Red, White, And Royal Blue (2023)

[scarynikki12]

YOU GUUUUYYYYSSS!!! I have watched this trailer on repeat and August is SO FAR AWAY!!! I love the book so so much and the trailer is nailing it so I think I’ll love the movie too. 

[Spartan Girl]

I read the book too. It was cute. Even if I hadn’t read it, I’d be in just for Uma playing the President.

[Bill1978]

I enjoyed the book despite its lack of knowledge of how the British Royal family operates

Spoiler

basically, Henry being gay has no impact on the throne and would not be a threat to the institution's inheritance rules,

which stops me from recommending the book over another gay romcom that is very similar, Boyfriend Material (which I would love to see turned into a British romcom movie), that I read staight after RW&RB

The book reads like a cheesy romcom and that's what the trailer delivered, and the the rating indicates they also have no intention of toning down the steamy scenes that appeared in the book. Hopefully the movie delivers what the trailer promises, just a pile of fun wrapped up in the romcom genre.

[festivus]

I did read this one, and the Aristotle and Dante one that I just saw was getting a movie. I love that these movies are getting made and I'm crossing my fingers that my absolute favorite, The Carry On Simon Snow series, will get made too. I'd rather have a show for that though. Anyway, this looks like fun and I'll definitely be watching. 

[Irlandesa]

16 hours ago, Bill1978 said:

The book reads like a cheesy romcom and that's what the trailer delivered

I read this book and Boyfriend Material close together too, and while there were things that frustrated me about Boyfriend Material, I found it more enjoyable and would like it to be made into a movie.

Try as I might, I kind of hate "celebrity" romance stories where things like the press and paparazzi care.  Oh, and I'm also not a fan of royal stories. 

In spite of all that, I did like the book more than I thought I would but in the end, found it kind of slight.  Having real people act the roles might beef up the feeling of the love story even if the story isn't more complex.

[greekmom]

On 7/8/2023 at 10:18 PM, Irlandesa said:

In spite of all that, I did like the book more than I thought I would but in the end, found it kind of slight.  Having real people act the roles might beef up the feeling of the love story even if the story isn't more complex.

I read the book. I was just looking for some fluff and that's what I got. It was decently written and not one of those "jumping on the bandwagon" type books.  

I'll watch the movie when it comes out.

[starri]

I quite enjoyed that.  It wasn't anything revelatory, nor was it high art, but it had solid performances, the two guys had decent chemistry, and they didn't shy away from the queer sexuality.

[scarynikki12]

It was cute! If there is one thing a Berlanti production knows how to do it's find actors who can generate chemistry. Cute boys having sexy times and are in love: chef's kiss.

[Bill1978]

I quite enjoyed it and thought it was a good adaptation. My only complaint was the terrible green screen that occurred throughout the movie. Every time it happened, it reminded me that this movie was never meant for a cinema release and is just a fancy TV movie.

I did appreciate that they dropped the drama that occurred in the book that highlighted that the author had little understanding of how the British throne is inherited.

Despite the green screen, I know I will be rewatching it again. I had no idea Greg Berlanti was involved.

[Scarlett45]

2 hours ago, starri said:

I quite enjoyed that.  It wasn't anything revelatory, nor was it high art, but it had solid performances, the two guys had decent chemistry, and they didn't shy away from the queer sexuality.

I liked the fact that it was cute, everyone was dressed well (Uma Thurman can wear ANYTHING she is so gorgeous), the supporting characters were fun even if they were a little under used. 

1 hour ago, scarynikki12 said:

It was cute! If there is one thing a Berlanti production knows how to do it's find actors who can generate chemistry. Cute boys having sexy times and are in love: chef's kiss.

Yes! They had great chemistry together and were cuties. I was commenting in the Mary & George forum (Nicholas is due to play the Duke of Buckingham in that series) that he brought the chemistry in spades here although he was flat in the 2021 Cinderella. 
 

