Netflix The Prom (2020)

[Jake Lipson]

Title: The Prom

Genre: Musical Comedy

Director: Ryan Murphy

Cast: Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannells, Keegan-Michael Key, Kerry Washington, Ariana DeBose, Jo Ellen Pellman, Logan Riley Hassel, Sofia Deler, Nico Greetham, Nathaniel J. Potvin, Kevin Chamberlin, Vasthy Mompoint, Tracey Ullman, Sebastian Vale, Dominique Kelley, Riley Rydin, Sam Pillow

Release: 2020-12-11

Plot: Teenager Emma wants to bring her girlfriend Alyssa to her school's big dance. Instead, they're banned from attending as a couple, prompting a cast of Broadway eccentrics to descend on the teen's small-town home to help fight injustice.

 

[Jake Lipson]

This is the adaptation of the unfortunately short-lived 2018 Broadway musical by Matthew Sklar, Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin. Ryan Murphy directs the film for Netflix and announced today on Instagram that it will be released in time for Christmas.

Ryan Murphy Shares 1st Look at Starry Cast of His The Prom Movie, Teases Release Date

"Christmas is right around the corner...," wrote the TV power player.

www.playbill.com

I absolutely love the cast album of this score and can't wait to see the film. It's kind of unfortunate that the roles were written specifically for the Broadway company and none of them were carried over to the film version, but it should still be excellent. If they all had to get replaced by movie stars, then certainly this roster of movie stars is a terrific lineup.

I don't know when it will be safe to go to a theater again, so this is my most anticipated movie for the rest of the year that I actually know I will be able to watch. Under normal circumstances, my arthouse would probably get it, since they screen a lot of Netflix titles, and I would have gone to it. But in this case I'm just happy to be able to see it at all without having to leave safety of my home. I won't have to worry about missing it, which is a concern for the films that remain on the theatrical schedule for the rest of the year.

For anyone interested, there is also a prose novelization of the show that came out last year, and the audiobook version of that is read by embers of the original cast.

 

[Bob Cashill]

It's a very funny show with a good score and this cast is excellent.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Ryan Murphy has revealed the final release date on Twitter, and it's even earlier than the Christmas he previously hinted. The Prom will be released on Netflix on December 11. That's only 89 more days to wait.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Netflix has released some photos from the film:

Ryan Murphy Says The Prom Film is '25 Percent' Different From Broadway Hit; See First Look

It's almost time to dance again. The higly anticipated film adaptation of The Prom is arriving on Netflix on December 11, and we have …

www.broadway.com

 

[Jake Lipson]

The Hollywood Reporter has an interview with Ryan Murphy and members of the cast:

‘Prom’ Stars Meryl Streep, Kerry Washington and Nicole Kidman Talk Activism, Black Conservatives and Awkward Dances

Kerry Washington, Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and James Corden star in the musical about narcissistic celebrity activists which ultimately aims to change hearts without judgment: "If only I would have had this feeling of acceptance and belonging."

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[Matt Hough]

Looking forward to its Netflix release.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Trailer:



This looks great.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Ryan Murphy talked to Pete Hammond from Deadline about the making of the film.

Ryan Murphy On Bringing ‘The Prom’ From Broadway To Netflix, How COVID Derailed Production, And Rebooting ‘A Chorus Line’ As A Limited Series – The Deadline Q&A

Ryan Murphy talks about his adaptation of the Broadway musical The Prom. He also talks about plans to reboot A Chorus Line.

deadline.com

 

[Jake Lipson]

New trailer:



Note that the song choice used in this trailer is in fact the movie's finale. I would have preferred to hear that for the first time in the context of the film itself, but the trailer still looks great.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Broadway.com interviewed Jo Ellen Pellman (Emma), the protagonist of the movie.



It drops on Netflix tomorrow. I'm planning to stay up until midnight for it if I can.

 

[Matt Hough]

A real movie musical with actors who can actually sing big and well (no Russell Crowes or Pierce Brosnans here), and a first-rate production with all the stops pulled out. Enjoyable popcorn entertainment.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I agree. I actually stayed up until 1am on Friday to watch this as soon as it dropped. It's not perfect, but it succeeds perfectly in being a joy machine, so it is very easy to overlook the imperfections.

