Netflix “The Prom” Reviews thread

“Insufferable “

enjoying those rotten reviews!

The review are completely split. This is from Variety:

“The Prom” is very much a movie about the “two Americas,” and part of its luster is that it portrays the conservative Midwestern one with dignity, even as it attacks the impulses of bigotry. Regarding the issue of intolerance, the film gives no quarter, but it does separate the sinner from the sin. Jo Ellen Pellman, who sings in a lilting soprano, endows Emma with a tremulous radiance, a desire to be herself that’s defiantly unpolitical, and in a funny way it makes the movie unpolitical. She and Alyssa, who is Mrs. Greene’s daughter, aren’t “fighting for the right” to attend a high-school dance. The movie takes that right for granted. They’re fighting for the right to love and be loved like anyone else. The timing of “The Prom” feels karmically right, because it’s about the two Americas coming together. Whatever the film’s fate — just another movie on Netflix? Or Oscar contender? (I’d believe either one) — that’s a story worth telling, and one that we need to hear.

From USA Today:

“The Prom” is an exuberant love letter to Broadway’s “Let’s put on a show!” ethos that will earworm you till the new year and proves how a great musical – armed with a heartfelt story – unites like nothing else can.

Get ready for James Corden thinking it is hilarious for a straight guy to play into every gay cliche.

[Quote]The main, and huge, drawback is James Corden. His performance is gross and offensive, the worst gayface in a long, long time. It's horrifically bad.

I've heard terrible things about James Corden's turn as a gay man here.

Turd Corden is ruining it. Now 83

But I can't really respect the judgment of a critic who uses the awful "new" Pride flag as their Twitter avatar, can I?

What never made sense to me about this show/movie is why a lesbian teen would want anything to do with a troupe of Broadway actors. The more realistic version would involve a musical theater loving gay boy. Obviously they take no issue playing into cliches, so if they wanted to keep the lesbian teen, then the gay saviors should have been a group of auto mechanics, hardware store owners, gym teachers, etc. That would be more interesting to me.

The overall moral of the story is also so contrived. Why would she want to go to a prom where everyone hates her? It's heteronormative and two-dimensional. If the whole point is wanting to be treated like everyone else, then calling on the national press, state attorney, and a group of selfish Broadway actors to intervene would only make her stand out more. It's the same boring woe-is-me coming out tripe we've already seen a million times since 2005. Where is the Fun Home movie?

Meryl is getting raavvves!

From the Washington Post:

“The Prom’s” love of the industry it embraces and sends up — the theatrical arcana include a joke about the Drama Desk Awards — carries an exhilarating whiff of the classic, buoyant Hollywood musical comedy, “Singin’ in the Rain.”

r1 when the film advertises Corden, Kidman and Streep as the reasons to see a musical, my instinct is to back away slowly.

This looks like it'll be pretty mixed, but almost everyone seems to think Corden is the worst part of the film. Would it have been that hard to get Nathan Lane? Did he turn them down? What about Titus Burgess? Anyone besides Corden would have been better. Does he even have a big fanbase to be billed alongside Kidman and Streep?

The crtitics are never kind to Ryan but his stuff is always a hit with his audience.

Vanity Fair said it best: "The Prom proves that Ryan Murphy doesn't seem to have any true interest in, or understanding of, what people actually like about musicals." Murphy is so overrated and basically a hack.

R15, He’s really not. Glee and American Horror Story were groundbreaking and are now classics.

Murphy's main flaw is that he's ADD which hurts any of his long running shows. I've enjoyed many of his films and miniseries, but if he intends to go past one season, they usually fall apart. I thought the anthology format would help him with that problem on American Horror Story, but instead of getting bored and checking out during season 2, he gets bored and checks out on episode 5 of a 10-15 episode season.

Wow it’s down to 67 on RT.

Most of the negative reviews focus on shitstain Corden. If Meryl had demanded a decent leading man it would fare much better.

I love the Rolling Stone review: "This is what it looks like when you Glee a beloved Broadway production to death."

"No one wants subtle in musical comedy, but maybe pitching things at the level of Charles Nelson Reilly screaming though a TED talk on tolerance for two-plus hours isn’t the answer either."

OMG that replenished my bitch electrolytes.

[quote]"This is what it looks like when you Glee a beloved Broadway production to death."

"A beloved Broadway production" is a bit of a stretch. It ain't exactly "The Sound of Music."

Streep's vocals truly took me by surprise. I thought she sounded mostly like shit in Mamma Mia, decent in Into the Woods, but she sounds like a full blown belter in this. Easily her best musical performance to date. Any rumors of Donna Murphy sweetening her vocals on this film, too?