As far as Rom Com’s go I give it a B+. The Perfect Find with Gabrielle Union let me down so much, I was so mad- but this was cute. 

[hiisa]

OK, I don't really like movies. I don't think their long enough to make me care about the characters.  I've read the book numerous times, so I sont know if the movie made me care or if it's my preexisting background that made me care. Or the kid playing Alex's eyelashes. I don't know but well done team.

I was disappointed that we didn't get the PowerPoint.  Alex storming thr castle to tell Henry he loved him was done better in the book. 

There were a few other nitpicky things that I can't think of right now. I did think they did a good job of showing texts and emails and I wished there was more of that since that's how Alex and Henry fell in love. It would have been nice to see more of that. I get why they dropped the divorced parents and the betrayal of the close family friend/ally (although I guess they replaced him with Alex's hook up/ journalist?) but I missed Alex having a sister. I missed the longer freakout over his sexuality.  The only reason why I missed him having a sister is I love that in the book Alex had been stealing glances at Henry in his sister's teen beat magazine for years. I think the only other scene I missed from the book is a sleepy Henry wandering into Alex's suite looking for ice cream.

 

I liked it. The actors had chemistry and I already liked the book so. I did do a big eye roll at Alex reading Casey mcQuintons One Last Stop. I hated that book.

Edited August 12, 2023 by hiisa
Spelling grammar typos

[Bill1978]

40 minutes ago, hiisa said:

I did think they did a good job of showing texts and emails and I wished there was more of that since that's how Alex and Henry fell in love.

I really liked how they presented that early phone conversation. I thought it was a creative way of staging it.

[Scarlett45]

7 hours ago, Bill1978 said:

I really liked how they presented that early phone conversation. I thought it was a creative way of staging it.

Yes I told my Mom that! One of the criticisms I had from Your Place or Mine was that the couple spent so much time a part. This way we got to see the couple interact and have chemistry but it pushed the narrative along. 

[greekmom]

9 hours ago, hiisa said:

There were a few other nitpicky things that I can't think of right now. I did think they did a good job of showing texts and emails and I wished there was more of that since that's how Alex and Henry fell in love. It would have been nice to see more of that. I get why they dropped the divorced parents and the betrayal of the close family friend/ally (although I guess they replaced him with Alex's hook up/ journalist?) but I missed Alex having a sister. I missed the longer freakout over his sexuality.  The only reason why I missed him having a sister is I love that in the book Alex had been stealing glances at Henry in his sister's teen beat magazine for years. I think the only other scene I missed from the book is a sleepy Henry wandering into Alex's suite looking for ice cream.

Agreed.

Solid A for the movie though. As people have pointed out the chemistry with these two was freaking amazing.  Uma delivered and I loved the chat between her and Alex when he came out. The only thing that bothered me was that she wasn't looking at him but had a fixed point she was looking at when they were on the couch. It was a bit distracting. 

I wish they would have shown the part in the book where people were putting up quotes from their emails. But budget. 

They didn't touch on the powder puff princess and left out Alex's sister.  The ice cream scene was in one of the trailers but cut out of the finale movie. I am hoping that Amazon releases deleted scenes soon. 

They also cut out the actual ending from the book which I would have loved to see Alex and Henry getting their pictures done and what not as an official royal couple.    I had forgotten, in the book was Henry the heir or the spare? Because I really liked that they had him as the spare in the movie. 

Forgot to add: Chef's kiss to the speech that Alex gave to the press regarding the letters and his relationship to Henry. I wished the fleshed out how that jerk of a reporter got the letters and there was some punishment for hacking the emails.

Overall, I am hoping but probably fruitless hope that there will be a sequel. 

Edited August 12, 2023 by greekmom

[Bill1978]

1 hour ago, greekmom said:

I had forgotten, in the book was Henry the heir or the spare?

He is the 'spare' and the movie fixed the biggest issue I had with the book and this point (which actually prevented me from thinking the book was incredible). The book presents that Henry being gay as a massive massive issue for the line of succession (and pretty much treats him like the heir), when in reality it would not be that much of a big deal for a keeping the line alive.

