6/10
I enjoy rom coms just as much as the next person, so obviously after seeing this movie all over TikTok, I had to watch it. The story, based on Casey McQuiston’s 2019 novel of the same name, focuses on the tumultuous relationship between Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of the US President, and Prince Henry of the British Royal Family. The duo sort of find themselves in an enemies to fake friends, to friends, to friends with benefits, to lovers scenario. A lot, I know. But let’s get into this properly, yeah? I won’t spoil the movie too much, so don’t worry if you want to give it a watch!
The film starts with the royal wedding of Prince Henry’s sibling, which Alex makes an appearance in. From then on, we witness the cliches of a romantic comedy and the characters they are bound to introduce. I will admit that perhaps I lied earlier on… I don’t exactly enjoy these types of movies much anymore. The newer ones anyways. They’re all the same, you know? However, despite that, I did enjoy parts. Aside from being praised as a well-written LGBTQ+ story, it was actually quite entertaining at times.
So why give it a six? Well, I’ve read quite a few reviews from people who read the book prior to watching the film, and it’s safe to say that many felt the movie did not do the novel justice. This is one of the biggest problems I have with book to movie adaptations; they never seem to do the original plot enough justice. Now, I’m not saying the film should be exactly like the book, because that’s pretty much impossible when there’s a lot of material. However, if there are key elements in the story that have not been adapted for the screen, then there will always be an array of disappointed viewers. Here are some snippets of reviews that I saw:
“I’m a huge fan of the book and have read it too many times, so I was very aware of every change they made. The biggest one that ruined it for me was how the friendships and family dynamics were erased.”
“The foundation of the characters, which is so essential for audience connection and engagement, was disappointingly underdeveloped. We were left with mere sketches of who these characters were meant to be, their motivations and complexities barely hinted at.”
Now, from just these two extracts from online reviews, it’s clear that there were important characters and relationships that were either omitted from the film entirely, or not explored as deeply as in the book. It’s so incredibly important that such crucial details in a novel are carried over into its film adaptation, because if they aren’t, the plot holds very little resemblance to the original story or it just doesn’t follow it at all (just look at The Fifth Wave).
That all being said, I know you’re probably thinking “enough about the book, what about the actual movie”. So like I did just before, here are some thoughts from other people (both good and… not so good) for you to consider before I share my own.
“This captivating film beautifully intertwines themes of self-discovery, love, and the complex journey of finding one’s authentic identity.”
“Beyond gender identity, this movie also explores the intricacies of love across cultural and social backgrounds.”
“The entire production failed to capture even the slightest essence of what a movie should feel and look like. Instead, it resembled more of a drawn-out drama series, stretched thin and devoid of cinematic charm.”
I have to say, there’s an interesting mix of things said about this film. I’ve also seen several comments saying “the chemistry between the main characters was so good!”, and several others saying the opposite. But pushing that aside, I’ll say that (despite what I may have said earlier), this movie was not terrible. Yes, many elements of the book were missing, but I suppose without reading the book, I felt as though it was an alright movie. It definitely felt like your stereotypical rom com, and that’s totally okay. Honestly, I feel like as you’re reading this you might say I’m just contradicting myself. Eh, I don’t care. So, without further ado, here is my very unbiased, honest opinion:
I think that this movie is an entertaining watch. While it may have felt a little rushed at times, or made me want to strangle a character for being so stupid (this is what I meant by stereotypical rom com things), it was certainly not a complete waste of my time. I’ve only given this film a six because while it wasn’t terrible, it didn’t exactly “wow” me the way something I might rate higher would have. Also, six is a decent score; don’t @ me for not giving a ridiculous rating for something that doesn’t deserve it (*cough* Avengers: Endgame *cough*).