Meryl's singing sounds good in this?! Wow, the autotune machine must have been working overtime on this.

Sounds pretty impressive to me.

This review is SCATHING. It's great.

just began it.....not bad so far....at all

Kind of a kick to see a big nellie queen as the male star of it....tho i adore andrew rannels and would have been fun to see him in that role...meryl is a blast!

I don’t know about this stuff, but to me Meryl sounds like she’s singing in the wrong register.

Oh, Meryl, my Meryl, you've been in two shitshows this year already. Will you ever recover from that slump, gurl?

Thought ide not like, but found it bit of a hoot....grr8 message too.

Still reeling from the “Hillbilly Eulogy” reviews, I see.

I'm not sure I want to watch The Prom. I'm no fan of James Corden on a good day.

Watching this now... Not really feeling it. Everyone seems slightly awkward and off-balance, and the score and production values are gaudy and off-putting. The sentiment, though admirable, is syrupy, strained and... inauthentic?

Streep can’t help but be her charismatic self, but even she seems to writhe under the weight Ryan Murphy’s questionable taste and direction. Her voice sounds good though.

*weight of

Will see anything with that hot fukker Andrew R. in it...

Dont get the negative reviews. Is it amazing? No. Its often cheesy as hell in typical Ryan Murphy fashion. However, it was enjoyable, entertaining and heartfelt which is what I want from a musical movie like this. Corden wasn't nearly as bad as reviews led me to believe, though I think someone else would have been better and Streep nailed it.

I will add that as enjoyable as I found it, there is a bland veneer to this movie. It's not something that would warrant repeat viewings like many other movie musicals I really like. One time was enough.

OMG Corden's flaming queen made me so embarassed I shut off the program.

Indeed, it was fun,, like Glee crossed with Hallmark crossed with a gay tea party...I would have of course been more interested if it had been two boy fags and not the lesbian angle....but i digress.

Could have done with a bit more of Andrew, his energy is erotic and jubilant. But what was the point of the too brief big truck scene with him in the american flag shirt? seemed to be carelessly cut short. even if it was crappy..

From the NY Times:

The theme and the story’s arc emerge when Dee Dee et al. descend on the town, waving placards and trumpeting indignation. “We are here from New York City and we are going to save you,” Barry announces to Emma, who’s embedded in a meeting filled with parents and other students. This joke is soon repeated, as often happens in this movie, where every rose is gilded and every laugh squeezed until it’s dry. “Who are you people?” asks the mother (a misused Kerry Washington) leading the homophobic charge. “We are liberals from Broadway,” Trent says, assuring that Team New York will fall on its smug face while securing its own redemption.

How this all goes down is as predictable as expected except that, in the year 2020, it’s also more fantastical than “The Wizard of Oz” at its trippiest. Here, all it takes for bigots to accept Emma and L.G.B.T.Q. rights is for Trent to call them out as hypocrites who should — in a sublimely narcissistic move — be more like their fabulous, righteous interlopers. In other words, if the haters would open their tiny, hard hearts, everything would be fine. You don’t have to be a cynic to know that is a crock. You just need to be an American.

So ... is Ryan Murphy's prom worse than Carrie's?

Why is it so loooooooong, I need to go back and finish it, but I’m dreading it.

This is painful and never-ending.

This makes Carrie White’s prom seem like a good time.

My how those reviews have plummeted as more critics weigh in!

Don’t they realize this is a Ryan Murphy Production?

Streep taking a role that should've gone to Patricia Heaton. So desperate.

Good: Meryl, music, Nicole

Bad: Corden, Midwest bashing, dialogue

The Wig’s face was odd looking...misshapen.

Meryl’s emotional scene in the hotel room and her number in the principal’s office were divine. Still, she couldn’t save this trash.

Again, thank God for “Let Them All Talk.”

The kid looks like she’s thirty.

I like the music

[quote]The overall moral of the story is also so contrived. Why would she want to go to a prom where everyone hates her? It's heteronormative and two-dimensional. If the whole point is wanting to be treated like everyone else, then calling on the national press, state attorney, and a group of selfish Broadway actors to intervene would only make her stand out more.

Over the years, lots of gay young people have been in the news for attending traditional proms with same-sex dates. And as for your other comments, you obviously weren't paying attention to what actually happens in the movie, because nobody "calls on" the Broadway people to intervene -- or the national press or the state attorney, for that matter. In future, you might want to avoid commenting on a movie or a show or whatever if you don't know what the hell you're talking about because you weren't paying attention

[quote]I don’t know about this stuff, but to me Meryl sounds like she’s singing in the wrong register.

I'm glad you yourself added that disclaimer at the beginning of your sentence, because it's obviously true.