In the book, there is the current monarch (I believe the movie switched it from Queen to King), then Henry's mum, then Henry's brother Phillip (memory says by the end of the book, Phillip's wife is pregnant) then Henry. So really, Henry being gay wouldn't be an issue as him inheriting the throne is so low anyway that there would be no pressure for him to produce an 'heir of the body'.

From a real-world perspective, it would be like Prince Harry coming out as gay when the Queen was alive. Sure, there would be 'shock and scandal' but he isn't in direct line of the throne anymore. 

I'd like to think that the British actors, especially Stephen Fry, would have pointed out how ridiculous it would be for Henry to have a crisis over inheriting the throne when there is little chance AND if he did, he wouldn't need to produce an heir cause Beatrice and any children she had would technically be the spare line, so the throne would be safe.

[scarynikki12]

3 hours ago, greekmom said:

I had forgotten, in the book was Henry the heir or the spare? Because I really liked that they had him as the spare in the movie. 

Henry was a spare. His sister Bea was older than him so he was the youngest but the implication is he was still ahead of her in the line of succession and the royal succession laws hadn't been changed in the book like in real life. I wouldn't say he was THE spare because his mother was the Princess of Wales so Philip was the actual spare but he was the next one. The book makes reference to Philip and Martha trying to get pregnant but they hadn't gotten there yet when the hacking occurs so Henry's position still mattered. 

One thing the movie and book didn't really address is what having a publicly recognized and supported gay royal would look like. They weren't required to so it's not a big deal that it didn't happen but I would have loved to see some possibilities floated. Have someone suggest changing the laws about surrogacy, or adoption, or something else. Have a conversation about how royals love to play up the "marrying for love" angle for the good publicity it brings but the second one of them might be gay they come down hard with the "follow tradition and do what's best for the institution and don't be selfish". We see this in the movie with Philip and Martha being described as childhood sweethearts while Grandpa tells Henry to stay in the closet, accept a disinformation campaign, and follow tradition. 

Among the changes my favorite is Alex having a bit more history with guys. He doesn't come right out and acknowledge he's bi until Henry but he's not ignoring the two guys he hooked up with either. It was a good way to truncate his post-kiss 'wait am I really bi?' exploration. 

I am curious why they left out June but kept Nora rather than the other way. Nora's an important character in the book as she's Alex's best friend and also bi so she's someone he can be open with about any number of topics including Henry. Her most important role, though, is to the resolution of the email hacking and who was behind it but that was left out of the movie entirely so I don't know why they didn't just keep June instead. June and Alex are also super close, someone he can talk to about Henry, and we could have had some fun scenes with their parents. Maybe when they first started the script they intended for the hacking story to be a bigger part of the last act? 

[Crs97]

We watched it yesterday and really enjoyed it.  Leads had good chemistry, and it was just fun.  I haven’t read the book yet, but it’s in my pile.

[Dandesun]

20 hours ago, hiisa said:

I liked it. The actors had chemistry and I already liked the book so. I did do a big eye roll at Alex reading Casey mcQuintons One Last Stop. I hated that book.

Be fair, he did put it down to gaze at Henry so maybe he wasn't completely engrossed in the book.

[possibilities]

Complex review of the movie. I like that the reviewers are community insiders, not outsiders talking about how it looks to straight people.

They analyze the movie from the perspective of representation as well as technical things. 

https://www.npr.org/2023/07/31/1191087019/will-red-white-royal-blue-be-your-cup-of-tea?ft=nprml&f=510282

I enjoyed the movie, but the conversation in the review made me want to read the book, and think I'd like that even more.

[scarynikki12]

5 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I enjoyed the movie, but the conversation in the review made me want to read the book, and think I'd like that even more.

The book is a delight! 

[Spartan Girl]

I loved it. It’s hard to believe Prince Henry was the same bland-ass Prince from that godawful Cinderella movie. Him singing “Don’t Stop Me Now” was a million times better than the stupid “Somebody to Love” part in that piece of crap.

