The Prom

— This is lots of fun if you like a somewhat campy musical, with a slew of good actors, evidently signed on to have a little fun or to support inclusion, with plenty of theater references, and tidied up with that Ryan Murphy varnish. It fits nicely into the growing library of mainstream LBGT-themed films that have appeared in the past 2-3 years (“Boys in the Band,” “Uncle Frank,” “Booksmart,” “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “Rocketman,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Boy Erased,” “Papi Chulo”). The sections of the film that make fun of Broadway narcissism and insecurities, as well as life in the urban, East coast bubble are more appealing to me than the parts designed to encourage inclusion and acceptance in the Midwest, fly-over bubble. It is fun to see Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, and Andrew Rannells singing and dancing in both NYC and small-town Indiana, and the music is mostly good. When it ran over 2 hours, I wondered if something couldn’t have been cut, but part of its charm may be its excess. I enjoyed it but it really isn’t anything special. [Netflix streaming.]

---

[2020. 130 min. Directed by Ryan Murphy. Starring Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannells, Kerry Washington, and Keegan-Michael Key.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-prom-movie-review-2020