Jo Ellen Pellman as Emma is a real find.

I'm sure I'll watch this on Netflix regularly. But I also wish they would allow it to have a Blu-ray release after an exclusive window. Because it isn't an awards bait movie from a marquee director, I'm guessing that won't be the case.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Here is a really good interview with Ariana DeBose (Alyssa.)



And with Andrew Rannells (Trent):

 

[Matt Hough]

I watched the Rannells interview last night as I was scanning YouTube for interesting content. Thanks for posting the other one. I agree. I'd buy a Blu-ray of The Prom were it available.

 

[EricSchulz]

I knew NOTHING about the B'way show (in fact, when I heard this was coming to Netflix I just thought Murphy is trying to hit lightning a second time with a Glee rip-off). Now I want to see it! No, it's not perfect. But it's fun, with some great songs and a good (if somewhat obvious) story. I just checked out a couple clips of the original cast on the Tonys. DEFINITELY on my list of shows to see when things reopen!

 

[Matt Hough]

I knew NOTHING about the B'way show (in fact, when I heard this was coming to Netflix I just thought Murphy is trying to hit lightning a second time with a Glee rip-off). Now I want to see it! No, it's not perfect. But it's fun, with some great songs and a good (if somewhat obvious) story. I just checked out a couple clips of the original cast on the Tonys. DEFINITELY on my list of shows to see when things reopen!

You'll have to see a tour or a regional production. The Broadway production closed before the production of the film commenced. I assume the film sale put the show into the black, but I'm not sure about that. It ran about a year.

 

[Chris Will]

A real movie musical with actors who can actually sing big and well (no Russell Crowes or Pierce Brosnans here), and a first-rate production with all the stops pulled out. Enjoyable popcorn entertainment.

I haven’t watched the movie but, based on your comment about no Crowes or Brosnans, I’m guessing Streep isn’t in it much because she can’t sing. I don’t understand why she keeps getting cast in musicals Because she either ends up kind of “talk” singing (like Into the Woods) or they use auto-tune to try and make her sound good. I have not been impressed with her singing ability in anything up to this point and I don’t expect that to change in The Prom.

 

[Jake Lipson]

You'll have to see a tour or a regional production.

At the time of the Broadway closure, a tour was scheduled to go out in 2021. I think the producers aimed for that because they wanted the movie to come out first. Obviously, everything is in flux now because of the virus, so it would not surprise me to see the tour delayed or cancelled by the time the touring market comes out of this. I would absolutely love to see it if the tour materializes though.

I think the show closed before it deserved to, but at least they got to have a closing performance that they knew was closing. If somehow they had continued until the Broadway shutdown, they almost certainly would not have been able to come back from it. Frozen, which was a much bigger draw, closed on the day of the shutdown assuming they would be back and then Disney decided that the economics of Broadway's return could not support three Disney shows at once. So Frozen's final performance before the shutdown became the final performance unfortunately.

I assume the film sale put the show into the black, but I'm not sure about that.

The Broadway production itself closed at a loss unfortunately. I'm sure Murphy compensated the creators well for the film rights, but I think that was a separate deal.

based on your comment about no Crowes or Brosnans, I’m guessing Streep isn’t in it much because she can’t sing.

She is one of the leads and sings a lot. If you don't like her singing, the film might not be for you.

 

[Matt Hough]

I haven’t watched the movie but, based on your comment about no Crowes or Brosnans, I’m guessing Streep isn’t in it much because she can’t sing. I don’t understand why she keeps getting cast in musicals Because she either ends up kind of “talk” singing (like Into the Woods) or they use auto-tune to try and make her sound good. I have not been impressed with her singing ability in anything up to this point and I don’t expect that to change in The Prom.

We'll have to agree to disagree about her singing. I think she's GREAT in Into the Woods (she talks what is intended to be rapped and sings "Stay with Me" and "Last Midnight" with great power and feeling), and I love her closing song in Postcards from the Edge.