I have to say it, the guy playing Alex is a snack. 😍😍😍😍

Loved Zahra. My favorite quote: “I can assure you making (the folder) was the most depressing moments of my career. And I once saw Mitch McConnell eating a banana.” 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀💀💀💀💀💀💀

I would vote for President Uma Thurman in a heartbeat.

Edited August 14, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[scarynikki12]

The family friend didn't out Alex and Henry in the book but

Spoiler

learned it was the Richards campaign and gathered the proof to send to Nora. The book never says why Alex was seemingly the only member of the First Family who got hacked but I always assumed Richards went after him because his love life was already of public interest. They may have just thought they'd get some emails between Alex and Nora about the sex life the public thought they still enjoyed and were thrilled to learn he was sleeping with Henry instead. Either way they intended to use Alex's sex life against Ellen. The hacking would have happened no matter who the running mate was but Luna being there allowed them to discover it was Richards and return fire. 

It was interesting how the movie implied the reporter directly hacked Alex himself. The man just couldn't accept Alex wasn't into him.

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, scarynikki12 said:

The family friend didn't out Alex and Henry in the book but

  Hide contents

learned it was the Richards campaign and gathered the proof to send to Nora. The book never says why Alex was seemingly the only member of the First Family who got hacked but I always assumed Richards went after him because his love life was already of public interest. They may have just thought they'd get some emails between Alex and Nora about the sex life the public thought they still enjoyed and were thrilled to learn he was sleeping with Henry instead. Either way they intended to use Alex's sex life against Ellen. The hacking would have happened no matter who the running mate was but Luna being there allowed them to discover it was Richards and return fire. 

It was interesting how the movie implied the reporter directly hacked Alex himself. The man just couldn't accept Alex wasn't into him.

Ohhhh okay. I’m sorry, I haven’t read the book in a while so I’m fuzzy on how that part was different. Gonna just edit my post 😳

[Dandesun]

I got a schadenfreude kick out of thirsty-ass journalist not getting the hint. When Alex told Nora they had made out in the hot tub 'during the campaign' that's like at least three years ago? And, yes, Taylor Zakhar Perez (and therefore Alex) is ridiculously hot so I get why Miguel was trying to make it happen again BUT Lord Alex looked mildly uncomfortable the first time he flirted again in the movie and he sure as hell didn't give any 'ooo, let's make this happen again' vibes during any of their interactions.

I mean, interaction number two where Alex was staking out the entrance so he could get eyes on Henry and barely made eye contact with Miguel and the second he did clap eyes on Henry was barely even able to focus on anything Miguel was saying... dude, I'm embarrassed for you.

At least Alex got to just lay it out for him later. "Do you honestly think anything is going to happen between us? I don't like the way you conduct yourself, you're an asshole, excuse me while I go rail my hot royal boyfriend who decided to surprise me."

I enjoyed this immensely. The two leads are likeable which is hard enough in ANY romcom, the groundwork is laid well that it's believable they'll last after the movie ends (also rare in a lot of romcoms, I feel), no one dies, the leads are rootable together, and yes very very very pretty to look at.

I also appreciate the lube and the condoms.

Sidenote: Uma Thurman was giving me Julia Sugarbaker and I am here for it.

[greekmom]

22 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I loved it. It’s hard to believe Prince Henry was the same bland-ass Prince from that godawful Cinderella movie. Him singing “Don’t Stop Me Now” was a million times better than the stupid “Somebody to Love” part in that piece of crap.

He's much better in Purple Hearts and sports an American accent.

[festivus]

I guess I'll drop in with my UO that I thought the acting was horrible from everyone except the prince. Kinda took me out of it tbh. Well I did enjoy Sarah Shahi and at least the leads did have chemistry. 

[Crs97]

There is no place in Texas where you will hear anyone speaking like Uma Thurman did.

Honestly, the thing I loved most about the movie was my son’s excitement to see a storyline to which he could relate.