[quote]Bad: Corden, Midwest bashing, dialogue

If you think this movie "bashed" the Midwest, you are another person who wasn't paying attention to what actually happens and what is said in the movie, therefore you should not be commenting on it.

Excellent

This was so bad. Fast forwarded through it. The girl looks like Drew Barrymore.

My husband and I watched it. It was enjoyable. Very sweet.

Kerry Washington cut through the sludge nicely.

I expected to hate it...but...I loved it. I loathe Ryan Murphy and loathe everything Glee...but this was fun and funny and surprisingly tuneful. And Meryl is magnificent.

In the link at R26, the writer says "Boys in the Band" was a titanic work of art.

Are same-sex prom dates still controversial? This seems like something taken off the shelf from 2006.

Not as awful as I was led to believe, but not good either.

Well, knock me over with a feather. I very much enjoyed THE PROM overall, including Andrew Rannells' performance. But then I read an interview with Rannells in which he was asked about the heat that the supposedly straight James Corden has taken for playing a flamboyant homosexual, and here's what Rannells replied:

[quote]Obviously, representation is very important, but what I feel that Ryan does so well is, you know, it’s the best person for the job, quite frankly. In the same way that James can play the gay character, he’s also given me an opportunity to play a straight character, which is not something I do all the time. As much as he takes [an actor’s sexuality] into consideration, I think ultimately he’s looking for talent and parts, and he’s given me the opportunity to play this part which maybe another director wouldn’t have cast me in, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity.

So....that character Rannells played in the movie is supposed to be straight??!! Because, ummm, his performance certainly wouldn't have made me think so. By the way, the role in question was played on Broadway by Christopher Sieber, andalthough he is an openly gay actor, I would say he came across as less obviously gay than Rannells. Anyway, I honestly don't remember if, in the show or the movie, that character makes any reference to his sexual orientation. Anyone?

The original musical was pretty awful

I laughed watching an interview with Andrew where he mentioned he based his character in the film on an ex-boyfriend who went to Juilliard and would never shut up about it .... that ex-boyfriend being DL fave Mike Doyle.

Mike Doyle is listed in the IMDB credits for M’s other film, Let Them All Talk, but I don’t remember seeing him at all.

I watched it last night. It was enjoyable enough - not great, not horrible.

Some of the casting was odd, like Nicole Kidman as a CHORUS GIRL? And 49 year-old Keegan Michael Key as 71-year old Meryl Streep's love interest?!

I hated the girl who played Emma. I wanted to slap that stupid blank grin she plastered on in virtually every scene right off her face. It's like Murphy realized at one point that this girl couldn't convincingly play a lesbian, so they conveyed it via wardrobe - a stupid looking stocking cap, ill-fitting pants, and men's ties.

I wish there had been more big show stopping numbers, and the ones the movie did have were too brief. Some of the choreography was great, but in typical Murphy fashion, he lessened its impact with quick camera cuts.

That said, Meryl was wonderful and appropriately campy. James Corden wasn't awful; I thought he played gay more convincingly than he plays straight. And I thought the girl who played Emma's girlfriend was good. Too bad she was more of a tertiary character.

The movie had some very funny lines that DLers will love. The only question I have is this: Will Tina Louise be offended? :-)

It was the Hitler of musicals adapted for television.

[quote]I laughed watching an interview with Andrew where he mentioned he based his character in the film on an ex-boyfriend who went to Juilliard and would never shut up about it .... that ex-boyfriend being DL fave Mike Doyle.

I'm not aware that Mike Doyle is known for going on about having gone to Juilliard. Maybe Andrew should cut down on the interviews if he's going to trash other people, and also if he's going to make embarrassing statements like "my character in THE PROM is straight" (even though I played him as gay as as a goose).

[quote]Some of the casting was odd, like Nicole Kidman as a CHORUS GIRL? And 49 year-old Keegan Michael Key as 71-year old Meryl Streep's love interest?!

Agreed. By the way, Kidman's EXTENSIVE work on her face looked pretty horrifying in certain shots. And also on the age subject, though people are ragging Corden as a supposedly straight man playing an effeminate gay man, I think the biggest problem with his casting is that he's too young for the part, especially opposite Streep. Those two characters are supposed to be contemporaries, and both are supposed to have been working in the theater for many years. On that score, Nathan Lane really would have been a better choice for the role if they weren't going to give it to Brooks Ashmanskas.

I thought Brooks Ashmanskas was incredibly sexy in the Broadway production. Watching the movie, I forgot that Rannells’ character was supposed to be straight and wondered why the screenplay gave us two gay men whose distinct dramatic functions were hard to parse. Corden’s problem is that he has no warmth.

