Pat Pietrzak

This has Ryan Murphy written all over it. A mashup of Glee and everything else he’s ever done and his Indiana roots, the movie has its moments. But—-it wastes its iconic stars. I LOVE James Corden, but he is seriously miscast as a gay musical Broadway star, and poor Nicole Kidman is little else than window dressing. Of course, Meryl has managed to give this little film an almost Oscar-worthy try. The plot is trite and most of America has already moved on from the extreme homophobia of past decades. Our lesbian protagonist, Emma (jo Ellen Pellman) has a sweet voice and demeanor and is entirely likable. The window dressing—music, dancing and wardrobe—is eye catching. All together, The Prom is watchable but will be totally forgotten by me by tomorrow morning. It ain’t Glee, or even Footloose.