[scarynikki12]

14 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

There is no place in Texas where you will hear anyone speaking like Uma Thurman did.

There's a theory on social media that Connie Britton was first choice to play Ellen and wasn't available. Her accent would have been more natural for sure though I though Uma did a good job with the rest of the role.

[possibilities]

In the NPR discussion  that I linked upthread, a Texan said Uma was "Foghorn Leghorning all over the place". 

I don't understand why she wouldn't bother to get a coach to get it right. It's kind of insulting, really. 

[Scarlett45]

On 8/13/2023 at 7:41 PM, scarynikki12 said:

The family friend didn't out Alex and Henry in the book but

  Reveal spoiler

learned it was the Richards campaign and gathered the proof to send to Nora. The book never says why Alex was seemingly the only member of the First Family who got hacked but I always assumed Richards went after him because his love life was already of public interest. They may have just thought they'd get some emails between Alex and Nora about the sex life the public thought they still enjoyed and were thrilled to learn he was sleeping with Henry instead. Either way they intended to use Alex's sex life against Ellen. The hacking would have happened no matter who the running mate was but Luna being there allowed them to discover it was Richards and return fire. 

It was interesting how the movie implied the reporter directly hacked Alex himself. The man just couldn't accept Alex wasn't into him.

That’s what I assumed. That the reporter hacked Alex. 

On 8/13/2023 at 10:24 AM, possibilities said:

Complex review of the movie. I like that the reviewers are community insiders, not outsiders talking about how it looks to straight people.

They analyze the movie from the perspective of representation as well as technical things. 

https://www.npr.org/2023/07/31/1191087019/will-red-white-royal-blue-be-your-cup-of-tea?ft=nprml&f=510282

I enjoyed the movie, but the conversation in the review made me want to read the book, and think I'd like that even more.

Thank you! I will check this out. 

[greekmom]

12 hours ago, possibilities said:

In the NPR discussion  that I linked upthread, a Texan said Uma was "Foghorn Leghorning all over the place". 

I don't understand why she wouldn't bother to get a coach to get it right. It's kind of insulting, really. 

Forgive my ignorance (Ontario, Canada here) but Uma sounded like JR to me who played a Texan. What was wrong with her accent?

Thanks in advance 

[Camera One]

It was a decent diversion, but I was hoping to like it more.  It would have helped to show and establish what Henry's life was like to properly understand his response later on.  It took a long time for the characters to grow on me, and I even found the two leads to be a tad annoying for awhile.  They seemed to act a lot younger than they looked.  The humor wasn't very funny and I felt bad for the actors having to deliver clunky dialogue, albeit not very convincingly.  The scenes with Alex and his parents were kind of stiff.  The plot was a bit thin and it didn't build up much momentum.  I hope the movie does well, though.

On 8/14/2023 at 6:37 PM, possibilities said:

In the NPR discussion  that I linked upthread, a Texan said Uma was "Foghorn Leghorning all over the place". 

I don't understand why she wouldn't bother to get a coach to get it right. It's kind of insulting, really. 

In this interview with the director (interview discusses differences between book and film), it mentions that she worked with a dialect coach.  It sounds like she wanted to get it right and wanted to check it with the director directly.

Edited August 17, 2023 by Camera One

[possibilities]

On 8/15/2023 at 10:21 AM, greekmom said:

Forgive my ignorance (Ontario, Canada here) but Uma sounded like JR to me who played a Texan. What was wrong with her accent?

All I can say is that it doesn't sound like any Texan I've known. 

10 hours ago, Camera One said:

It sounds like she wanted to get it right and wanted to check it with the director directly.

Wow. Either I have met the wrong Texans for whatever she was trying to do, or the people involved in this project just didn't know what they were doing.

I am not an expert on accents, but I did live with a Texan (fresh out of the state, too, not someone who'd left a long time before and lost her dialect) and to me it sounded super-fake.

