TV & Film
In Netflix’s The Prom (2020), Glee’s director Ryan Murphy adapts the Broadway musical of the same name to the small screen. This musical tells the story of Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman), a lesbian high school student from Indiana who wants to take her girlfriend, Alyssa Greene (Ariana DeBose), to prom. The catch, however, was that her school’s Parents-Teachers Association, led by Mrs. Greene (Kerry Washington), would not allow it. The result? The PTA cancels the entire event. The incident turns into a civil rights case and grabs the attention of the media. Soon enough, it makes rounds on Twitter.
Enter the disgraced, yet self-obsessed, Broadway troupe of superstar Dee Dee Allen (Meryl Streep), flamboyant Barry Glickman (James Corden), foxy Angie Dickinson (Nicole Kidman), and Julliard-educated Trent Oliver (Andrew Rannells). After receiving scathing reviews about their narcissism from a performance, they discover the PTA debacle and decide to be involved in hopes of reviving their reputations.
The issues that the film tackles and its powerhouse ensemble set high expectations for The Prom. Sadly, what follows is a sickly sweet and too-good-to-be-true tale of how a troupe’s repeated singing about tolerance for the gays (which at one point happened in a monster-truck arena) convinced a bigoted town to accept this community. The almost instantaneous conversion ultimately leads to a happy ending where all is well for everyone involved.
Frankly put, things don’t work that way in real life.
Luckily, The Prom’s Broadway and Netflix adaptations are self-aware about its escapist nature and almost seems satirical, if one reads between the lines of its songs. This is especially true when one realizes that the show is about Broadway stars getting a boost out of some teenager’s predicament in the most opportunistic way. The song “It’s Not About Me” adeptly portrays this situation.
The issue with the film, however, was not just its jaded view of how complex issues like the acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community can be solved, but also its cast.
While The Prom boasts a star-studded crew, efforts from them (paired with extravagant production numbers) failed to carry the show. The songs were generally catchy, and even tongue in cheek at times. But after a while, one does have to look past these numbers and notice how the actors are out of song. Once stripped of the glitz and glamor in its musical pieces, performances from key actors Corden and Pellman fell flat and some parts became cringeworthy.
Pellman, while great in scenes where her character had to sing, was a bit too smiley and optimistic for someone with relationship troubles and a civil rights case. Corden, on the other hand, seemed to bank too much on his Carpool Karaoke personality and was over the top with his supposed gayness. Together, the shortcomings of Pellman and Corden made the movie-musical’s 2-hour runtime feel longer, even with Streep’s magic.
There are some merits to it, though. As expected, Streep’s Dee Dee Allen was a show-stopper and is one of the characters to look forward to, particularly in the songs “It’s Not About Me,” and “The Lady’s Improving.” Compared to other characters, hers was arguably the most developed in terms of being more selfless and her ending was one that made sense.
Another notable performance was from DeBose, who excellently embodied the struggle of a closeted lesbian burdened with expectations from her mother through her character Alyssa. She was also cheeky enough to carry the chemistry in her and Emma’s relationship in their shared scenes.
Generally, The Prom stays true as a feel-good movie, as long as one doesn’t read too much into it. It’s a fun watch, especially at the start. Just don’t expect it to change your life.
Photo sourced from IMDb.
