The Prom serves three different functions as a film. It sets to adapt the famed 2018 Broadway musical. It is part of a seemingly endless supply of Ryan Murphy productions on Netflix this year. And most importantly, it serves as a fun, lightweight teen musical. One that doesn’t take itself seriously, but also has enough of an emotional edge to carry itself through and provide a compelling story.

There’s plenty to like in The Prom, albeit in a superficial sense. Its glitzy presentation and big name actors certainly generate smiles. However, by the time this overlong and overstuffed musical romp ends, it feels pretty hollow and confused. Fitting I guess for the man who brought you Glee.

Tonight Belongs to You

The one aspect the movie pushes the hardest is its musical numbers. Populating much of the film, they’re certainly not boring. A few could have been taken out, but Murphy directs them with lavish production values and choreography that’s high energy. The lyrics by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguilien are also great. There’s so many clever one-liners and pieces of comedy thrown in that help bring in the laughs. All the while, the glitzy presentation leads to showstopper after showstopper.

It can be a touch exhausting, especially because a few numbers could have easily been cut without losing anything. Yet it’s hard not to get lost into the spectacle of it all. Perhaps the best number of the piece is Andrew Rannells’ “Love They Neighbor”, which combines a catchy gospel beat with hilarious lyrics and fun dance moves. Keegan-Michael Key also has one of the most emotional moments with “We Look to You”, a stunning, well-written, beautiful tribute to theater itself and its importance to culture.

Tonight Belongs to Who?

Ryan Murphy’s television roots really come to light in the screenplay. There are several subplots jammed into the film, as if we’re watching a season of Glee on fast forward. And like with Glee, some plots are better than others. The strongest of the bunch deals with Meryl Streep as aging Broadway star Dee Dee Allen and Key as a theater-obsessed high school principal. Their relationship is simply adorable, helped by their natural chemistry and sincere characters. If anything, the movie should have solely been about them.

James Corden’s Barry also has his own story arc, dealing with being a gay man with a strained relationship with his family. This one fails to work as well mainly due to Corden’s performance. Not only is he largely stiff, his mannerisms and personality feel less natural and more of a stereotype. Frustrating, considering openly gay actor Kevin Chamberlin is in the movie as a supporting character.

And alongside numerous other plots with the other high schoolers and a brief tangent with Nicole Kidman as a chorus girl, it leads to the one plot that should be the focus being glanced over. The movie is supposed to be about a young lesbian girl named Emma, played by Jo Ellen Perlman, trying to get her happy ending and go to prom with her girlfriend. But for a good while, Emma’s story is non-existent. The film adds so much character and depth to Dee Dee and Barry that Emma is just left as a generic blank slate. Her arc is almost secondary to the plot, which makes the impact of her story, both to the film and to its themes, almost non-existent. Frustrating too, considering how charming newcomer Jo Ellen Perlman is. Let’s hope she gets better roles in the future.

To Sum Up…

On a surface level, The Prom is a cute, fun little Broadway adaptation. The songs are catchy, and the large ensemble cast brings their A-game. And it’ll likely serve its purpose as a fun timewaster. But the film feels more like a glossy musical revue rather than a compelling musical romp. There’s a few too many songs, a few too many characters, and the one storyline that should be given the most attention feels like an afterthought just so the big stars can have some quality money shots for the trailer.

It certainly has its moments, and I’m sure it will find its own audience. But there’s so much more the movie could have done that would have avoided Ryan Murphy’s film from being so underwhelming.

Read some of my other Netflix reviews here