[PRgal]

I haven't read the book, so I can only judge from the movie alone.  So here are thoughts:  It was kind of lame and pretty much followed the usual rom-com storyline.  What I'm trying to figure out is how Alex can have time for school (is he in undergrad or grad school?) AND work on his mom's campaign.  It seems like the latter is A LOT of work!

[scarynikki12]

2 hours ago, PRgal said:

What I'm trying to figure out is how Alex can have time for school (is he in undergrad or grad school?) AND work on his mom's campaign.  It seems like the latter is A LOT of work!

In the book he starts working on the campaign at the end of his college career (it doesn’t interfere). In the movie he’s in law school and I can only assume he took a semester off to do his Texas work. 

[Crs97]

5 hours ago, possibilities said:

Wow. Either I have met the wrong Texans for whatever she was trying to do, or the people involved in this project just didn't know what they were doing.

I am not an expert on accents, but I did live with a Texan (fresh out of the state, too, not someone who'd left a long time before and lost her dialect) and to me it sounded super-fake.

I was born and raised in Texas, went to Texas A&M, and “tu” (University of Texas in Austin).  I can comfortably say those experts did not know what they are doing.  I agree with the earlier poster who said she sounds like Julia Sugarbaker, which is not remotely close to a Texas accent.

[PRgal]

44 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

In the book he starts working on the campaign at the end of his college career (it doesn’t interfere). In the movie he’s in law school and I can only assume he took a semester off to do his Texas work. 

Guess I wasn't paying attention on the part that he was in law school.  
 

It's freaking me out that Uma is playing someone old enough to have a 20-something kid.  I mean, it makes sense - she's in her early 50s.  But she's always going to be like, 25 to me.  I have to remember that I'm turning 44 soon and not a teenager.

Edited August 16, 2023 by PRgal

[Camera One]

This interview discusses a few different topics than the previous one, including the editing and deleted scenes.

[starri]

On 8/13/2023 at 11:24 AM, possibilities said:

I enjoyed the movie, but the conversation in the review made me want to read the book, and think I'd like that even more.

The book is...well, it's not deep.  But it has some really strong emotional beats.  

I think ultimately this is probably the best version of the story they could have done in two hours.  There are changes that I liked and changes that I didn't, but I think it balanced everything really well.

[Irlandesa]

I watched this movie because I want more same-sex romcoms so I try to support those that come out even if I'm not 100% on board. 

I do think the story improved in some areas I felt were the most annoying parts of the book for most of the movie.  Unfortunately, that didn't last the whole movie. 

For instance, the movie mostly felt less like Harry and Meghan fanfic than the book did until the movie felt it needed mustache-twirling villains in the final act.

Even though the press was around, it also managed to keep the "public" (aka all the fame stuff) in the background...until the final act. 

And I did like having real actors play the parts.  The actors weren't overwhelmingly good but they were decent even though I wish they had more chemistry.  Sarah Shahi was a ton of fun. 

But what turned it from an okay movie that I didn't mind spending time with into a movie that made me curl up into a ball was the final act.  Turning the royal family into uber-evil villains trying to stop Alex and Henry's love felt a bit out of step with the rest of the movie and real-life fanfic.  Making it worse is their relationship was "saved" by the heroic hordes coming to Buckingham Palace in support and just the right moment. 

I...just can't.  So much cringe. 

But ultimately, over the course of the movie, I couldn't help but notice how much Alex grew and Henry did not.  Alex embraced the fact that he was bi.  He decided to take a bold role in his mother's campaign and put in the work.  He had so much poise in handling the public revelation of his relationship.  Even though Henry had a better sense of his sexuality, he basically stayed hidden and scared.

I couldn't help but feel that Alex was going to outgrow Henry...if he hadn't already.

[Scarlett45]

On 8/16/2023 at 1:21 PM, PRgal said:

I haven't read the book, so I can only judge from the movie alone.  So here are thoughts:  It was kind of lame and pretty much followed the usual rom-com storyline.  What I'm trying to figure out is how Alex can have time for school (is he in undergrad or grad school?) AND work on his mom's campaign.  It seems like the latter is A LOT of work!

