Netflix just dropped the official trailer for The Royal Treatment, and within 24 hours it’s already racked up millions of views for one very simple reason: this is the most unapologetically chaotic, spark-filled rom-com we’ve seen in years. Think The Princess Diaries had a one-night stand with Crazy Rich Asians and then raised the baby in Brooklyn. The two-minute trailer is a sugar rush of witty one-liners, jaw-dropping palace glamour, and the kind of slow-burn eye contact that makes you yell at your screen.
Laura Marano plays Isabella – everyone calls her Izzy – a fiercely independent Manhattan salon owner who will roast you, your split ends, and your life choices in the same breath. She’s the friend who tells you the dress does NOT look good on you and somehow still makes you love her for it. Then there’s Mena Massoud as Prince Thomas of Lavania. Thomas is days away from a politically arranged marriage he doesn’t want when fate – or Netflix’s algorithm – decides to smash these two worlds together.
How does a Big Apple stylist end up doing the hair for a royal wedding halfway across the world? The trailer doesn’t over-explain, and honestly it doesn’t need to. One minute Izzy and her ride-or-die team are arguing about whether you can really use kitchen scissors in a pinch; the next minute they’re on a private jet because the palace’s original stylists apparently threw a tantrum and quit. Cue Izzy strutting into a room full of tiaras wearing ripped jeans and a “Wash & Blow Me” t-shirt like she owns the place.
What follows is two minutes of the most delicious culture clash since Meghan Markle showed up to Windsor with an opinion. Izzy refuses to bow, calls the prince “dude” to his face, and at one point tells the future queen that her updo looks like “a bird’s nest having an identity crisis.” The palace staff are horrified. The internet – judging by the trailer comments – is obsessed.
But underneath the laugh-out-loud moments, the trailer sneaks in something deeper. Thomas is drowning in duty. Every smile for the cameras feels rehearsed, every decision made for him before he was old enough to shave. Then here comes this whirlwind of a woman who speaks her mind without calculating the diplomatic consequences, and for the first time in years he starts laughing – really laughing. There’s a quiet scene about halfway through where Izzy is trimming his hair (because of course the prince needs a last-minute touch-up) and she asks, “When’s the last time you did something just because you wanted to?” He doesn’t have an answer. The look they share in the mirror is the moment every viewer knows this movie is about to ruin them in the best way possible.
Mena Massoud, still riding the high from Aladdin, brings a softer energy here – less swagger, more aching restraint. You can practically feel the weight of the crown pressing on him even when he’s off-duty in jeans and a sweater. Laura Marano, meanwhile, is pure chaotic sunshine. She’s giving peak rom-com heroine: equal parts fearless and secretly terrified she’s in over her head. The chemistry crackles so hard you half-expect the screen to catch fire.
The supporting cast looks stacked too. We’ve got a stern but secretly soft palace manager who clearly ships it, a fiancée who might actually be the villain, and Izzy’s salon besties who treat the entire royal experience like the world’s most extravagant girls’ trip.
Visually? It’s a feast. The fictional kingdom of Lavania is drenched in fairy-tale opulence – think marble halls, glittering chandeliers, and gardens that make Versailles look mid. Then you’ve got Izzy’s Brooklyn salon covered in neon signs and Polaroids of satisfied clients giving the finger. The contrast is chef’s kiss.
Let’s be honest: we all know how this story ends. There will be a disastrous public event, a runaway bride (or groom), at least one grand gesture on horseback or in a helicopter, and a final kiss as fireworks explode because Netflix has a legal obligation to include fireworks in every rom-com. But the joy of The Royal Treatment isn’t in surprises – it’s in watching two people who were never supposed to meet figure out that maybe the life they were “supposed” to have isn’t the one they actually want.
The internet is already losing its mind. Twitter is flooded with “Izzy is my spirit animal” and “Prince Thomas can ruin my life.” TikTok is doing side-by-side edits of Mena Massoud smiling in this trailer versus every other role he’s ever played because apparently we’re all weak. Someone even started a petition to make “Wash & Blow Me” an official royal motto.
Look, if you’re the kind of person who rolled your eyes at royal weddings and thought “not another prince falls for commoner story,” this trailer might just change your mind – or at least make you laugh so hard you forget to be cynical for 97 minutes. It’s big, it’s bold, it’s completely ridiculous, and it looks like the most fun you’ll have on the couch all winter.
The Royal Treatment crashes onto Netflix January 20th. Clear your schedule, stock up on wine and popcorn, and prepare to scream at your TV when these two idiots take way too long to realize they’re perfect for each other. Your inner 12-year-old who believed in fairy tales is already thanking you.