R67 Yes. And as far as Nicole goes, there were times when her nose looked really bad - like it had been whittled down extensively and now was just a strange little protrusion on her face.

[quote]Watching the movie, I forgot that Rannells’ character was supposed to be straight and wondered why the screenplay gave us two gay men whose distinct dramatic functions were hard to parse.

I honestly don't remember, does the Rannells character make any reference at all as to whether he's gay or straight? Or are we just supposed to figure that out by the way he acts and the things he says and does? I would say the fact that his big number is all about making those kids understand that hating gay people based on the Bible is irrational would indicate that he's more likely gay than straight.

I wasn't very familiar with the Broadway show, but I went in expecting to hate this movie and ended up really loving it. It has some issues, but the cast is great (including Corden) and I was even moved to tears a few times.

And yes, same sex dates at proms and gay people are still an issue in many of the smaller towns across America. Just because gays are allowed to get married doesn't mean a lot of people are happy about it. These past 4 years should have taught us that this stuff never goes away.

It's the best movie musical I've seen since Hairspray. It lands all the laughs and hits all the right emotional beats while giving us some fun songs and a ton of much needed joy.

I've seen many people in the theatre threads bashing the show this movie is based on and I can't understand it. The score is way better than most of the sludge that's been created in the past 20 years and the story is moving and really funny. It feels like the closest thing to old fashioned musical comedy that I've seen in a while.

I really wish they had cast a different actress in the Emma role. Jo Ellen Pellman was so cloying and just plain bad.

I thought she was great. Lovely voice and great screen presence. There was a sweetness to her I really liked.

R74 The girl who played Alyssa was much better. She conveyed real emotion with her performance.

Agreed. I don't think Jo Ellen Pellman was "cloying" AT ALL, and I think she nearly avoided the potential pitfalls of that role.

r30 has clearly not read the review at r26--

[quote]As Dee Dee, Meryl Streep does her best Glenn Close impression, glazing every line and glance with a massive dose of ham.

R77 That’s a laughable assessment and clearly spews forth from a disgruntled G fan.

Close could never do what Streep does her emotional scene in the motel nor the number she slays in the principal’s office.

I do like G, but no; just no.

kerry washington was, as usual, merely ok. if that.

Omg the above pic of glenn is hysterical...she tried really hard in that hillbilly movie, she was funny.

Only thing that bugged me bout Cordon was his fat gut about to bust a button on that too tight fugly jacket...

I feel bad for Rannells if he thinks he was playing straight in this movie. No one watching would think his character was supposed to be straight.

Loved it. Streep is hysterical and sounds great.

Never seen the stage musical. I definitely thought Rannells was playing a gay. He just has an inherent gay vibe. It's not even that hes really flamboyant.

Rannells is a fine actor but the man has textbook gayface. There’s no possible way to butch up that cookie smelling puss.

Rannells was in his gayest mood singing in the mall. Cordon wasn't that bad, I loved him in Gavin and Stacey and maybe that is why I still forgive him. Meryl was superb. Kidman did nothing the whole movie except for her scene in the girl's home. As a whole it was average and entertaining.

I thought Andrew was great but no, I highly doubt anyone watching believed his character was some kind of pussy hound.

No mention of Rannells' tummy? They tried to hide it, but the nothing escapes the eyes of a WW graduate.

And no mention of the cameo appearances of Tracey Ullman and Mary Kay Place (both wearing the cheapest wigs I've ever seen, even in a high school production)?

As someone previously mentioned, auto-tune was on overdrive. Meryl wished she sounded so good. Having seen her live onstage in a musical many years ago (HAPPY END), I can attest that her actual voice is basic at best.

Both the BF and I had the same comment after watching the Netflix THE PROM: It was enjoyable, but the original Broadway show was much better. Come back Brooks Ashmankis, all is forgiven!

R89 Didn’t see the baby bump, when is he due?

Seriously, I couldn't believe it when I read in that interview that Rannells' character in THE PROM is supposed to be straight, and that he apparently feels he played him as convincingly straight. How insanely deluded is this guy? He's good when he's well cast in a gay role, like THE BOYS IN THE BAND. And I guess he didn't necessarily come across as gay in THE BOOK OF MORMON, but that was a long time ago, and the character was supposed to very young, so Rannells' gayness could arguably be read as extreme youth and immaturity. From all evidence, he can't convincingly play a straight adult male, and it's embarrassing that he doesn't see to realize this.

FUCKING HORRENDOUS, ANNOYING, GLITTER FART TO THE FACE!

