'The Prom' could have been something special like the show was on Broadway, but instead of listening to the message the show has about negative effect star-power and acceptance, the movie actively dodges those themes. Removing Corden doesn't fix this mess, but it would have been a start. I can't say I don't recommend it; these are great songs and sung well here. I would catch myself smiling at the musical numbers, and I haven't stopped listening to the soundtrack. The film's opening credits are just the actor's names in the logo font, and I got chills with the score and seeing that on the big screen, with Rannells and Kidman reason alone to watch, along with newcomer Pellman. I love musicals - they have an energy no other genre has, but the lesson from 'The Prom' is the same as 'Cats': make something that's not for the masses, but true to the story.
Also, the movie gets Streep to rap in the credit's song, and that's honestly amazing.
Read Chris' full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-the-prom-the-good-the-bad-and-the-james-corden
2020-12-06If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @ https://www.msbreviews.com
I really love musicals, but Netflix's attempt at a cheerful, joyful, colorful, and culturally significant film turns out to be one of the most cringe-worthy, awfully stereotypical, ridiculously exaggerated movies of the year. From the astoundingly over-the-top (and honestly, somewhat insulting) performance from James Corden and Jo Ellen Pellman's one-dimensional debut to the contradictory narrative, Ryan Murphy's first feature film since 2010's Eat, Pray, Love is a massive disappointment.
The Prom is supposed to celebrate equality by supporting an inclusive prom where everyone can go and feel comfortable being themselves. However, it restrains itself from showing a homosexual kiss or really any sort of intimacy, leaving that to the very last second of the movie, but it doesn't have any problems in fully developing a heterosexual relationship meanwhile. The breaking out into songs (which are a bit too many) mostly feels incredibly forced, making the whole film look more like a collection of sketches than an actual movie.
A few excellent performances (Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannells, Keegan-Michael Key), a couple of quite entertaining musical numbers, some nice choreography and camera work (Matthew Libatique), and an admittedly ambitious production design save this film from being a complete trainwreck, but it's still a disaster.
Rating: D+
2020-12-30
