Review: "The Prom" on Netflix
Friday, December 11, 2020 at 2:02PM by Nathaniel R
I first saw The Prom on Broadway during its sort of sleeper success run (I believe it broke even?) and I loved it as much as Principle Hawkins (Keegan Michael-Key) reveals that he loves going to the theater. I relate to Hawkins, okay? And I know what that says about me. Consider if you will, these potentially cringe lyrics about seeking escape through art in "We Look To You"...
We look to you
To take us away
From the soul-crushing jobs
And emasculating pay
When our lives come up short
And our hopes are sad and few
You whisk us off to some place strange and new
In most cases in narrative arts, when "stars" voice anything of the sort, it's a derisive joke showing their out-of-touch egotism. 'They're blessing our pathetic lives with a little glamour? F*** them!' Except, you know, they are actually doing that. They just shouldn't, maybe, point it out to us. It's a tricky balance. And balance is something any production of "The Prom" has to worry about. Balancing while juggling and prancing with limp wrists! More on the limp wrists in a minute, Fosse style and otherwise.
Let's backtrack to a brief bifurcated synopsis. The Prom is about two Broadway headliners, Dee Dee (Meryl Streep) and Barry (James Corden) who have just seen their terrible new musical close on opening night with savage reviews about their narcissism. They decide they need image rehabilitation. What better way to do that than to find a charitable cause to show that they're actually selfless not selfish. The Prom is also about young lesbian Emma (endearing Jo Ann Pellman) who wants to take her girlfriend Alyssa (Ariana DeBose) to the prom (which would then double as a coming out ball for Alyssa since she's in the closet) . When the PTA gets wind of it they shut the prom down rather than allow gay students to participate in this sacredly heteronormative ritual. The leader of the homophobes is (you'll never see this coming by which I mean you will definitely see this coming) is actually Alyssa's mother (Kerry Washington). She doesn't realize how much hurt she's causing under her own roof. The two worlds and plots colliding is where The Prom gets its comedy, its musical numbers, its "unruly" heart, and its purpose.
It's a lot to balance and the balance is off in The Prom on film... or rather Netflix. Consider these lyrics to "It's Not About Me", DeeDee's big entrance number when she arrives in (checks notes) Indiana.
I wanna tell the people of
Whatever this town's called
I know what’s going on here
And frankly, I'm appalled
I read three quarters of a news story
And knew I had to come
And unless I'm doing The Miracle Worker
I’m won't play blind, deaf and dumb
Listen, you bigoted monsters
Just who do you think you are?
Your prejudice and your oppression
Won't get past this Broadway star
Stealing the rights of a girl
Who is an LGBQ-Teen
I've been far too angry to google what those letters mean
One of the surprisingly joyful things about "The Prom" on Broadway was that though the message of love and acceptance for queer people was earnest, it was never played earnestly which is an important distinction. The show was an equal opportunity offender, in a way. I never let you doubt that it was on the side of the queer people but it was also poking more fun at liberal self-righteousness than it actually poked at small town ignorance and bigotry.
The Prom on film, or rather Netflix, can sadly not say the same. Murphy and his team do want you to laugh (and they succeed enough to make this a fun watch) with them but not at them. Unfortunately they're also deeply obsessed with being taken seriously and pulling your heart strings. I lost track of the number of times an underscore so syrupy came on during any "message" scene that the actors were all but drowning in it, particularly James Corden.
"Tonight Belongs to You," is Barry's big number and onstage it's where the fabulously gay Brooks Ashmankas fully earned his Best Actor Tony nomination making the number endearing, wistful, and hilarious in equal parts.