WHOEVER PRAISES THIS MUSIC SHOULD BE SHOT — THERE'S LITERALLY NO CATCHY OR MEMORABLE TUNE IN THE WHOLE THING!

Christ, calm down R91. I don’t think Rannells is campaigning for an Oscar for best straight man with this performance. Pretty sure he would agree with you he would not make a great James Bond or any other aggressively straight character. Pretty sure Ryan Murphy is the one who envisioned Trent as straight and Andrew was answering that question in a way to try to deflect from the controversy of James Corden donning gay face. That’s literally what the question was about.

Just finished watching it. I definitely enjoyed it, but it wasn't nearly as good as "Hairspray," for example. I agree with the person who said it was at the same level as "Legally Blonde" or "The Wedding Singer." Competent, fun, but not memorable. The actress who played Emma was so distracting because she resembles a young Drew Barrymore. And the one who played Kayla (the blonde mean girl) was built like a linebacker with those broad shoulders. I thought the cast was fine, and I didn't think Corden overdid the gay stuff. Meryl was great, as always, but I wish I'd been able to see Beth Leavel in the original. (I've seen her twice on Broadway, but never got to see "The Prom.")

This was a risky choice - after power watching “The Middle” on HBO Max, where you come from the very real Indiana universe of the Hecks (Sue at college: “Did you know there are people who DON’T love America?!”) to the eye-rolling lyrics of inbred hicks in backwater Indiana.

By the end I enjoyed it. I do not like Corden at all and thanks to you bitches all I could think was how much that role needed to be Nathan Lane opposite Meryl. I will say I don’t think he played some camp fey caricature at ALL so I don’t get that criticism. The gay stereotypes were baked into the song lyrics (like the tiara) and not his take.

I know this isn’t a personality but I loved Nicole and her fun hats.

Meryl chewed this up and owned it.

Loved the number toward the end with the guitar on screen.

All in all, it was worth it, but they really should have hit home how truly depraved and out of touch the New Yorkers (as much as they did with Hick Indiana), but it really needed a sardonic Nathan Lane to drive that home.

I loved the beginning when we were introduced to the narcissistic New York actors, but I became more antsy as it devolved into a message movie.

The blonde bitch’s boyfriend was yummy. He needed to be naked.

Needed some manflesh.

I thought all of the actors were great, including Cordon, with Streep and Key being the standouts. The songs were mostly bland and forgettable, however. And the resolution with Kerry Washington’s character was much too pat.

The redemption arc for Washington's character was incredibly stupid, especially right after it had shown us the awkward reunion between Corden and Ullman that was 20+ years in the making. Parents like that don't suddenly go home for a few hours and come back and turn into a better person. That took me out of the movie.

It was excruciating.

That’s all.

R99 Yes, a more fitting end would have been Washington’s character locking the doors and burning the gymnasium to the ground.

I’d like to see the John Waters version.

Yeah, Kerry seeing the light for the big end number was out of nowhere like the Von Tussels joining in the end of You Can’t Stop the Beat in Hairspray.

Except they made the right choice to change that for the FILM.

Murphy said that Streep trained for 4 months. You don’t have to auto tune a voice that sounds like her. She was great and I hope she wins the Golden Globe.

It's a better movie than it was a show. And Corden is perfectly fine. Meryl does have the best moment, though.

[quote]The redemption arc for Washington's character was incredibly stupid, especially right after it had shown us the awkward reunion between Corden and Ullman that was 20+ years in the making. Parents like that don't suddenly go home for a few hours and come back and turn into a better person. That took me out of the movie.

I had no problem with the scene where Washington's character shows up at the second prom and says to her daughter something like, "We have a lot to talk about, but one thing for sure is that I love you." But I do have to admit it was a bit much to swallow when she reacted with sheer happiness to her daughter and the daughter's girlfriend deep kissing in the middle of the prom a few moments later. If I had directed that moment, I probably would have directed it so that the mom didn't see the kiss.

R106 She should be happy she didn’t have a son, it would have been witnessing a blowjob in the boys room.

[quote] The redemption arc for Washington's character was incredibly stupid, especially right after it had shown us the awkward reunion between Corden and Ullman that was 20+ years in the making. Parents like that don't suddenly go home for a few hours and come back and turn into a better person. That took me out of the movie.

This was a change from the stage version, perhaps because of the addition of Barry's mother (Ullman). In the show, the mother was unable to accept her daughter as a lesbian, and Barry had to strongly warn the mother that if she did not accept her daughter, she would lose her forever.

[quote]In the show, the mother was unable to accept her daughter as a lesbian, and Barry had to strongly warn the mother that if she did not accept her daughter, she would lose her forever.

