Is 'Red, White & Royal Blue' with Nicholas Galitzine, Taylor Zakhar Perez worth watching?

Casey McQuiston's New York Times bestselling novel Red, White & Royal Blue has been adapted into a swoon-worthy movie starring Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez (now on Prime Video).

Directed by Tony Award-winning playwright Matthew López, the film is a full-fledge rom-com that teases us with flirty banter and sensual eye contact before the movie's forbidden lovers can finally be together.

What is 'Red, White & Royal Blue' about?

Galitzine plays U.K. royal Prince Henry and Perez plays Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of Democrat U.S. President Ellen Claremont (Uma Thurman with a Texas accent). Initially, Henry and Alex aren't fond of each other at all, which leads to a messy incident at the wedding reception for Henry's brother, Prince Philip (Thomas Flynn).

Alex gets cake icing on Henry's suit jacket and as the two start squabbling and trying to get it off, the entire massive wedding cake falls right on top of them, causing a mess — and an international news story that goes viral on seemingly every social media platform in the world.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the president's chief of staff, Zahra Bankston (Sarah Shahi), is tasked with sending Alex back to London for some damage control, where the first son is essentially forced to play nice with Henry in front of the press.

Initially, these two privileged men start a casual friendship, texting back and forth, but things change at Alex's New Year's Eve party. This is where we get into full-blown rom-com mode.

With the Lil Jon song "Get Low" playing (the dirty version that Henry has never heard before), as the party guests literally start to get low with their dance moves, Henry and Alex lock eyes. In classic rom-com fashion, that's when they realize this friendship is something more romantic.

Henry is overwhelmed with his feelings and runs outside. When Alex goes to check on him, Henry kisses Alex.

That's the beginning of this relationship but, as is pointed out in the movie, "princes can't be gay," which means it's just secret dates and hooking up for the couple.

Of course, no secrets last forever, or at least not in the world of rom-coms, and the couple are publicly outed, which causes a whole sea of problems for the pair, but Henry in particular.

That leaves us with the final question for the end of the movie, can the two lovers ever be together?

Is 'Red, White, & Royal Blue' worth watching?

Getting straight to the point, this is a movie that some people are going to love, and others will have absolutely no interest in watching.

The film is very stylistically specific. There are undeniably some scenes and some lines in this movie that are incredibly cheesy that will make many cringe. But if What A Girl Wants and Passport to Paris can do it (and we love those movies), so can Red, White & Royal Blue, just with far more intimacy this time around, which is also a welcome addition.

On the comedy front, Sarah Shahi fills that "sarcastic sidekick" role. While very much a trope, she's an essential part of what makes the film fun and not overly dramatic.

A highlight of this movie is the real commitment that every actor has put into their role.

The chemistry between Galitzine and Perez is definitely there, you do feel invested in their love story and you want them to succeed. Galitzine in particular does a very effective job of making us feel the struggle he's battling, wanting to live his life as his true self while under the pressure of the Royals.

It's very easy to see the parallels between this movie and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's love story. While of course there are some stark differences, as we get near the end of the film there are conversations about the privacy everyone is entitled to, even public figures. It certainly has notes of the stalking and media frenzy that the real-life couple have documented.

This is very much a movie made for a Friday or Saturday night, alone or with friends, maybe a beverage or two, and you just go on the ride that is this sweet and sultry love story.