The PromThe Prom
Year: 2020
Rating: PG-13
Length: 130 minutes / 2.17 hours

I enjoy a good musical like the rare heterosexual man I am (played in the movie by Keegan-Michael Key), and The Prom (2020) scratched that itch for me this year. I enjoyed its self-aware first act, even if the overall plot seemed like it was about 10 years too late to be relevant. And while many of the story beats were either predictable or cliche, there were a few moments of rare depth that felt genuine, even if they broke the facade of the whimsical characters that had filled the first two acts.

There’s something about narcissistic Broadway types having to interact with the midwest that was entertaining to me. Much of this film’s humor revolves around how out-of-step with the rest of the country these east coast elites areā€”even if it’s far from realistic (I hope). Of note, a few of the songs are quite exceptional, including “It’s Not About Me” and “Love Thy Neighbor,” the latter of which certainly hits a chord in this post-Christian era. Unfortunately, for a musical filled with plenty of songs, those were the only two that stuck out to me.

While I understand film adaptations of Broadway musicals lag by quite a few years, this story’s overarching moral seemed dated, even by 2020 standards. I’m sure these problems still plague high schools in the midwest, but there have been better movies to present this kind of story in a deeper way that didn’t feel quite like an after-school special. Perhaps the reason for this out-of-touch feel is how hard The Prom leans into LGBTQ+ stereotypes to get their point across. I think the audience would have appreciated a little more nuance, even if it could have diverged from the original musical.

Fun and catchy, even with a dated moral lesson, I give The Prom 3.5 stars out of 5.

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