I did notice that line from Barry to the girl's mother was not in the movie, and I really missed it. I don't remember exactly what happened after that line in the show, but I think the mom did say something to the effect of what she says in the movie -- not a full acceptance, but not rejecting her daughter. I don't remember if the mom stayed around at the second prom in the show. Can anyone here help us out on that point?

had no idea rannels was sposed to be str8, this tru??? no way....unreal.

Rannells, god love him, couldn't play straight to save his life. Everything about him screams GAY.

r94, Yep, Beth, as you would expect, was brilliant in the role. I like a lot of what Meryl does in the part...but she can't beat the original.

Netflix posted Dee Dee's big act two number on Youtube, and while I think Meryl is a lot of fun, Murphy's direction is so busy that it dilutes a lot of the impact and heart. I understand a movie version is going to make use of the camera more, but this is too much.

Versus the original

My theory on why gays are pissed off at the Corden performance--its too real. Gays like seeing themselves portrayed as hot guys who look great in stylish clothes, characters that have great jobs/have power, desirable sexuality....But show a limp wristed, fat, effeminate, and emotionally traumatized gay like Corden's character and it hits too close to home.

Anyone else's thoughts on that possibility? Or is he just awful and I can't see it.

What’s weird watching some of those Broadway clips is how much theatricality the show lost in translation to a movie. I can’t tell if it needs a real theater to provide the context for it to work or if it’s the performances themselves that rob it of that? If Patty was in the Streep part it might still be there, otherwise she doing too much of a Hollywood rendition of it. Rannells, who is more stage to begin with even seems too Hollywood as well. Nicole can be forgiven, I can’t imagine her ever being able to grace the stage, she’s just too film actory to begin with. Maybe Corden more than any of them is actually conveying that, which is why he’s not as bad as expected. These are to be theater people, not Hollywood people and that doesn’t translate. Someone like Ethel Merman always carried the theater with her on to film, she was always playing to the back row regardless, that’s not happening here. Maybe it’s Murphy’s fault, has he ever directed live theater?

Anyone who says they liked the music clearly doesn’t like music at all. It was excruciatingly bad.

When the Washington character said, “We have a lot to talk about but I know I love you,” I literally yelled, “DON’T YOU BELIEVE HER!”

That is the kind of manipulative crap homophobic mothers say ALL THE TIME to exert their power and control - not at all what Murphy intended. I know from experience. That girl will be coming out to her mother annually and putting up with her grief for the next 20 years!

r115, the character was also "a limp wristed, fat, effeminate, and emotionally traumatized gay" in the original musical and almost no one objected the way they have to Corden (I think there was one bitchy comment earlier in the thread, because yes, some gays will always take issue with effeminate gays). But he was played by an openly gay actor who frequently plays gay roles (and who was involved in the development of the character), and in his hands, the character, while outwardly stereotypical, seemed natural and believable. Corden seems trying too hard to be something he's not, which makes all the effeminate mannerisms grating. Watching Ashmanskas say "Sing it, Eleanor!" in that "It's Not about Me" clip, it seems natural. Watching Corden do the same thing made me cringe; it's so fake and forced. Someone upthread mentioned the "You'll be Elphie, I'm Galinda" line and said the writers should be blamed...but no, I'm going to blame the actor who shouldn't be playing the part and couldn't pull it off. I think most of us know gay men like this. I believe him in the below. I didn't buy Corden. At all.

Totally enjoyed it.

[quote]But I do have to admit it was a bit much to swallow when she reacted with sheer happiness to her daughter and the daughter's girlfriend deep kissing in the middle of the prom a few moments later.

Was that before of after everyone broke out in song and dance....that you can swallow as realistic, right?

I want Meryl to play Mama Rose in Gypsy!

And the whole last 15 minutes was just hugging and hugging and hugging, and you two hug and squeal and you two hug and squeal, and hug and hug and hug and hug... it made me want to vomit. Who buys into this stuff? The whole film was so fake, of course, with that Drew Barrymore lesbian girl who was capable of one look on her face, fake smiling, with that hat on her head. Must’ve been a long shoot for her. Murphy: “Now in this scene you’re going to be-“ Girl: “-smiling, I know.” It was so fake and stupid. Social alienation never looked so plastic and awful.

I assumed the music would be awful - and it was - but I thought maybe it would have a good book, as it’s saving grace. It didn’t. But worse yet, it mostly didn’t have ANY authenticity and very little behaviour one could recognise as human. It was like watching something from another planet.

thx tons for those vids of the original musical. so fab !!!! would it have killed murphy to use the original cast,,,,,beth and all of them were sensational !!!

the murphy version was...ok.....but kidman??? really???

