The Prom: A Bunch of Movie People Doing Theater in a Movie
The Prom
Directed by Ryan Murphy
Written by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin
The review:
The Prom is a not-terrible adaption of what was probably a not-terrible Broadway production and includes at least one song that earwormed its way into my brain for an extended period of time.* The story of washed up Broadway stars who decide to step in and “help” when a gay teen from Indiana** is excluded from bringing her girlfriend to prom, this is a of-the-moment story that will hopefully look quaint in about ten years. Jo Ellen Pellman is fresh faced as Emma Nolan, the gay teen in question and the four leads (Meryl Streep, James Corden,*** Nicole Kidman,**** and Keegan-Michael Key) give their best razzle dazzle performances.
The verdict: Good
Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home
Consider also watching:
Further sentences:
*I cannot remember which song it is, but I’m not going to go and re-expose myself to the earworm.
**If Hoosiers is the apex of Indiana-positive films, this is the opposite.
***A straight man playing a gay man, which has been criticized.
****She seems to be having fun in this stage of her career.
Questions:
- What is that magical pixie dust that makes a movie musical feel like something more than a placeholder for those of us who don’t make it to Broadway?
- What was your favorite number?
Favorite IMDB trivia item:
Although the original actors from Broadway auditioned for the role, Ryan Murphy decided to go with the “star-filled” cast. This is sadly ironic, as the stage version was designed to give leads to actors who had spent their entire career in supporting roles, such as Beth Leavel, Brooks Ashmanskas, Angie Schworer and Christopher Sieber, whose roles in the film are played by Streep, Corden, Kidman and Rannells, respectively.
Other reviews of The Prom:
- Jude Dry, Indiewire
- Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily
Leave a Comment
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It’s so painful that a movie about helping a gay teen “straightwashed” a role. But otherwise, it looked fun.
I go back and forth on this. I’d like everyone to play every role, gay or straight, but I recognize we aren’t there yet. And I know how much of movie making is driven on box office power, which is annoying.
But yes, the optics aren’t great for this film especially.