Run time: 95 minutes
Rating: 2.5/5
“The Royal Treatment” is another generic film that uses the rich-guy-poor-girl-live-happily-ever-after formula. In this version, Disney Channel’s Laura Marano plays an Italian hairdresser, Izzy, who runs the family salon in the Bronx. Mena Massoud stars as Prince Thomas of Lavania, a made-up country that sits next to Aldovia on the map. The prince’s assistant mistakenly makes a haircut appointment at Izzy’s rundown salon, Bellissime, rather than at Belle, the celebrity salon in the city. Their relationship has a rocky start when Izzy’s compassionate, charitable attitude clashes with Thomas’s inconsideration and helplessness.
The mismatch of characters’ accents in the film was irritating. The prince, his butler Walter (Cameron Rhodes), Madame Fabre (Sonia Gray) and the prince’s parents all have varying accents despite all hailing from the same made-up European country Lavania. Madame Fabre has a thick French-like accent; Walter sounds British and Prince Thomas has an American accent.
The plot developments received just as little attention as the choice of character accents. Izzy leaves a $500 hair stylist job because the Prince did not protect the employee who spilled tea, even though she is broke. I understand her character is a noble and charitable character, but the situation was not as dramatic as it was made out to be. And who turns down an expensive job when in dire need of money? In response to that flare-up, the Prince shows up at the salon, alone, asking Izzy to finish his haircut. Since when does royalty travel without chaperones? And after spending what seems like five minutes with Izzy, Prince Thomas was so enthralled by her, he hires Izzy and her team as the stylists for his upcoming wedding.
The film was cheesy and predictable as expected. What caught me by surprise were actually the ridiculous newspaper headlines, “Hot Prince Visit Makes Temperatures Rise in City,” and “Italian Tomato Seduces Prince.” The point of headlines is to be catchy, and I think the latter headline, although it embraces stereotypes, adds some comical humor to the plot. It was very fitting for the scene since Izzy was serving spaghetti and homemade tomato sauce to schoolchildren.
“The Royal Treatment” is not good, but it is not bad. I would never watch this film again, but it was inane enough to enjoy viewing once. The 95-minute film was released on Jan. 20 and is streaming on Netflix. Hopefully, there is no sequel to come.