I really don't get the notion that The Prom is even handed. The fact that the NY liberals are portrayed as self serving doesn't mean the people form Indiana aren't shown as narrow minded bigots. The cruel trick with the two proms is never redeemed. The townspeople start as narrow minded bigots and end a narrow minded bigots. Yes, a few of the cool kinds attend the Prom for Everyone, but that seems meager. It is interesting that Barry' line to Emma's mom was cut. That line actually gave his story arc purpose.

I would really like to see a bootleg of the show. The clips make the show look 1000 times better than the movie, but I cannot imagine that the lousy book and music were any better on stage. However, the stage version never went for the obvious. I was embarrassed when Streep had to indicate deaf and dumb during "Its Not About Me".

Interesting that only one person mentions Nico Greetham. While he isn't naked, he does appear in swim trunks.

Sorry but I loved it, just a feel good movie, just what we need.

Some people just don't have the ability to sit down, shut the fuck up and just enjoy something.

R127, and some people won't accept a Happy Meal when they ordered steak.

Surprisingly entertaining.

R123 Thank you! That girl's annoying fake smile drove me nuts, too!

Looking at the clip from the Broadway show, where the troop shows up to the PTA meeting, the girl plays the scene right - with bewilderment and confusion. In the movie, it bugged the crap out of me that the girl was smiling her stupid smile through the whole scene. She was just awful.

Why didn't Murphy get the girl from the Broadway version? She'd have been much more convincing in the role.

The thing that bugged me most about the final scene where Kerry Washington shows up to the all inclusive prom was WHERE THE HELL DID SHE GET A DRESS LIKE THAT IN INDIANA?

R131, and it didn't bother you that the prom that they are setting up in the scene before had NOTHING to do with the prom in the final scene? It was a continuity horror show.

Since my in-laws are from Indiana, I can tell you that there are specialty shops that sell those gaudy spangled dresses for women who have not outgrown the pageant circuit.

Totally agree, r131. In the stage version, the actress looked like she bought the very best clothes available on sale at Kohl’s. Frankly, I thought all of the performances were fine - it was the direction, over processed sound, and frantic cinematography that made it difficult to appreciate the acting.

And why couldn’t they have filmed it somewhere in the Midwest? Indiana schools don’t have open air halls and cafeterias.

R132 There's plenty that bugged me about the final scene, not the least of which was Kerry Washington's couture dress.

Also, the fact that they were in Indiana, yet managed to get the most incredible decor and lighting for the prom in less than a day was a bit much, too.

R133, I understand what you are saying (again, my in-laws are from Indiana), but most of the sets had to be opened up to accommodate dancing. Indiana principals don't have offices that look like that or are as spacious either. However, there was a real disconnect between the actual locations and the interior sets. The school parking lot and exterior did not match the style of the interiors. Also, the school gym was much shabbier than the rest of the school (OK, I am not going to re-watch that dreck, but I swear there were at least three different locations/ studio sets that represented the same gym.)

What is really interesting is that the stage show did not try to open up the sets. The entirety of "The Lady's Improving" was performed in the small area defined by the principal's office set, no chorus boys, etc.

R134, as far as reality goes, they could have got that decor in Indiana, but it would have cost a fortune. It is as if they cut a scene where Elton John has heard what they are doing and sent a blank check.

Just an FYI for those who have no clue about the mid-west and Indiana specifically, there is a lot of money there. It isn't all Kohl's, Chick-fil-a , and Walmart. It is new money with no taste, but there is money. Kerry Washington's character would have money for a designer dress; though to be absolutely accurate, she would probably rent designer dresses for Rent the Runway. I hated most of the costume design, but I actually liked the dress as a character choice. It was tacky and vulgar; the evening wear equivalent of a Christmas sweater.

R135 I didn't mind the chorus boys in the movie version of "The Lady's Improving" scene. The movie needed as much man candy as it could get.

For a Ryan Murphy production, it was surprisingly lacking in male flesh.

The basic theme of the movie is: Lesbians dress like Meg from Family Guy.

R137 lacking in male flesh? This is definitely his most family friendly project ever. It's not going to have a guys ass in it like lots of his other shows/movies do. Its PG 13 like Glee. Even Glee had some more "vulgar" humor in it at times.

I generally like Kerry Washington, and I understand that they wanted to add more diversity, but if there was one character I wish had been kept white it's that one. That part needs to be played as a white Karen. I grew up in the Midwest, and even seeing the brief glimpse of that character in the Broadway It's Not About Me clip above, I shuddered. I know that woman, and she is terrifying.

I don't know if Washington can dance, but she likely could have done just as well as Kidman in that part. And I don't have a problem with Rannells, but that character could have been played by a black actor. On another board someone suggested Titus Burgess could have played Corden's part--I think he still would have been too young, but he could have done Rannells' part. Then the PTA mom could have still been the white Karen she was meant to be.

