Review | Netflix movie review: The Prom – Meryl Streep, James Corden light up Ryan Murphy’s feel-good musical
- Film is based on the Broadway musical inspired by a true-life incident when a gay teenager was banned from bringing her girlfriend to the prom
- Streep and Cordon impress as Broadway actors who come out in support of the gay couple and to help drum up good publicity for themselves
4/5 stars
It’s been a huge year for Ryan Murphy, television’s most prolific creator, with acclaimed new shows Hollywood and Ratched. He now tops 2020 off with the feature-length movie The Prom, which makes its glittery bow on Netflix. A loud, brash and frequently funny high-school musical, it’s an immediate reminder of Murphy’s own beloved show Glee – further proof that there is no one better right now at celebrating the exuberance of song on screen.
Murphy’s film is based on the Broadway musical that was inspired by a true-life incident when a gay teenager was banned for wanting to bring her girlfriend to the prom, that rite-of-passage school dance that every American kid endures before graduating. Here, newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman plays Emma, who is similarly thwarted by PTA head Mrs Greene (Kerry Washington) for planning to take Greene’s daughter Alyssa (Ariana DeBose) to the upcoming prom.
The fun comes when Broadway actors Dee Dee (Meryl Streep) and Barry (James Corden) get wind of this controversy after their latest show – based on the life of Eleanor Roosevelt – is slammed by critics. Looking to improve their standing and latch onto a good cause, they join forces with fellow thespians Angie (Nicole Kidman) and Trent (Andrew Rannells) and hotfoot it to Indiana to support Emma’s bid to attend her high-school prom.
What The Prom does very well is lampoon actors for vanity and willingness to bandwagon-hop – albeit in an affectionate way that never feels spiteful. The likes of Streep and Corden, who previously worked together on the movie of Sondheim’s Into the Woods, are perfect here; never knowingly overegging the pudding, they are both a delight to watch. Rannells, who led The Book of Mormon on stage, also shows what a complete performer he is.