REVIEW: The Royal Treatment Isn’t Exactly a Treat

The Royal Treatment follows New York hairdresser, Izzy (Laura Marano), struggling between helping her mother run her local hair salon or living her dream of helping to take care of people. When by accident, Izzy stumbles into cutting and styling the handsome, but spoiled, Prince Tommy’s (Mena Massoud) hair, she finds her life forever changed as she is whisked off to his home country to be the hairdresser for his upcoming wedding. However, as the date gets closer that’s not the only thing growin closer. The pair begin to find it harder and harder to deny their feelings for one another, even though Prince Tommy is set to be wed to someone else.

For the lack of better words, The Royal Treatment is a mess. But, to me, it was a mess in an entertaining way. This movie never tries to be anything but an over the top, cheesy romcom. The storyline is extremely predictable, the dialogue isn’t fantastic, and the movie has a good time poking fun at itself and the romcom genre. With that being said, some of you are going to love this movie while others of you are going to hate it. If you go in with your expectations really low, and come to terms that this movie is just to be watched for entertaining purposes, you are going to enjoy it. Maybe not enough to come back for another go around, but just enough to get through the whole thing.

Marano and Massoud are both lovely little actors, who are excellent choices for the romantic comedy/romance genre. The two work well off one another, especially in one particular scene that takes place about halfway through the movie. No spoilers, but it does involve dancing. However, solo, they are less enjoyable Marano’s Izzy is simply all over the place with a New York accent that comes in and out quicker than a New York taxi cab. I wish they had forgone the accent and let her just talk normally. When it came to Massoud’s Tommy, he is not nearly as charming as Massoud himself. His character does grow on you, but not enough that his performance will leave you loving him by the end.

Coming off the holiday season, filled to the brim with sweet romantic goodness, The Royal Treatment would of been better fit to be released later this year. It’s hard to enjoy the movie when we have been overwhelmed by holiday romcoms for the last two months. However, if you can push that aside, and accept the movie is not going to be the best romcom you have ever watched, you may slightly enjoy it. If you have been overloaded with romcom sweetness over the last two months and can’t take another romcom, hold off a couple of weeks then give the movie a try.

Grade: C-