Review: 'Harry & Meghan' plays up the royal romance

Posted Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 10:08 AM Central

by John Couture

I admit it. I just don't get it.

I am not what some might call a rabid royal fanatic. You know, those people who camp out in front of hospitals to get a glimpse of the next royal baby. Nope, I don't get our infatuation with a monarchy that we fought a war with over 200 years ago to institute our independence.

And yet, there are still plenty of people on this side of the pond who go ga-ga over this prince or that princess. And if there's one thing that royal fanatics love more than a new royal baby, it's a royal romance followed by a royal wedding.

Enter Lifetime and Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance.

The Lifetime network knows a thing or two about corny soap opera romances and is there anything more akin to a soap opera in the real world than the royal family? The film fictionalizes the whirlwind romance between the wild playboy prince and the plucky American actress.

While it would have been impossible to get Suits actress Meghan Markle to play herself in the made-for-TV film, they get the next best thing in Parisa Fitz-Henley. The resemblance to the Duchess is uncanny, but Parisa also has the acting chops to pull off the complicated performance. Biopics are incredibly difficult to pull off, but even more so when the subject you are portraying is also an actress - turned public figure.

Big props to Parisa because she is able to bring a bit of vulnerability to the staunchly fierce and independent Markle. The result is an account that passes the "sniff test" in terms of believability. I'm certainly no royal and I couldn't even fathom all of that pressure, but to do so while also juggling a bizarre family spat back home is nothing less than extraordinary.

For his part, Murray Fraser is able to channel the Duke of Sussex impeccably. As outsiders, the only candid exposure we have to Prince Harry is through his wild juvenile exploits in the tabloids. To this end, Murray perfectly captures the free spirit that Prince Harry projects to the outside world.

Internally, director Menhaj Huda does an adequate job of creating the conflict and turmoil that almost assuredly rocked the traditionally conservative royal family. Even without having an inside source, the scenes conjured up by Huda almost certainly took place as the Prince and Meghan unlikely romance would have shaken the family to its core.

And yet, the film gloriously revels in all of the trappings of a Lifetime movie. It is silly and saccharine to a point where it plays more like a direct-to-video sequel of The Prince & Me than real life. Of course, the lines between art and life are often blurry and the film doesn't hurt anyone, so where's the harm?

If you're a royal fanatic, you'll want to pick up a copy so that you can relinquish the space that the film currently holds on your DVR. If you're not a true fan, you will still appreciate the life imitating art vibe that will dredge up any countless teen movies from the last 20 years.

Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance is now available on DVD.