The Prom
Ratings: 3/5
Duration: 02 Hrs 10 Mins
Language: English
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Musical
Director: Ryan Murphy
Writer: Bob Martin, Chad Beguelin, Matthew Sklar, Jack Viertel
Producers: Adam Anders, Chad Beguelin, Dori Berinstein, Bill Damaschke, Eric Kovtun, Alexis Martin Woodall, Bob Martin, Douglas C. Merrifield, Ryan Murphy, Casey Nicholaw, Tanase Popa, Scott Robertson, Matthew Sklar
Music: David Klotz, Matthew Sklar
Cinematography: Matthew Libatique
Editing: Peggy Tachdjian, Danielle Wang
Art Direction: Sarah Delucchi, Tom Frohling, Adam Rowe
Release Date: 11 December 2020 (USA)
Released On: Netflix
Star Cast: Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, Keegan-Michael Key, Andrew Rannells, Ariana DeBose, Jo Ellen Pellman, Tracey Ullman, Kevin Chamberlin, Mary Kay Place, Logan Riley, Sofia Deler, Nico Greetham, Nathaniel J. Potvin, Frank DiLella, Chet Dixon, Sam Pillow, Spencer Tomich, Portia Bartley, Carmyne Rey, Mia Danelle, Phi Kenzie, Lando Coffy, Marcus Bailey, James Bearb, Derrick Boyce, Tasha Casberg, James Anthony Chiong, Monroe Cline, Pam Cook, Brittany Freeth, Ray Gordon II, Nikki Keeshin, Dominique Kelley, Leanne Langston, Trent Longo, Erica Lynn, Julia Marley, Luis Tomas Martinez, Eve Metsäranta, Vasthy Mompoint, Yusuf Nasir, Mike A Nidiffer, Ludwika Osorio, Taylor Plecity, Matthew Rogers, Annie Ruby, Riley Rydin, Owen O. Scarlett, Sebastian Vale, Jose Velazquez, Noah Weiss, John Wusah, Jacob Zelonky, Joe Abraham, Reilly Baker, Lindsay Ballif, Anna Berg, Janice Blue, Ana Luiza Bourroul, Carlena Britch, Kerrice Brooks, Lydia Callins, Carly J. Casey, Carl Collanus, Sydney Cope, Chelsea Corp, Brenna Daly, Shauna Davis, Luca De Angelis, Noah Der, Gigi Dia, Morgan Dudley, Joël Dupont, David Eby, Erin Flannery, Kara Fry, Steven P. Green, Lonnie Henderson, Sterling Temple Howard, Brandon Hudson, Jeni Jones, Ryan Kendrick, Mark Krenik, Charissa Kroeger, Amanda LaCount, Jillana Laufer, Breanne Lawson, Chris Liu, Darielle Loprete, Maddie Lucas, Donyea Martin, Sienna Mohl, Kc Monnie, Matthew Moseley, Mila Murashko, Naimah, Dawn Noel, Doug Penikas, Ashley Porter, Angelique Pretorius, Briana Price, Sierra Puett, Bubba Dean Rambo, Caroline Rich, Kayley Stallings, Lynnae Stine, Kelly Sweeney, Richard Tanner, Cora Tran, Sebastian Twohey-Jacobs. Meredith Vivian, Jessica Vollhardt, Miracle Washington, Jeffrey Lynn White Jr., Louis Williams Jr., Bj Wolf, Samas Wu
Plot: The tragicomic musical adaptation ‘The Prom’ is dedicated to a group of inflated Broadway actors - Dee Dee Allen (Meryl Streep), Barry Glickman (James Corden), Angie (Nicole Kidman), and Trent (Andrew Rannells).
Meanwhile, a lesbian schoolgirl Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman) is experiencing her own, very different debacle in a small Indiana town. She gets excluded because of her sexuality to dance with her girlfriend Alyssa (Ariana DeBose) at a prom.
The fun comes when Dee Dee and Barry get wind of this controversy after their latest show gets slammed by critics. So, to improve their professional standing and to polish up their public image they latch onto a good cause and join forces with fellow thespians, Angie and Trent. Without further ado, the four of them take the trip to Indiana in order to give the young woman an appropriate ball as a publicity stunt. But how their own lives begin to change as they try to give Emma Nolan a night in which she can be herself, forms the rest of the story.
Review: The film is based on the Broadway musical that was inspired by a true-life incident, where a gay teenager was banned for wanting to bring her girlfriend to the prom. It is an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin.
With ‘The Prom’, Ryan Murphy is collaborating with the streaming giant Netflix, for whom he had already initiated the two miniseries ‘Hollywood’ and ‘Ratched’ in the past few months. He is also the brain behind popular series such as Nip/Tuck, Glee, or American Horror Story. Like his previous work, this film also deals ostensibly with youthful topics such as heartache, social exclusion, and coping with one's own sexuality.
The openly gay director himself, for the actual characterizations, dug deep into the pot of high school clichés and stereotypes. He approached the central teenage romance and the emerging conflict in a sensitive way, with which the problems and worries of the two students are taken seriously.
When it comes to performances, Jo Ellen Pellman and Ariana DeBose are both superb and propel the film through its somewhat exhausting but undeniably fun ride.
Even Meryl Streep, Keegan-Michael Key, and Andrew Rannells, too, are a joy to watch but Nicole Kidman and Kerry Washington are, sadly, reduced to bit parts players, feeding off the remaining scraps.
However, with the pulsating songs, exuberant dance numbers, and frothy performances, that are way too energetic, it fills the screen with joy and wonders for all ages.
And as far as the technical aspects of the film are concerned, ‘The Prom’ looks, sounds, and feels like colours bursting from every corner with glitters falling from the skies, and that is almost impossible to resist! It is beautifully and articulately brought to life by Ryan Murphy and Matthew Libatique. Though the swirly, head-spinning cinematography should have come with a motion sickness warning!
Overall, ‘The Prom’ certainly has a lovely message about the value of inclusion, if not exactly any new viewpoints on the subject. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the more down-to-earth story of the gay teen is infinitely more engaging than the story of the actors helping her for selfish reasons.