It was summer and he was in law school. Essentially it was his 1L summer job most likely- not uncommon. 

[PRgal]

29 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

It was summer and he was in law school. Essentially it was his 1L summer job most likely- not uncommon. 

Expected, I’d say (the summer job/placement, not the working at the campaign itself).  

[Scarlett45]

4 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Expected, I’d say (the summer job/placement, not the working at the campaign itself).  

I just meant that many law students work campaigns during their 1L summers in the USA. Given his mom was President and his father was a congressman, I would’ve expected that from him. 

[Lois Sandborne]

I'm from W. Louisiana, about 15 minutes from East Texas. I didn't think Uma's accent was so bad. Maybe she grew up in Longview. Anyway, she sounded way better than whatever it is Daniel Craig is doing in the Knives Out movies. There's your Foghorn Leghorn.

This movie was cute, but I kind of ran out of patience with it. I saw the climax conflict coming a mile a way, and I guess I just got tired of waiting to get there. I fast forwarded through a good 40 minutes and then watched the last 10. I didn't feel like I missed anything.

[scarynikki12]

On 8/17/2023 at 9:50 PM, Irlandesa said:

For instance, the movie mostly felt less like Harry and Meghan fanfic than the book did until the movie felt it needed mustache-twirling villains in the final act.

To be honest Harry and Meghan never crossed my mind when reading or watching. I see the book and movie to be Casey's condemnation of royals in general, and the British royals specifically (as they're the most famous royals in the US), for their poor positions on LGTBQIA+ rights. The most I've ever seen any of them do is a 'Happy Pride!' on social media but that's it as they like to hide behind the 'we aren't supposed to be political' policy. They may surprise us but I'm inclined to believe versions of what we saw in this movie have happened and are happening in real life: the straight royals get played up as having Great Loves with their heterosexual relationships while the non-straight royals are told to stay in the closet for the good of the crown. I seriously doubt any of the children or grandchildren of the various monarchs will be allowed to have same sex partners much less go public like Alex and Henry did. On the off chance they are I expect the tradeoff will be their automatic removal from the line of succession rather than update those policies.

I did enjoy the deleted scene with the ice cream even though the movie didn't suffer without it. That was a cute scene in the book and helped Alex start seeing Henry as more than the perfect prince.

In response to the movie's success Netflix started posting some of Taylor's scenes from the movies he's filmed for them which I find hilarious. Jealous much Netflix? I wonder if Netflix had the chance to option the book and passed? 

[starri]

Apparently, when they were granted permission to film at the Victoria & Albert Museum, they were told they could only use the museum's existing lighting.  I'm actually glad the museum insisted on that, it made the scene look a little more dream-like.

[Dandesun]

18 hours ago, starri said:

Apparently, when they were granted permission to film at the Victoria & Albert Museum, they were told they could only use the museum's existing lighting.  I'm actually glad the museum insisted on that, it made the scene look a little more dream-like.

When Henry says something along the lines of 'slipping through the sculptures like a shadow' as they were doing so... very evocative.

Kind of made me jealous. I'd love to have access to a museum at night.

Okay, it depends on the museum because there are some I'm fine staying out of but the V&A? Yes please.

[methodwriter85]

On 8/26/2023 at 8:36 PM, starri said:

Apparently, when they were granted permission to film at the Victoria & Albert Museum, they were told they could only use the museum's existing lighting.  I'm actually glad the museum insisted on that, it made the scene look a little more dream-like.

Minimizing light pollution is a big deal with preserving artifacts, especially painted objects That's why. I volunteer with a little museum and we're supposed to keep the shades drawn and such when we're not open because you want to keep light exposure to a minimum. 

The scene did look very cute as it did. I always like seeing two guys dance in a movie together. For some reason we didn't get a lot of those types of scenes in 90's and 2000's gay movies.

Edited September 6, 2023 by methodwriter85