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Last week, I posted my first ever video game review: Hercule Poirot: The First Cases.

Red, White, and Royal Blue is a rom com where the romantic leads are Alex, whose mother is the American president, and Prince Henry, whose father is the king of England. They start off hating each other and are forced into a fake friendship. High jinks ensue and they end up falling in love. Pretty much my favorite rom com plot.

One high jink, naturally, is the American and British misalignment. This dialogue between the President and her Chief of Staff made me laugh.

President: We have spent the last three years negotiating a new trade deal with His Majesty’s government.

Chief of Staff: Thousands of hours, gallons of tea.

The powerful people weren’t all white and male in the world of this film. The Prime Minister is a black woman. The President is a white woman married to a Mexican immigrant with a Hispanic son. Even the DJ at the New Year’s Eve party is a woman of color.

Red, White, and Royal Blue is a very pretty movie. Of course, you would expect scenes set in the White House and the palaces of London to be filled with elegant furnishings. But my favorite shot is an exterior on New Year’s Eve with the Washington Monument and fireworks in the background. Our two romantic lead characters stand in a light snow, next to an evergreen tree with gently curving branches. The lighting is low. The setting is perfect for a tender scene.

Here’s a bonus for book lovers, when Henry and Alex are getting to know each other, they talk about what they’re reading.

I enjoyed the movie so much that I watched it twice in the same week. When I wanted a good distraction from reality, Red, White, and Royal Blue was the perfect fantasy. Sometimes, I need a heavy dose of idealism to help me feel good about the world we live in. This film worked magic on my mood.

Red, White, and Royal Blue is available to stream on Amazon Prime.