I can tell you're feeling wary
But you can count on uncle Barry
He can turn this butch-y duck into a swan
Your whole look could use a shake-up
You can borrow all my make-up
And the pair of spanks I currently have on
Treat the whole world like your runway
Make it fierce but in a fun way
Try to flip your hair like Cher
And drag queens do
Corden, however, is a complete disaster and not just because he's a straight actor playing GAY, rather than playing Barry. He alternates between amateurishly shallow "sad gay" and offensively broad "flamboyant fairy" types but never finds a character in either let alone a character where the two modes of performance merge into a recognizable human. Barry is a character though, and not just a "character". Brooks found him on Broadway and its easy to imagine other gifted comic actors finding him again on film if they had to recast (hint: they didn't have to but if they had to have a "star" Titus Burgess would have absolutely slayed)
It's not all terrible or unfunny once you get past Corden. Curiously, Andrew Rannells and Nicole Kidman, playing "Angie" and "Trent", appear to be having the most fun and are giving it the most "Zazz" to use Angie's own mantra.
Zazz is style plus confidence
It may seem corny or kitsch
But when scared or on the fence
You’ll find that zazz will soon make fear become your bitch
And if folks say you can't win
What'll stop them in a hurry
Give it some zazz
There’s no contest for a girl who has some zazzmatazz
So call their bluff
And strut your stuff
Like no chick in this hick town has
Instead of giving up
Give it some zazz
Their frothy fun energy possibly stems from the freedom. Neither of them have much to do beyond selling a few one-liners and their respective solo numbers, so it's a stress free gig. Moulin Rouge! aside, Kidman is not born for the musical form. Her voice is thin and she's not a gifted enough dancer to pull off the Fosse gestures of 'Zazz' but she is an actress with inarguable zazzmatazz so she makes this role her bitch anyway. Rannells meanwhile is just very very funny. Which is all that's needed for Trent who went to JUILLIARD.
Curiously, despite Murphy's enormously heavy-handed direction which flattens so much of the potential heart by trying to make it beat too loudly, Pellman and DeBose, emerge unscathed, easily selling a sweet young romance. And their voices are beautiful.
NOT IGNORING STREEP. I know you were beginning to think it.
Dee Dee has two big numbers in the musical and the second "The Lady's Improving" was one of the best on Broadway.
The lady's improving
So don't give up hope
You'll ask, "is she perfect"
My answer is nope!
Of all the parts to recast this was the no-brainer (even though Beth Leavel, the original Dee Dee, is divine!). Though TFE is often on record bemoaning the fact that too many movie musicals think you need "stars" in every role, even if they can't sing, here's the exception that proves the rule. This role does need a star, and preferrably an oversized one so Streep's casting is thus a no-brainer. Not only that but Streep sings as beautifully as any star of Broadway musicals and she's funny and she's a gigantic force of nature. All of which the role requires.
Is it perfect? Nope. But one of Streep's greatest attributes as a screen star is the sheer joy of acting that radiates off of her. This woman loves her job. Pair that with fun material and it's as contagious and catchy as a good earworm showtune.
"One thing's universal
Life's no dress rehearsal
So why not make some waves before it's through
Go big or you've blown it
It's time that you own it
Let's make it clear that
Tonight belongs to you"
Streep takes the 'go big' directive of the show's theme song to heart. There's one moment where she puts her hand to her chest, swooning, that had me in stitches. That go big mantra is employed by roughly half the cast but Murphy can't corral them into the same frequency so tonight The Prom doesn't belong to any one of them, really, or even all of them as an ensemble.
This adaptation of The Prom instead belongs to Principal Hawkins from where we sit. You see he loves the musicals, actresses, corny escapism, and queer people. All of which are arguably prerequisites to loving this particular musical. He's gazing at this movie alongside us with hearts in his eyes. He's having some fun but he's no fool; he absolutely knows when The Prom is full of shit.
"The Prom" on Broadway: A-
The Prom as a movie: C+
The Prom as a fun December stream - make popcorn: B
Reader Comments (64)
Davis - de Havilland: four times (five, if you count Thank Your Lucky Stars)
Streep - Redgrave: three times
Well, I watched it, and my love for Streep, Kidman and good work by Key and Pellman kept it from being a total waste. Cordon actually had a couple of good moments. It seemed like a really expensive after school special preaching tolerance. But hey, I'm really starting to enter the Streep can do no wrong phase of my life. Maybe I'll actually finally watch IRONWEED.
