No matter what I say on this blog, nobody believes this statement: I like to watch a variety of films. I really do. I’m up for pretty much anything apart from gore horror and will give it a fair chance. One must ask where the limit is. Was there ever really a chance I would enjoy a musical, about a teenage high school prom, directed by a man responsible for hundreds of autotuned destructions of pop songs via glee, lead by Meryl ruiner of ABBA songs Streep and James In absolutely everything Corden? Why would I go to this on a Saturday evening, what would I expect? There was no way this was going to go well…

Broadway stars Barry and Dee Dee (Corden and Streep respectively) have been struggling. Each play they release gets panned by the critics, mainly due to them being narcissists. They decide that they need to get some good publicity and find a story about an injustice in Indiana. The school PTA decided to ban the prom because one of the girls is a lesbian and wants to bring her girlfriend (dun dun duuuun). This leads to these exuberant, fabulous broadway stars coming to this small town and making a literal song and dance. But soon, you won’t believe this, they realise they don’t just want the publicity, but to help Emma (Jo Ellen Pallman) and they also… look to become better people wow. Will Emma get her prom she dreamed of? Will she be able to dance with her girlfriend who is the… daughter of the head of the PTA OMG? Well, you won’t be able to guess. There is also some love story about Meryl Streep and Keegan Michael Key. James Corden has to deal with parents issues. Trust me, you know exactly how this story will go. There are absolutely no shocks here. There is even a Sharpay-esque character in this musical based in a high school.

When I watch a film of a genre, I want it to do something different. For this film, I wanted it to make me smile and enjoy it. You know what, it did exactly that, leaving me rather smitten. I smiled throughout, I felt this odd warmness. I even chuckled once or twice. Trust me when I say this film is going to be huge.

It was wonderful to hear such a fun upbeat soundtrack over big speakers. Sure, the songs felt like generic Broadway songs, but that’s what Broadway is. They fit into the story as well as my fingers were tapping along to the rhythm. The film didn’t have many dance numbers, but each one felt special and fun. The songs were really entertaining. The Changing Lives song that Streep and Corden start with are wonderful. The It’s Not About Me song proving the irony in Streep’s narcissism is good humoured, especially when discussing Corden who has had much of the same criticisms aimed at him in real life. They’re aware of the irony and they own it. The crowning jewel which will be used on Britain’s Got Talent over the next five years will be “Tonight Belongs To You”, the song about them getting ready for the prom which comes midway through. “This is me” has had a great run but can finally retire. The energy was contagious (in a good way).

One thing I have seen online is criticism over Corden’s performance of gay man Barry. It’s not great. His voice is slightly camp and higher and he has a few hand movements which lead to a stereotype. You could get over it, but he will no doubt be ribbed for it. The other performances were all okay. Michael Key can’t sing, but he and everyone else was having lots of fun and that is what matters in this genre, as you then have fun. Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington and Andrew Rannels are all enjoying it as well. Jo Ellen Pellman’s debut film shows she has a lot of potential as a theatre star, which I imagine she’d focus on over cinema.

Ryan Murphy is behind the camera, meaning he won’t keep it still. While I felt dizzy once, it wasn’t too intrusive. He doesn’t do a Singin In The Rain keeping the camera in one place, but that’s fine. His style is more energetic. He’s experienced in the musical genre and is well in control of the film. The costumes are glitzy and the film is full of bravado. It’s wonderful.

Summary

The Prom was absolutely wonderful. A high energy, easy, feel good musical, is exactly what we need for a pretty awful 2020 cold winter to find a bit of warmth. The songs were fun, the dances were great, the whole film is full of energy and enjoyment with a nice message of acceptance. So much to love. [Grade: B]

The Prom is on a limited cinema release now and is out on Netflix on Friday 11th December