Red, White & Royal Blue  – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2023 film Red, White & Royal Blue.

Story

I haven’t read the book that this is based off of, but unlike a lot of literary adaptations, I didn’t feel like I was missing too much. There were a few aspects that felt rushed, the trip to Texas and the initial series of incidents that transition from enemies to lovers.

That being said, the important parts, the romance, longing looks, and establishing camerawork were all done at a pace that made you feel for the characters.

Although I appreciated the low homophobia content, it was a little jarring with the level of angst from the characters.

The main love story is done well, but nothing in it is particularly original.

Score: 0.5

Characters

There is so much charisma in this movie that it practically floods out of the screen. The mains are not only attractive, but clever and have an endearing charm. Most of the secondary characters are equally as charming and those that aren’t, are still interesting.

Score: 1

Dialogue

The line, “He grabbed my hair in a way that made me understand the difference between rugby and football,” will live rent free in my head for a long time. It’s the perfect summation of the style of dialogue which favours heart and quip above sap or forced misunderstandings. Something a lot of romantic comedies could learn from.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The cinematography and camera work was artistically above almost every movie I’ve seen in recent memory. The visuals managed to convey location, emotion, and movement all while painting the main characters as likable.

The music was good and did its job setting the mood and the feel of each location.

Score: 1

Fun

This movie was extremely enjoyable. I watched it with my wife, after the kids were in bed. That was a good plan since there’s way too much swearing, smoking, and alcohol for my liking. It’s the only thing that dampened my enjoyment of the film.

We both had a lot of fun and she spent a good amount of time afterward looking at gif sets on tumblr.

Score: 0.5

Overall

One of the most beautiful and stylistic movies I’ve seen, and one of the most entertaining romantic comedies in a long time. This will make you smile and make you happy. It is not for kids however, due to the large quantity of alcohol consumption, smoking, and swearing.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5