The prom - 2020

 Well, the story was a good enough one, the two girls were good, played their role well and were really good at singing, most of the songs were good, and the happy ending was welcome and nice. 

I read that this has been a musical for many years but I’ve never seen it, never heard of it before, so I’m not making comparison of any kind. Although I say that that kind of excessive extravaganza works much better in the theatre than in the movies.

Problems? Just a few: 

 - third place, the characters of the actors were too much, I mean they are designed that way, it’s not a matter of acting, but they were really over the top. Too much, really, sometimes it took something away from the story. 

 - second, the scenes with the big revelations on how even the actors have troubled past, to show us they have a heart, like how Dee Dee was once really in love and crushed when she realised her ex husband only cared about her money, or Barry’s story of how he left home because his parents couldn’t accept him for who he was (how he didn’t go to his own prom because the boy he liked showed up with a girl, and his parents wanted to send him to get ‘cured’ so he left and never heard from them again), both interesting messages in the story, but they should have been explained throughout the story showing some character development, not throwing it all on one long scene that turned out to be more boring than touching. Honestly I kept thinking ‘yeah yeah where is Emma?’

 - first: Nicole Kidman… I mean, really??? To play a dancer when she couldn’t put two moves together to save her life? She posed several times, and was extremely coquettish, not believable at all, and the worst part of the movie. Sorry, I have nothing against her and I’ve watched her in other movies (although I admit nothing recent), but this was so not a role for her, come on, everyone danced more than her, literally everyone, and her acting was cold and totally without involvement or emotion.

The songs were nice, the ‘I want to dance with you’ and the ‘love thy neighbour’ (which said a lot of things that I think as well, so a kiss in that direction) and the one about life being difficult, I can’t believe I don’t remember the words, they sang it a lot, anyway, very nice. Also Emma’s song.

Details:

On one hand, we have a small town in Indiana where the parents protests and decide there won’t be a prom because one girl is openly gay and they don’t want her to bring another girl as her date. On the other hand, we have a couple of Broadway actors who are destroyed by a terrible review, and with an unemployed actor and a failed dancer decide that they need to do something that will bring them back on top. The review said they were total narcissist so they find a good cause, and Angie finds Emma’s story on twitter.

They barge into town declaring their support and Emma believes them, and so does her principal (who is completely on her side, bless him) and after various songs they get what they wanted, there will be a prom, and Emma is all excited. Alyssa, her girlfriend, will reveal their relationship at the prom, thinking that being in public will prevent her mother from making a scene (her mom is the head of the protesting parents).

Barry helps her find a dress and they are all excited, but when they get to the school gym, there’s only the principal there. Without telling her, the students and the parents organised a second ball, where they all went, and she’s here alone now. She speaks to Alyssa on the phone, but she’s stuck there now and is too afraid to drop anything and run to her. 

Emma is really really hurt, and next time she meets Alyssa they break up because she can’t go on like that.

Dee Dee calls her ex husband and gives him a house to get Emma a spot on television to tell her story. Emma says thanks but I will do it my way, and she makes a youtube video where she says who she is and plays a song, which is very nice, I like it a lot.

She plans another ball, and our four celebrities give money to make it happen.

Two couples of students come to her to say sorry, after having talked to Trent, and Alyssa tells her mother the truth after she tries to stop it from happening.

The ball is beautiful, and Emma finally dances with Alyssa, and a lot of people who saw her video come to dance too, and even Alyssa’s mother. (And Barry’s mother too, come to say sorry after Dee Dee called her, after decades of not speaking to her son - apologies appreciated, but couldn’t she reach out to him sooner instead of waiting for someone to tell her to? :-/ )