Review: The Prom

There are many moments in high school that you think about for the rest of your life. Prom is one of those things. It’s a right of passage. You dance the night away with friends to celebrate the end of your high school career. Unfortunately, that memory is being taken away from one teenage girl. Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman) wants to take her girlfriend to prom. Instead of letting her attend, the PTA decides to cancel prom, causing her story to go viral. 

Over in New York, Barry Glickman (James Corden) and Dee Dee Allen (Meryl Streep) celebrate the opening night of their Broadway show, Elenor! The story of first lady, Elenor Roosevelt. As the reviews start trickling in, it’s clear the show is not the hit they hoped it would be, causing the show to close on its opening night. 

Feeling down about the reviews, Dee Dee and Barry drown their sorrows with theater acquaintances Angie (Nicole Kidman) and Trent (Andrew Rannells). Together the four actors decide they need to do something to become more likable. So naturally, they look for a cause and stumble upon Emma’s Story. The Four charge to the small town in Indiana, ready to rectify the situation. 

The Prom is a film adaptation of the Tony-nominated Broadway musical. Going into this, I knew I would have to separate the show from the film. There were a few major changes made, some things were added, and some were subtracted. Unfortunately, not all of these changes were for the better.

Let’s be clear; The Prom is a story about Emma Nolan. But you wouldn’t know that from this movie. It’s as if Emma is there to be used as a plot device to further Barry’s story, which is not the case in the Broadway show or The Prom’s novelization. This is very obviously a different Emma, and frankly, it’s just not a fully fleshed-out character in the film. 

Emma doesn’t want to start a spectacle; she wants to go to prom with her girlfriend. In the show, she’s very uncomfortable, and she doesn’t like the attention this is portrayed through the lyrics in “Just Breathe.” In this movie, she seems to not care and has a permanent smile on her face. The lyrics don’t fit the direction that was taken. And that’s not Pellman’s fault. She did what she could with what she was given.  

After the Actors Barge into the PTA meeting, Emma meets her girlfriend under the bleachers. There we learn she’s actually dating the head of the PTA’s daughter Alyssa Greene (Ariana DeBose). This leads to the song “Dance With You,” where there was a major change.

The lyrics that made it her story and drove the plot were just flat out cut. You don’t have to be a fan of the show to know that. All you have to do is listen to the movie soundtrack because they’re on that.

Also, there are barely any scenes with Alyssa and Emma. All four Broadway actors took up screen time, even Kidman, who almost had no lines. We got more of a background to Barry’s story than we did with the two girls who this was supposed to be centered around.

There’s actually an entire verse and chorus cut from “You Happened” that would have given some insight into Emma and Alyssa’s relationship. Also, the way it stopped abruptly after, “And that’s a promise,” felt awkward and weird. That song is so amped up and for it to be cut off so quickly gave me whiplash.

There is fun within its faults. Because that’s what The Prom is … Fun. And you will have a good time watching it, mainly because the music is infectious. Plus, the sheer star power this movie makes your jaw drop. 

Meryl Streep is just amazing in this role. She had some iconic moments in this that will have you smiling from ear-to-ear, especially during “It’s Not About Me.”

James Corden is facing a lot of backlash for this role. And while he wasn’t necessarily bad, he wasn’t great. I think that’s mainly due to his failed attempt at an American accent. Honestly, if they would have just made his character British, it would have been less cringe-worthy.

Nicole Kidman needs to be in more musicals! I’ve been saying this since Moulin Rouge. She didn’t have a large part in this, but she ate up the screen time that she did have. 

Andrew Rannells was a casting dream for Trent. For those who don’t know, Rannells originated the lead role in The Book of Mormon. So seeing him play another character that sings about the Bible makes the theater nerd in me so happy. He was entertaining and milked all of the comedy. For some reason, “The Acceptance Song” was cut off, and I’m so disappointed because he probably had some great moments during that.

Jo Ellen Pellman is a bright light on screen. I wish she were given the strong character she deserved. She proved she could do emotional scenes well during “Unruly Heart,” and I’m sad we didn’t get more chances like that for her to shine.

Ariana DeBose was wonderful. I just wish I could’ve seen more of her. I also wish we could have seen more of Kerry Washington because I had no idea she could sing. That was a nice surprise. Also, Keegan-Michael Key was very enjoyable as the principal.

In conclusion, The Prom is entertaining and visually stunning, but it has some major script and character problems. Ryan Murphy directed this, and anyone who knows his work knows he can handle big musical numbers that will bring you complete joy. The songs are contagious, and some moments will probably make you shed a few tears. Fortunately, the message of the story comes across. That being said, the key character was completely overshadowed.

The point of The Prom is Emma’s struggle with wanting to go to prom but not wanting it to be a big deal. So when four over-the-top actors show up, she’s uncomfortable. Murphy took that away, thus losing the impact that the actors have on her growth. There was also the addition of Barry’s mom that felt unnecessary, that could have been a phone call, and it would have had the same amount of impact, and maybe then we could have had some full songs. I get that this is an adaptation, but why keep lyrics that pertain to character traits you decided to take out?

If you were hoping for this movie to mirror the Broadway show, you would probably be a little disappointed (especially since 3 songs were cut short). If you don’t know the original musical that well and want something fun where you will laugh, cry, and sing, this will do that.

If you are looking for something closer to the broadway musical, I suggest reading the novelization. If you get the audiobook, it’s narrated by Caitlin Kinnunen and Izzy Mccalla, who were the original Emma and Alyssa. It gives a much deeper look into what happened before the PTA meeting that made Emma’s story go viral.