This movie...
In a nutshell: it's awful. In the first place, the music is just so generic and derivative. I kept wishing it was a straight-up dramedy, so that they could have spent time on real character and plot development (even though I love musicals and watched all of Streep's numbers twice tbh). The damn thing is way too long—it actually seemed endless—I couldn't believe the movie was barely at the halfway point after the first prom. I love the message, of course, just not the delivery service.
Random thoughts:
- Keegan, sooo sexy & charming & gay-adjacent
- STREEEEEEEEP
- Nicole's Fosse walk (shot from behind) was less Verdon and more Saru from Star Trek: Discovery
- Corden: NO (but I've seen worse)
- Kerry Washington delivered in a thankless role (actually liked her more in this than in Little Fires Everywhere)
- Kept expecting Andrew Rannells' number in the mall to go someplace...uncomfortable (glad it didn't tho)
- I couldn't decide if Jo Ann Pellman reminded me more of Heather Graham, Drew Barrymore or Elisabeth Moss...or some hybrid of the three
- SAG Awards alert: the eight "leads" all get individual title cards in the beginning, but the end credits put the two teens in one card (and add three more individual cards for two cameos and a supporting actor) - who gets included in the Best Cast nomination?
I felt the same way about this that I did about The Greatest (Gayest) Showman: My objective brain kept telling me how godawful it all was, but with a cocktail under my belt it was a nice break from real life. LOVED Keegan-Michael Key -- I want a prequel with his backstory, maybe including his dealings with the Kerry Washington character. Why begrudge Meryl (or Nicole) a fun role now and then, and they slayed it. As Nathaniel points out, the attitude towards these backward Indiana folks had to be ironic -- maybe the play nailed the right tone -- but here was just alienating condescension. And OMFG James Corden -- I actually think he might have been okay in the role with a competent director reining him in.
@working stiff
Redgrave wouldn't count since she's not a best actress winner...but interesting Davis/de Havilland stat. Maybe it's less rare in the classic era. In the modern era I was thinking of Hunter/McDormand who have Raising Arizona, plus an uncredited voice thing Hunter did in Blood Simple. It's pretty rare!
Meryl and Nicole also did voice work in the failed Guardian Brothers animated movie.
@ JF
Weird, I always think of Redgrave as a two-time Best Actress winner. (The definition of wishful thinking, I guess.)
Roberts - Portman: three times
Roberts - Sarandon: twice
Roberts - Streep: twice
Blanchett - Portman: twice (both Malicks)
that last paragraph of your review was such a brilliant observation Nat, well done.
I had fun watching this, despite the many shortcomings. That script could have used a few layers, all missing from this glossy production.
Corden was fine, just not a talent, Key was MVP, Kidman and Streep were fun, Rannells so good, and the girls carried their roles.
The songs were so horrible and the direction is horrendous to say the least.
MVP is Kidman for me, with Streep obviously having a ball in the role. A few Golden Globes nom and that's it. No Oscars LMAO
This is the ugliest looking movie I have ever seen. The cinematography and editing were so atrocious I couldn’t even believe it. James Corden should be arrested and thrown in jail for life for this abomination of a performance. And I thought Meryl was kind of bad?? Remember that fab musical number from death becomes her? I wanted more of that. I felt like her timing and delivery was always slightly off, it just didn’t work for me. Most of the high school students looked like they were 35 which I guess is normal but it was bad and the two girls had zero chemistry. Andrew and Nicole were somewhere fun but the MVP was Keegan-Michael Key.
Hi Mary Kay and Tracey. Whatcha up to?
Streep is perfect and utterly deserving of a nod here.
Corny as hell. Terrible. Only Streep seems to be having fun and knowing this is shit.
Absolutely loved every minute of The Prom its was extremely cheesy but I love it. It made me laugh and cry because I can relate to it so much. Thank you for the perfect film