Thoughts on Netflix’s ‘The Prom’
The entire cast sings and dances at the inclusive prom, with Alyssa Greene (left, Arianna DeBose) and Emma Nolan (right, Jo Ellen Pellman) front and center, holding hands in the air in triumph. (Image Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Netflix)
(This opinion piece reveals spoilers for the film, ‘The Prom,’ on Netflix.)
As with most queer films made in this day and age, there is bound to be criticism—and rightfully so. Queer people have been itching to see themselves represented on screen for as long as film has existed and we keep inching closer and closer to the content that we feel best and most accurately portrays our experiences, triumphs, failures, and challenges. And not only that, but many of us also crave authentic casting—casting actors that have the same or very similar real-life experiences to the character that they are portraying. For example, casting a lesbian actress to play a lesbian on-screen.
Netflix’s, ‘The Prom,’ has been met with its share of critiques for being stereotypical, flamboyant, and unauthentically casting characters. The list could probably go on. And though I agree with a lot of these criticisms and critiques, there is also a lot to love about the film. In turn, it’s also important that we challenge the way that we are portrayed in the media and by who because ultimately we as viewers start to shape the way that queer and queer-centric films are made. We’ve gained a bit more traction and exposure since ‘Love, Simon’ and ‘Call Me By Your Name,’ which only came out in 2017 with shows and films like ‘Euphoria,’ ‘The Wilds,’ ‘Grand Army,’ ‘The Miseducation of Cameron Post,’ ‘Love, Victor,’ ‘Sex Education,’ and so on.
At the same time, when queer and queer-centric films are torn down, it makes it more difficult for newer queer creators to break into the industry to challenge the way that queer films are made and spearhead a fresh perspective on the genre. It’s the ultimate double-edged sword. Hollywood makes queer films with seemingly good intentions in mind that are then met with harsh criticism because people want better for the community—as they should. Viewers and critics alike then publicize their opinions in hopes that future queer films will push more boundaries, more authentically portray the community, avoid stereotypes, and the like. Though we inch closer and closer to legitimate representation, it’s as though we are moving at a snail’s pace. But it makes me wonder if the reason for this slow progression in Hollywood to represent and embrace queer characters and storylines is to make it digestible and easy to understand for our straight, cisgender counterparts.
In my opinion, yes. It’s as though they are dipping their toes in the pool instead of diving headfirst into the ocean. While it’s great that they are trying to educate those that don’t understand the queer community, there are endless documentaries, books, and films that have already done that and should not necessarily be the goal or the ending point for new queer films and shows, especially fictionalized ones. We are at the point in history where queer people want to see themselves on screen without it falling into a coming-out narrative, homophobic plotlines, etc. We want to see queer people having everyday struggles and experiences outside of their gender and sexuality. Though those things make up a part of who we are, they are not all of we are.
What I have realized is that ‘The Prom’ didn’t teach me or present to me anything that I didn’t already know about queerness or the LGBTQ+ community in general. Until Hollywood produces films and television shows with a queer audience in mind, I imagine that we’ll see the same tired coming out stories and homophobic plotlines being retold in different packaging. It’s likely that this phenomenon is to appeal to viewers who have never been exposed to a queer person so they play into likable stereotypes that make it easier for that particular demographic to stomach a queer storyline. We’ve seen that in the big-screen releases of ‘Call Me By Your Name’ and ‘Love, Simon,’ both of which were met with critical success and acclaim, but also featured only gay male storylines and were portrayed by straight actors. In contrast, a film like ‘The Miseducation of Cameron Post,’ which features lesbian relationships and was partially authentically cast with some queer actors (which also happened to have made it to the big screen with a smaller release) seemed to have less exposure and critical accolades. And even then, that film centered around gay conversion camp and religious intolerance. We also see this with ‘The Happiest Season,’ and ‘The Prom,’ both of which feature lesbian relationships at the forefront of the films and feature authentic queer casting, but were left to be released on streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu and revolve around the intolerance of queerness. This may be a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown of most movie theatres, but it has been a little over three years since their gay male counterparts were released in theatres, making me skeptical that films such as ‘The Happiest Season’ and ‘The Prom’ would’ve been released on the big screen at all.
