Connecticut Post

‘ The Prom’ is a happy diversion

- By Mick LaSalle mlasalle@sfchronicl­e.com

The Prom Rated: PG-13 for thematic elements, some suggestive/sexual references and language. Running time: 130 minutes. On Netflix starting Friday, Dec. 11. 6 6 6 out of 4

“The Prom” begins at a cast party following the opening night of a new show. The energy is fraught, because everyone knows that at some time during the party, the reviews are going to come in. And then word arrives — a rave review from the Star-Ledger in New Jersey — and the movie bursts into a joyful songand-dance number.

With that, we first encounter the lavishness and scale of “The Prom.” Based on the 2018 Broadway musical, it has color and life and a camera that swoops and dives and moves among the dancers. Meryl Streep and James Corden play a pair of self-absorbed Broadway divas, and from the first seconds that they start singing, we know that it’s going to be very pleasant to be around both for the next two hours.

Yet if you know anything about Broadway, you might be wondering: Why are they singing and dancing and expressing such relief after winning a rave from the Newark Star-Ledger? Nothing against the Star-Ledger, but it would be as if Biden and Harris staged a victory party after winning Vermont. It’s nice. They’d be glad to have it. But it’s not determinat­ive. It could still go either way.

This is precisely where the movie’s sense of humor kicks in, because no sooner do they stop singing than someone walks in with the New York Times review, and it’s not just negative. It’s more vicious and dismissive than something you’d ever read in any responsibl­e newspaper, the kind seemingly designed to drive performers to suicide. The party clears out, and it’s Streep and Corden drinking at the bar with a fellow Broadway veteran (Nicole Kidman), trying to figure out their next move.

Their problem is succinctly described by their manager: Nobody likes a narcissist. And so they decide to do something altruistic to boost their popularity. They stumble upon a story about a lesbian in Indiana being prevented from going to her high school prom. To be specific, the school has actually canceled the prom, knowing it can’t legally keep a lesbian couple from attending. And so, the Broadway stars — Dee Dee (Streep), Barry (Corden) and Angie (Kidman) — descend on smalltown Indiana to “help that little lesbian.”

Watching “The Prom,” it would be easy to think of it as a biased, blue-state rendering of red-state America and that the situation it depicts with regard to the lesbian couple wouldn’t really happen in modern times. But in fact, the 2018

Broadway musical upon which the movie is based was inspired by a real-life incident that happened (in Mississipp­i) in 2010.

Also, though the Indiana town is understood to be a backwater, where the best restaurant for miles around is an Applebee’s, the Applebee’s presented here looks quite nice — it has a lounge, comfortabl­e seats and flattering lighting. So “The Prom” tries to be fair.

At first, the story seems as though it might be too straightfo­rward to fill out a 130-minute running time, but the movie deepens as it goes along, adding dimension to the various stories of the individual characters. Keegan-Michael Key plays the principal, a big fan of Broadway musicals, who strikes up a rapport with Dee Dee. The story of Emma ( Jo Ellen Pellman), the teenager being kept out of the prom, brings up some painful childhood issues for Barry. And the story explores the relationsh­ip between a hardline P TA president (Kerry Washington) and her closeted gay daughter (Ariana DeBose).

Directed by Ryan Murphy (one of the creators of TV’s “Glee”) with signature ironic flair, “The Prom” is a happy diversion. It features good songs by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, all of which are well performed. Kidman is somewhat underused here, but she gets one of the best numbers, a Bob Fosse knockoff called “Zazz.” Pellman, with her gorgeous pinging voice, is a real find, and Streep has nothing but good moments. As for Corden, he’s a warm, openhearte­d delight in everything he does, and he’s that way here.

Moreover, it’s especially nice that the kindness of spirit found in “The Prom” extends beyond its progressiv­e characters. Supposedly, we’re entering a time of national healing, of coming together — we’ll see how that works. In any case, consider it a mildly encouragin­g sign that what might have been a smug, smartypant­s musical turns out to have a heart big enough for everybody.

 ?? Melinda Sue Gordon / Netflix / Associated Press ?? Meryl Streep and James Corden in a scene from “The Prom.”
Melinda Sue Gordon / Netflix / Associated Press Meryl Streep and James Corden in a scene from “The Prom.”

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