The Prom

The Golden Globes announced their nominations today. One of this year's musical candidates is The Prom, the film version of Matthew Sklar, Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin's recent Broadway musical. It's a silly and satirical takedown of homophobia and a sincere romantic film. Let's go in for the setup:

Dee Dee Allen (Meryl Streep) and Barry Glickman (James Corden) are vapidly idiotic Broadway stars. When their latest Broadway bomb, Eleanor! The Eleanor Roosevelt Story, detonates, Dee Dee and Barry decide to take up a cause. They find one with High-Schooler Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman). Emma is a lesbian who wanted to take her girlfriend to prom. So the PTA cancelled it. The two stars join with former sitcom star Trent Oliver (Andrew Rannells) and eternal chorus girl Angie Dickinson (Nicole Kidman) on the next tour bus to Edgewater, Indiana.

The Broadway Fools barge into town with their condescending Liberal ways. This flummoxes Emma and infuriates Mrs. Greene (Kerry Washington), the PTA leader and, unbeknownst to her, the mother of Emma's girlfriend, Alyssa (Ariana DeBose). Dee Dee and company find it hard to get through to the locals. But only Principal Hawkins (Keegan Michael-Key) is willing to help Emma's case. Their time in Edgewater helps the actors become better people. As in, actually selfless people.

This Netflix production is directed by Glee creator Ryan Murphy and written by Martin and Beguelin. The Broadway Fools are obvious mockeries of "selfless" star activists. We get Trent singing a hilariously stale love and tolerance song, while Dee Dee's big show-stopping number is Not About Me. Trent redeeming a few of Emma's homophobic classmates in another number is optimistically silly. If you think they're annoying then the actors did right.

But it's Emma and Alyssa's love story that's the most compelling part. Pellman and DeBose have great chemistry and their musical numbers are endearing. Why shouldn't they be together? You'll be as outraged as they are when the PTA pulls a nasty surprise halfway through. It's rewarding to see them stand up for themselves at the end.

Their plight inspires the Broadway Fools to re-evaluate their lives. And it's an almost strong arc (almost because Dee Dee fluctuates). It was a good decision to open the film on the initial PTA meeting, instead of during the opening number like the stage version. It gives the emotional plot more relevance that way.

Now for the other technical highlights. The vibrant production and costume designs add to the goofiness of the musical numbers. They're lit in really-bright primaries by Matthew Libatique. Even Emma and Alyssa's duet, Dance With You, is lit in bright pink and covered with cherry blossoms. Over the top? No, just right. There was suddenly snow in one number and nowhere else. Where'd that come from? 

I never attended - by choice - my High School Prom. But I found this prom a fun movie night. It's an energetic musical with relevance. It could've been shorter than its 132 minutes but it mostly went by well. See it on Netflix if you want. It's certainly better than the next Netflix film I'm about to review: