgot it's R-rated, but like, there's a sex scene?! And it's good?? There's no way (I hate sex scenes btw). The chemistry between the actors (Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine) is palpable.
This definitely doesn't seem like the type of movie I'd enjoy. One search on YouTube and all the results are compilations with titles like "Alex and Henry's Best Moments." This was made for the fandom girls and is a direct consequence of Hamilton. But I don't care. I will not side with the haters and call this a bad movie. Is it silly? Yes. Is it realistic? Absolutely not. Would I care about the characters if they were real? No, they're millionaires. But did I cry watching this movie? 100%. Because these silly men made me smile like an idiot. I love Red, White, & Royal Blue (please don't judge me too hard).
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