The four washed-up Broadway stars plan to make a comeback in a flashy musical number. (image credit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Netflix)
But let’s get to ‘The Prom’...The storyline goes like this: Four washed-up Broadway stars played by Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, and Andrew Rannells are broke, butt-hurt, and ready to make a comeback. And what better way to do that than to give back to someone else? So they look for a cause to contribute to and stumble upon Emma Nolan, a young lesbian on Twitter who’s gaining national attention for not being able to attend prom with her girlfriend in Indiana. As a result of Emma wanting to go to prom and to take a girl as her date, the school’s PTA decides to cancel the prom entirely to avoid legal repercussions. The Broadway stars Dee Dee Allen (Streep), Angie Dickinson (Kidman), Barry Glickman (Corden), and Trent Oliver (Rannells) crash the PTA meeting demanding that they help Emma gain the right to go to prom bringing all their gay, glitzy, Broadway glamour with them. The film follows the four stars and Emma in their attempt to get Emma to prom with highs and lows that trail them along the way, like homophobic parents, closeted girlfriends, ignorant classmates, loving grandmothers, small-town discrimination, and cruel “jokes,” among many others.
My Own Thoughts:
James Cordon’s character Barry—a flamboyant gay man—though likable and fun, should’ve been cast by an actual queer person. I think that someone like Tituss Burgess, BD Wong, or Billy Porter would have been better choices. They all have appeared on Broadway in one way or another and would’ve done the part justice and been queer to boot. Whether it’s belting out ballads, having tough emotional scenes with homophobic characters, or indulging in glitzy musical moments, any of these actors would’ve been perfect for the role. Cordon, on the other hand, should not have even been considered for the part, despite the fact that he is extraordinarily musically talented. His portrayal of the character of Barry was overly exaggerated, extremely flamboyant, and used the “gay” accent which felt very stereotypical to me and plays into what people expect gay men to be like.
The core four actors, Streep, Kidman, Cordon, and Rannells were all white. Though white actors are more often cast in Broadway shows than their Black or POC counterparts due to discrimination and racism in the industry, there was no reason to have all four of these characters be white. This was a perfect place to start diversifying the lead actors in a queer production. While Kerry Washington, who played Mrs. Greene—Emma’s girlfriend’s homophobic mother, Keegan-Michael Key, who played Principal Hawkins—the high school’s principal, and Ariana DeBose, who played Emma’s girlfriend were phenomenal and were perfectly cast, they were not the main characters, but rather love interests, side characters, or antagonists. In addition, only one of the four lead actors is actually queer in real life—Andrew Rannells—and even though he was in the group of main characters, Rannells’ character Trent had the least significant role of the bunch and the least significant storyline. There were two true main characters—Dee Dee Allen and Barry Glickman—played by Streep and Cordon who are both white and straight.
Dee Dee Allen got more kisses with Principal Hawkins than Emma got with her girlfriend Alyssa. Allen and Hawkins: 2. Emma and Alyssa: 1. What a shame. Though the romance genre generally leads up to a kiss or more intimate moment, Emma and Alyssa were done dirty and deserved at least two on-screen kisses. Or more. I wouldn’t have complained.
Angie and Emma have a heart to heart in Emma’s room. (Image credit: melinda Sue Gordon/Netflix)
Nicole Kidman’s character—an actress that just wants to make it out of the ensemble—is INCREDIBLE. She becomes a pseudo-mother/friend figure to Emma in lieu of Emma’s parents kicking her out of the house at 16 upon finding out that she is a lesbian. Kidman’s character has the warmth of a motherly presence and is one that understands the struggles of young girls. At the same time, her character doesn’t realize the capabilities that she has to be a mentor to someone else and have a main character moment, despite having the strong desire to be one throughout the film. She grows into this figure as she teaches Emma how to find her ‘zazz,’ and to be strong in the face of adversity and discrimination, lessons you might typically learn from a parent. Kidman’s character was the first of the main four to truly care for Emma outside of the original plan to get back in the public’s good graces. It warmed my heart to see the effect that a kind-hearted person can have on queer youth and strongly emphasized the importance of one’s chosen family, a common theme in LGBTQ+ centric films. On the flip side, I think that Kidman’s character also learned a lot about strength and perseverance from Jo Ellen Pellman’s character, Emma.
