Note: Blah, blah, I'm bad at editing. You know the drill by now. Also... spoilers...
"Newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman... delivers a stunning debut performance with an endearing attitude and wonderful vocals."
What? Two reviews in one month? CRAZY!!! Just a full disclosure, I never saw The Prom on Broadway or watched a bootleg of it. I know the basics of the show, but I went into this completely blind. Besides, I'll watch anything with Meryl Streep (MY QUEEN) in it. I'm gonna share my prom story, even though it's not very interesting. I was planning on going with a friend, strictly platonic, but he cancelled on me as I was in line buying the tickets so I texted my sister |
| Nicole Kidman and Jo Ellen Pellman |
saying I just wasn't gonna go, but she told me she'd go with me. That's really it. I never really viewed prom as like "OH MY GOD IT'S THE PROM!!!" It was just another dance to me, a very expensive one, and I still do not understand why people make such a big deal over prom. (I have literally seen this word so many times now and I'm starting to doubt if it's a real word anymore. Anyone else get that feeling?) Anyway now that I've shared my thoughts on prom let me share my thoughts on The Prom (Subtle segue I know...) In complete and utter honesty I thought I was gonna be bored watching this and I was expecting it to be really bad, but I was honestly quite surprised at how much I liked it. The script by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin was very good and had some great comedic moments, but I was not entirely sure if the story was about the actors or Emma. (Does that make sense?) To be quite honest, I felt that the role of Barry could be cut and by dividing his scenes/responsibilities between Trent and Angie the story would be much stronger because it would allow for stronger relationships between them and Emma. However, my dislike of the character of Barry could have to do more with the actor than the script, but we'll get into him later. The score which was written by Martin,  |
| Ariana DeBose and Kerry Washington |
Beguelin and Matthew Sklar had some catchy tunes with okay lyrics, but nothing really stuck out to me. I found Ryan Murphy's direction to be a little uneven. There were some songs that were sung in reality, but then there were other songs that were sung in a fantasy land. (A la Chicago or Nine) The choreography by Casey Nicholaw (Who directed and choregraphed the Broadway production) was intense and filled with high energy. Also a quick shout out to Lou Eyrich who designed the costumes which were amazing. One last note before I move onto the actors... What kind of high school is this? I have never in my life been to a high school that is that colorful. What high school has yellow and blue walls? What school in general has yellow and blue walls? All the schools I've been to are grey or an off-colored white... Why do all high school movies give the schools colored walls? I mean what is that about? I've said my piece on the strangely colorful high school so it's time to talk actors. There were some nice performances delivered by Logan Riley Hassel, Sofia Deler, Nathaniel J. Potvin and Nico Greetham as Kaylee, Shelby, Kevin and Nick, classmates of Emma's who initially don't like her. Speaking of people who don't like Emma we have conservative mother, Mrs. Greene, portrayed by Kerry Washington who delivers a strong performance as the head of the P.T.A. Washington surprised me when she sang and had a wonderful voice and her performance was lovely. However, I personally felt that when her daughter, Alyssa, came out to her the turn around was a bit too quick especially after all her talks about belief. Mrs. Greene spends most of the movie battling with Tom Hawkins, the principle of |
| Jo Ellen Pellman |
Emma's school, portrayed by Keegan-Michael Key another strong performance who also surprised me with his wonderful vocals. One of the best performances of the movie goes to the talented Andrew Rannells as Trent Oliver. Rannells is hysterical in his role and delivers a spectacular rendition of "Love Thy Neighbor" although I did find his ending, where he becomes the drama teacher at the high school, a bit weird... Delivering an equally good performance was Nicole Kidman as Angie Dickinson who is the only character I felt to truly have a strong relationship with Emma. Kidman had nice vocals and she fully utilized those "crazy antelope legs." (If you watched the movie you'll get it) One of the sources of turmoil in The Prom is with the character of Alyssa Greene who is a closeted popular cheerleader and has been dating Emma for over a year. Alyssa is portrayed by Ariana DeBose who has a nice voice and is a decent actor, but I continue to have the same problem with her. I don't find her interesting. She doesn't stick out in my opinion. Even during her number "Alyssa Greene" where she explains the crazy expectations her mom has for her, I constantly found myself getting distracted by other things either going on in the background of the film or something in my room because she has no presence. The young girl who sets this whole story in motion is Emma Nolan, portrayed by newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman who delivers a stunning debut performance with an endearing attitude and wonderful vocals. Pellman really sold the character of Emma for me and didn't make her a cliché. The worst performance of the night goes to James Corden who Hollywood needs to stop casting in movie musicals. I personally  |
| Meryl Streep |
don't even have a problem that he's a straight man playing a gay man. (I'm a gay man so don't start with me) My problem with James was that he didn't seem to be portraying a human. (Does that make any sense?) He was giving this weird caricature, but it was a low key caricature. He started out the movie as a, not even, half-hearted gay stereotype, but barely 20 minutes in and it was gone. I felt that his accent changed from scene to scene; just like his portrayal seemed to be a different character in each scene. There was no consistency and it was all uneven. I wish I could say his singing made up for his acting, but that wasn't any good either. Hollywood, please just stop casting James Corden in everything. Hollywood, please continue to cast Meryl Streep in EVERYTHING! Queen Meryl killed it with her performance as the narcissistic Broadway diva Dee Dee Allen. This was Meryl's best vocal performance yet and she knocked this performance out of the park. (But do you expect anything less from Queen Meryl?) Meryl as Allen had superb comedic timing, but she also gave an equally superb performance when it came to the dramatic moments. Overall The Prom is a fun movie, featuring some strong performances with an okay score and a nice script. It's available on Netflix and I'm sure many illegal movie sites. Happy holidays! Stay safe! "Go big or you've blown it, it's time that you own it. Let's make it clear that tonight belongs to you"
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