Confession time: I watched and actually enjoyed the first few seasons of Ryan Murphy’s Glee. To be fair, just about everybody was watching the show at the time and it was funny, unexpectedly raw in places, and boasted very talented singers/actors pulling out all the stops in fantastically choreographed music numbers. Eventually, the artery-clogging melodrama took over and the show’s quality declined massively though. And looking at the first trailer for The Prom, Murphy’s latest entry in his multi-year deal with Netflix, I’m not too sure where on the Glee quality scale this new star-studded feature film falls.
The Prom follows a group of washed-up Broadway stars played by the powerhouse team of Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep… oh and James Corden… who learn… Well, seeing as how Netflix has provided one rather detailed synopsis, why don’t I just let you read that and save me the trouble?
Dee Dee Allen (three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep) and Barry Glickman (Tony Award winner James Corden) are New York City stage stars with a crisis on their hands: their expensive new Broadway show is a major flop that has suddenly flatlined their careers. Meanwhile, in small-town Indiana, high school student Emma Nolan (newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman) is experiencing a very different kind of heartbreak: despite the support of the high school principal (Keegan-Michael Key), the head of the PTA (Kerry Washington) has banned her from attending the prom with her girlfriend, Alyssa (Ariana DeBose). When Dee Dee and Barry decide that Emma’s predicament is the perfect cause to help resurrect their public images, they hit the road with Angie (Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman) and Trent (Andrew Rannells), another pair of cynical actors looking for a professional lift. But when their self-absorbed celebrity activism unexpectedly backfires, the foursome finds their own lives upended as they rally to give Emma a night where she can truly celebrate who she is.
On paper, that sounds like it could be a nice little heartwarming holiday movie, especially given the A-list talent involved (which includes Keri Washington, Keegan-Michael Key, and Andrew Rannells). And that doesn’t just stop with the cast. Besides for Murphy directing, the script is adapted from the stage musical of the same name by original creators Chad Beguelin, Bob Martin, and Matthew Sklar, with Oscar-nominated cinematographer Matthew Libatique (A Star Is Born, Black Swan) lensing the whole shebang. This should should really look and sound fantastic.
Checking out the trailer below though, and I can’t help but feel that it may be just be stepping into that schmaltz territory a bit too much. What do you think?
The Prom also stars Ariana DeBose and Ellen Pellman and is scheduled for debut on Netflix on 11 December 2020.
Last Updated: November 27, 2020
BradeLunner
November 27, 2020 at 14:32
Yea I showed the missus this trailer, she’s usually a sucker for this sort of thing and her response was, “oh no that looks like too much.”
D W
November 27, 2020 at 17:40
I’d rather stab my own eyes out, thanks
Mandalorian Jim
November 30, 2020 at 23:03
I’ve never watched Glee… I don’t think I missed out on anything.
Quentin Huggett
December 9, 2020 at 12:46
id rather sh!t the bed