Emma’s femme-leaning androgyny was very nice to see. I feel like Hollywood often paints lesbians in one of two ways—high femme or stone butch—but Emma was a character that wore what she wanted, like blazers, ties, and jumpsuits, while also embracing some femininity, like wearing some makeup and jewelry. She also had two prom moments, one where she wore a short, flippy pastel dress, and the other, a stylized teal suit with a ruffled button-up and bow. You can see that the character is comfortable wearing pretty much anything and finding confidence in herself regardless of the outfit she was sporting.
This film definitely plays into the stereotype of flamboyant gay culture—enter sparkles, glitter, flashy musical numbers, coordinated dances, bright costuming—that many people associate with the LGBTQ+ community but does not acknowledge that some gay people are not outward and bold with their stylistic choices. Quiet, more subtle queers exist. At the same time, this contrasts with what the main characters assume Indiana will be like in terms of costuming. Though they do get stuck at a 3-star hotel and are unfamiliar with the likes of Apple Bees, dubbed ‘Apples & Bees’ by Dee Dee, the way that the characters from Indiana dress highly contrasts with the Broadway stars’ ideas and assumptions that they have of Indiana’s culture and style. It’s not a homogenous group of redneck farmers as they presume in their first musical number as a group which in turn challenges the audience’s views and ideas about the Midwest.
Some of the resolutions happened too quickly, most notably in Trent’s big number, “Love Thy Neighbor,” where he confronts the homophobic popular kids at the mall. His song is all about how people cherry-pick the parts of the Bible that they want to believe in and follow, teaching them about how divorce, masturbation, getting tattoos, and losing your virginity along with a whole slew of other offenses go against the Bible. He then encourages them to rethink the way that they view Emma and her sexuality, explaining that the ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ is the most important message to get from the bible, essentially reinforcing the importance of loving one another despite our differences. By the end of the number, the popular kids start to rethink the way that they perceive Emma and by what seems like the next day, they realize how wrong and homophobic they actually were. In reality, this close-mindedness takes a lot of unlearning and time to truly get over, especially when you grow up in a town whose adult members think in very particular ways and in turn pass those views onto and ingrain into their children. I think this aspect of the film needed some major fleshing out.
Movie Posters for Netflix’s ‘The Prom'.’ (Image Credit: Netflix)
There were many realistic portrayals of the different ways that parents have trouble accepting their children’s sexuality. You have Emma who’s parents decided to kick her out at 16 but has a loving grandmother that took her in and a slew of chosen family members by the end of the film. You’ve got Barry who knew that he wouldn’t’ve been accepted by his family, so left before they could kick him out. He then ends up reconnecting with his mother after she apologizes for having let him fend for himself in the world and not being there for him as a child. At the same time, Barry’s father isn’t ready to reenter his life, so we see one parent having a change of heart, but not both. And finally, we see Alyssa’s mother finding out that she is gay and at first leaves her daughter high and dry, but ultimately decides to attend the inclusive prom that Emma puts together by the end of the film. She has a very intimate moment with her daughter—while everyone watches—explaining that she loves her more than anything, will always love her no matter who she is as a person, and has a lot to learn about her daughter. They also imply that they have to talk about it post-film to understand each other more completely, leaving a better and more complete ending for Alyssa than Emma or Barry. I’m glad that they took the time to explore these different reactions because coming out is a different experience for every queer teen. Some good. Some bad. And some downright ugly.
This film includes a ton of authentically cast queer ensemble members which I really appreciated. While watching the film I actually recognized an actress (Phi Kenzie) from my alma mater, Emerson College, during the scene where Emma decides to tell her story through song in a video released online. At that moment, you see a handful of queer people (presumably from all around the country) watching her vulnerably sing about her experience and each, in turn, reach out to Emma to tell her how touched they were by her video and how seen they felt while watching it. The same can be said for the finale when Emma and her squad of Broadway stars throw a huge inclusive prom and queer teens from all across the state of Indiana come to enjoy the party, have fun, and celebrate their sexuality. You see tons of same-sex couples, girls in tuxes, and guys in dresses, showing just how visually diverse our community can be.
The songs were so catchy. You can tell that this film started out as a Broadway production. The glamour of the New York theatre scene can be felt throughout the entire film, from the costuming and choreography to the cinematography and acting style. It’s colorful, bold, and visually pleasing.