The Prom (B+ or 3/4 stars)
Broadway stars Dee Dee Allen (Meryl Streep) & Barry Glickman (James Corden) decide they need a celebrity cause to rehab their reputations & overcome the scathing reviews they've received for their latest play in 'The Prom' (directed by Ryan Murphy), a glitzy, glittery musical about acceptance & tolerance. Together, with fading 'chorus girl' Angie Dickinson (Nicole Kidman) & Juilliard grad-with-no-work Trent Oliver (Andrew Rannells), the foursome find their cause: travel to small-town Indiana to support 17 yr. old high school-er, Emma (Jo Ellen Pellman), whose desire to take her closeted girlfriend, Alyssa (Ariana DeBose), to prom has prompted the bigoted PTA, led by Alyssa's mother (Kerry Washington), to cancel the event completely.
Emma has the support of Principal Hawkins (Keegan-Michael Key), who, it turns out, is an enormous fan of Dee Dee's. But our foggy-intentioned Broadway foursome will face a rude awakening when they whisk into town only to find that their very presence evokes no special treatment; and they can't just instantly solve problems with a snappy song-&-dance. Instead, they will have to face-up/fess-up to their actual motivations and put their own interests aside to connect with the locals & to support Emma. Not only does what happen next change the lives of Emma, her girlfriend Alyssa, their families, the prejudiced school body & Principal Hawkins ... but also changes our NY actors who learn a few emboldening life lessons themselves.
Okay people, check your cynicism at the door if you have any intention of letting this neon-lit, teen coming-out extravaganza wash over you. If this is not your type of film, I don't think it will win you over. If it IS your type of thing, despite some issues I have with it, 'The Prom' will reward you with 132 minutes of giddy, self-aware entertainment. Everyone in 'The Prom' delivers charismatic performances with infectious energy ... but it is Meryl Streep who shines brightest, once again. Streep plays the egotistical Broadway diva persona so well. She is her typically wonderful self as she sings, stomps, struts & deliciously propels Dee Dee to generate respect for her ragtag group of theatrical vagabonds AND for Emma. Streep may be 71 yrs. old now, but at any age, there's just no one like her.
James Corden probably shouldn't be playing an effeminate gay man in this day & age, but as is, he sings & dances well + convincingly emotes his dramatic beats. I wish Nicole Kidman were in the film more, but she's fun-as-Hell & gives it her all in the Fosse-inspired "Zazz". Andrew Rannells is fantastic in his rousing, gospel-tinged "Love Thy Neighbor" number, an elaborate show-stopper that takes place in a mall. Like Kidman, I wish he were in the film more. Newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman charms as Emma, who gathers up courage & shows resilience in the face of her own town's intolerance; and boy, what a voice she has! Among the supporting cast, there is solid work from DeBose, Key {as the supportive principal}, Washington {her last scene with DeBose made me tear-up}, & some effective work from Mary Kay Place & Tracey Ullman in roles that were only talked about in the stage version.
Now, this movie works hard to show us a good time, but it's not as effervescent as, say, 2007's amazing Hairspray. 'The Prom' lacks that alchemy associated with translating a stage play laden with song & dance into something that works like gangbusters on the big screen. The script & songs contain clever, self-aware sarcasm, sweetened with heartfelt emotion, but some of that is too-broadly played. There is campiness, earnest messaging & everything in-between. But some characters are given too many musical numbers, while other pivotal roles are skimped on dramatic moments. This uneven-ness creates a baggy feeling to this already 2+ hour movie and, some might even argue that Emma's emotional arc gets lost in the shuffle.
Still, the positives far outweigh the negatives for me. Emanating from old-school movie musical roots, 'The Prom' deftly lampoons celebrity activism of today as much as it celebrates love, identity, tolerance & kindness. Leave it to Ryan Murphy, creator of Glee, to pay gently-teasing tribute to the necessity for the arts, the joys of musical theater, the empathy-creating nature of high school drama clubs, the ultimately good folks of Indiana, & self-absorbed Broadway all in one swipe. 'The Prom' is as bold as its color palette of primary colors and, it just may generate enough cheer for those looking for a respite from 2020's woes. I gave in to it.
Emma has the support of Principal Hawkins (Keegan-Michael Key), who, it turns out, is an enormous fan of Dee Dee's. But our foggy-intentioned Broadway foursome will face a rude awakening when they whisk into town only to find that their very presence evokes no special treatment; and they can't just instantly solve problems with a snappy song-&-dance. Instead, they will have to face-up/fess-up to their actual motivations and put their own interests aside to connect with the locals & to support Emma. Not only does what happen next change the lives of Emma, her girlfriend Alyssa, their families, the prejudiced school body & Principal Hawkins ... but also changes our NY actors who learn a few emboldening life lessons themselves.
Okay people, check your cynicism at the door if you have any intention of letting this neon-lit, teen coming-out extravaganza wash over you. If this is not your type of film, I don't think it will win you over. If it IS your type of thing, despite some issues I have with it, 'The Prom' will reward you with 132 minutes of giddy, self-aware entertainment. Everyone in 'The Prom' delivers charismatic performances with infectious energy ... but it is Meryl Streep who shines brightest, once again. Streep plays the egotistical Broadway diva persona so well. She is her typically wonderful self as she sings, stomps, struts & deliciously propels Dee Dee to generate respect for her ragtag group of theatrical vagabonds AND for Emma. Streep may be 71 yrs. old now, but at any age, there's just no one like her.
James Corden probably shouldn't be playing an effeminate gay man in this day & age, but as is, he sings & dances well + convincingly emotes his dramatic beats. I wish Nicole Kidman were in the film more, but she's fun-as-Hell & gives it her all in the Fosse-inspired "Zazz". Andrew Rannells is fantastic in his rousing, gospel-tinged "Love Thy Neighbor" number, an elaborate show-stopper that takes place in a mall. Like Kidman, I wish he were in the film more. Newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman charms as Emma, who gathers up courage & shows resilience in the face of her own town's intolerance; and boy, what a voice she has! Among the supporting cast, there is solid work from DeBose, Key {as the supportive principal}, Washington {her last scene with DeBose made me tear-up}, & some effective work from Mary Kay Place & Tracey Ullman in roles that were only talked about in the stage version.
Now, this movie works hard to show us a good time, but it's not as effervescent as, say, 2007's amazing Hairspray. 'The Prom' lacks that alchemy associated with translating a stage play laden with song & dance into something that works like gangbusters on the big screen. The script & songs contain clever, self-aware sarcasm, sweetened with heartfelt emotion, but some of that is too-broadly played. There is campiness, earnest messaging & everything in-between. But some characters are given too many musical numbers, while other pivotal roles are skimped on dramatic moments. This uneven-ness creates a baggy feeling to this already 2+ hour movie and, some might even argue that Emma's emotional arc gets lost in the shuffle.
Still, the positives far outweigh the negatives for me. Emanating from old-school movie musical roots, 'The Prom' deftly lampoons celebrity activism of today as much as it celebrates love, identity, tolerance & kindness. Leave it to Ryan Murphy, creator of Glee, to pay gently-teasing tribute to the necessity for the arts, the joys of musical theater, the empathy-creating nature of high school drama clubs, the ultimately good folks of Indiana, & self-absorbed Broadway all in one swipe. 'The Prom' is as bold as its color palette of primary colors and, it just may generate enough cheer for those looking for a respite from 2020's woes. I gave in to it.