The Royal Treatment Review: Laura Marano and Mena Massoud’s delightful film CURES our romantic comedy blues
The Royal Treatment Cast: Laura Marano, Mena Massoud, Cameron Rhodes
The Royal Treatment Director: Rick Jacobson
Streaming Platform: Netflix
The Royal Treatment Stars: 3.5/5
No matter what one says about romantic comedies, there are certain ‘traditional’ elements to the genre that keeps us coming back for more and more. Unlike the early 2000s, where many good rom-coms persevered and continue to make it to our holiday binge-list every year, nowadays, it’s far and few between. Then, comes along progressive stories like in The Royal Treatment and down you’re in the romantic comedies’ bandwagon all over again.
Fresh off the boat, it’s the leading pair of The Royal Treatment that catches your eyes. It’s also the cherry on top of the gorgeous looking cake that the script also helps establish these characters and their backstories. On one hand, we have the spunky hairdresser Izzy (Laura Marano), who is as sharp with her knife as she is a kind soul. Always a step ahead to be there for someone, Isabelle is in a recurrent loophole between staying by her helicopter mom Valentina’s (Amanda Billing) side and actually going out there and making a difference. On the other hand, we have the trapped monarch in Prince Thomas (Mena Massoud) of Lavania, who is forced to marry hotel heiress Lauren (Phoenix Connolly) at the behest of his prim and proper parents, King John (Paul Norell) and Queen Catherine (Teuila Blakely).
A sitcom-style encounter sees the ‘opposites attract’ meet-cute between Izzy and Thomas, the latter of whom is so enamoured by the former’s free-spirited demeanour that he so craves for himself (She gives a mean haircut too!), that Izzy books her hair salon a steep job of cutting everyone’s hair at the royal wedding. Izzy is whisked off to the breathtaking world of Lavania, a fictional town reminiscent of Genovia in The Princess Diaries, but nevertheless, stunning to admire. As expected, the lead pair bounce off of each other’s energies and help bring out their rebellious personalities, even falling in love in between.
What’s extremely delightful about The Royal Treatment for me is Laura and charming chemistry, where every scene between the two and the banter shared feels like an honest, refreshing take. Marano brings a fiery spiciness to Izzy, that has you rooting for her through and through, sans the stereotypical Cinderella “damsel in distress” complex. Massoud is equally earnest in bringing about the conflicted emotions of Thomas to life without ever making it too caricaturish and rather adding a quirky, gentlemanly charm to the mix. The pair is also significantly given the right push by Holly Hester’s innovative script, with witty dialogues in every nook and corner. I genuinely can’t wait to see the two actors in more leading role parts!
As for The Royal Treatment’s supporting cast, Izzy’s salon staff and besties Destiny (Chelsie Preston Crayford) and Lola (Grace Bentley-Tsibuah), who join Izzy on her Lavanian adventure, add hilarious bouts of humour relief with their colourful, natural comedic timing. Watch out for Sonia Gray as Madame Fabre, Thomas’ assistant with a high French accent, who manages to leave you laughing out loud with her over the top and elaborately dramatic shenanigans, alongside the BFFs duo. However, it’s Cameron Rhodes’ charismatic performance as Thomas’ congenial, warm-hearted butler Walter that’s a rewarding treat and a feast to watch.
Nevertheless, there are a few spoilt rotten apples when it comes to the messy, incomplete arcs of some The Royal Treatment characters, notably Thomas and Lauren’s parents, particularly the latter; Ruth (Jacque Drew) and Buddy (Matthew E. Morgan). Even though Amanda and Elizabeth Hawthorne, who plays Izzy’s Nonna, don’t have much to offer amidst many intriguing characters, they still manage to make work of what’s given to them. Jay Simon’s slumlord Doug is an equal buzzkill. Even Phoenix brings a fresh take to the overrated trope of the second female lead being nothing less than a catty b***h to the main lead, which is through a nuanced character, who has her own outlandish hopes and dreams to conquer than just being a “trophy wife” princess. And what’s better? The two even take gracious, real turns in complimenting each other than fighting for “the man.”
Rick Jacobson’s direction of The Royal Treatment, along with Holly’s intuitive, progressive script, tactfully makes use of romantic comedy tropes and modernly twists them to give us a better understanding of the lead characters. It’s not always about the boy saving the girl; sometimes, they save each other and have some fun while doing it, too. What’s also noteworthy is how the societal morals and issues are dealt with in the storytelling, without being overly preachy. Rather as a social commentary dialogue between two independent individuals, through the across the train tracks community, Uber de Gleise is a living metaphor. As for the Netflix-trademark rom-com music by John R. Graham, it adds just the right pep to Neville Stevenson’s lavish production design. Moreover, Barbara Darragh’s costume design, between Izzy’s funky cool attires to Thomas’ intricately designed outfits, is equally pleasing to the eyes.
While there were a few cracks in The Royal Treatment’s narrative, the conclusion is worth it as a re-imagining of a classic romantic comedy (I won’t spoil it for you!) comes alive and leaves you squealing. You know how it’s going to end, but sometimes happy endings are exactly what the doctor ordered as the ultimate “royal” treatment. All the pun intended!
Originally published at https://www.pinkvilla.com on January 20, 2022.
