The Prom: Another Ryan Murphy Flop

When I was watching The Prom I felt like I was in another time period. The writing felt peak 2016 when actors started getting more vocal about politics. There was something about the story that felt shallow and underdeveloped that made this a hard watch. Ryan Murphy always knows how to turn adversity into something easy to overcome with a very fast, unexplained change of heart. In the middle of a pandemic, this plot feels extremely tone-deaf and once again celebrities mocking themselves but never realizing they are the actual problem in society.


Directed by Ryan Murphy this film focuses on three Broadway stars: Dee Dee Allen (Meryl Streep), Barry Glickman (James Corden), and Angie Dickinson (Nicole Kidman). Dee Dee and Barry just starred in a musical about the Roosevelts that closed after opening night due to harsh reviews.


They need to find somewhere to put all their energy into and rebuild their reputation so they took on a controversy in an Indiana town where a lesbian teen can't take her girlfriend to prom. A bartender named Trent Oliver (Andrew Rannells) tells the trio to get on a bus to Indiana.


The story mixes self-deprecation humor about how self-serving performers can get when they get involved in politics. The performances aren't spectacular and feel like the actors are on autopilot throughout the film. There are no new sides seen.


I can never get over how accepting Ryan Murphy makes characters. He easily solves some of society's biggest problems in his work by doing the bare minimum. The bullying is very surface level and just feels forced. Sometimes it feels like he capitalizes on the obstacles marginalized groups experience.


The Prom feels misplaced on Netflix and that it probably would've done better in a time when Glee was still on-air.