Prince Thomas (Mena Massoud), the prince of Lavania, is in New York on royal business, and he needs a makeover to look presentable in public. So his assistant, Walter (Cameron Rhodes), contacted the city's finest salon, where he hired Izzy (Laura Marano), a hairdresser.
Izzy recently had to use his savings to pay the family-owned salon’s landlord after a fire. Despite these difficulties, she is constantly friendly, helpful, and kind to others. She has a strong sense of justice and passion for children and the community. That's why, when Prince Thomas refused to help one of his maids, she got furious and left.
Prince Thomas pays a visit to the salon and later apologizes for his actions. And to further compensate for his mistakes, he invited her and two of her co-workers, Destiny (Chelsie Preston Crayford) and Lola (Grace Bentley-Tsibuah), to be their hairdressers for his upcoming wedding.
"The Royal Treatment" is sweet and empowering. It’s a film for teens and I think it has its heart in the right places. With its message of progressive and independent women, it is evident that screenwriter Holly Hester absolutely knows her characters and the power they wield over the narrative.
Another good thing is the chemisty between Marano and Massoud. The two have this winsome innocence that makes their on-screen admiration for one another so palpable. The personalities of the two characters they play complemented each other, as well. Marano plays this wide-eyed, driven, and righteous girl who is all too familiar but also a person so easy to love and respect. On the other hand, Massoud is like a modern-day version of Prince Charming. He's endearing, with a bright smile and expressive eyes.
In spite of all of this, "The Royal Treatment" is not without flaws. The flaw in the film begins with its consistent or expected use of a slew of tropes. Tropey movies aren’t all bad; they serve as guides for defining characters, settings, and situations. However, too much of it can ruin a good story as it can make it seem lousy, predictable, and boring. Alas, the film is filled with cliches that turn it into a discount carbon copy of all romantic comedies about royalties and city girls. Think of Jennifer Lopez’s "Maid in Manhattan" but combine it with the classic "The Princess Diaries" or the underrated "A Christmas Prince." I think the plot of the movie needs to be rearrange to give it more substance and depth.
Furthermore, the story downplayed pressing issues such as the displacing of poor residents. It may seem ridiculous to criticize subplots in a film for teenagers, but the whole leadership and community development storyline is far interesting than the two's romantic journey.
"The Royal Treatment" is not tightly written enough and it's overly fictional and scripted. Honestly, this film needs a makeover as it comes off as yet another cheap Netflix film despite all of the glamours and stars. But unlike other films, there’s a lesson to be learned in this story, and that’s sometimes enough in a comfort movie like this.
2/5