R139 I'd have been happy with a big musical number featuring the boys' swim team. Is that asking too much?

R138 And that girl played her role as if being a lesbian in Indiana was simply a minor inconvenience, not a soul crushing life of alienation and ridicule. She brought zero depth to the role.

Yes, R115. You’ve got us pegged. We all mince around like we’re some parody of Nathan Lane in The Bird Cage. That’s every single one of us. 🙄

The Indiana school looked diverse and sophisticated with well-dressed prosperous looking kids which made the whole premise ridiculous.

R144,bottom line, it wasn't actually Indiana, it was Disney's High School Musical.

I thought it was fun. The musical itself isn't that good, so the cast did the best they could with what they had to work with.

My favorite was Keegan-Michael Key. He so damn likable and has tons of onscreen charisma. He's also so obviously gay/bi in real life. I just love him.

The two young leads were fogettable. Drew Barrymore, aka Jo Ellen Pellman, had the same twee smile on her face in every single scene. She has a lovely voice, but there nothing interesting about her. Ariana DeBose is equally weak and forgettable. Spielberg should be happy that West Side Story got shelved because I can't imagine her pulling off an effective Maria. She's not a star.

I don't understand why Nicole agreed to do such a minuscule part. She has 5 total minutes of screen time. Her only memorable line is "TINA LOUISE HAS SHINGLES!"

I didn’t have any problems with the “gayness” of Corden’s role R115

I just don’t think he’s good. I think he was woefully miscast, his emotive scenes were terrible, and i don’t care for him in general. I would have PREFERRED more camp. More... something!

People complaining about camp gay stereotypes need to watch some foreign gay films. I watched a Filipino gay film after this one (also on Netflix) and... oof. Talk about horrid stereotypes.

This was ghastly.

James Corden's mom showed up looking like someone in a Midwestern smalltown r144. It stood out because everyone else did look incredibly glamorous.

It was a campy good time.

Is Logan Riley trans, because she has some manly shoulders on her?

I do agree the complete about face for Kerry Washington was too cheesy. Having her stand there and smiling and clapping as her daughter kisses another girl. No one can become THAT accepting that quickly.

This should have never been shot in LA. If there was ever any reason to take advantage of the Georgia tax credit, this was it. Georgia-filmed “Stranger Things” works because it looks like authentic podunk country.

When the Elks Club turned out to have a ballroom the size of Disney’s Grand Floridian lobby, I wanted to scream.

I had to laugh at Kerry Washington's kitchen in the movie. It looked like a kitchen in Beverly Hills or Brentwood, not Bumfucke, IN.

R154, clearly you have not been in an Indiana McMansion. Also, this isn't Bumfuck. It is a prosperous suburb, probably outside of Indianapolis.

R155 Ah, but that exposes a flaw in the movie, then. The characters in the movie talk about only having a K-Mart in town and Applebee's (Apples and Bees) as their main restaurant.

So the town is portrayed as Bumfuck, not a prosperous suburb outside of Indianapolis.

Gay films are soooo tragic. This was just embarrassing.

R156, yes and no. Actually, it is quite common for the only silverware and cloth napkin restaurant to be a major chain such as Applebees of TGIF. However, clearly, the only store in town is not a Kmart as there is an entire number in an upscale shopping mall.

By the way, the hotel was spot on, it reminded me of a place we call the Dreary Inn (Drury Inn)

[quote] We all mince around like we’re some parody of Nathan Lane in The Bird Cage. That’s every single one of us.

People who scream about femme gays are self-loathing. These people exist and most gay men are femme.

Although Meryl's character referring to Applebee's as "Apples and Bees" was funny, it's not realistic.

Times Square has a giant Applebee's. If Meryl's character is a Broadway star, she certainly would have known what Applebee's was.

How does one have Tracey Ullman not appear until the last 20 minutes of the film and not have her sing and dance? That’s outrageous. And that wig. Tracey is the only one who had a pretty successful, albeit brief, music career, and is a trained dancer. She’s tailor-made for musicals. Meryl probably suggested her. If so, why didn’t she suggest that they get rid of Corden though? Corden must give amazing head. He’s the absolute worst. No one likes him.

R146 Ariana plays Anita in the upcoming West Side Story

[quote]Times Square has a giant Applebee's. If Meryl's character is a Broadway star, she certainly would have known what Applebee's was.

Yes, but would she admit to it? Of course she has toured and done summer stock. She would know what an Applebee's was. But, she is also and old school theater star who is all about the image. She would never admit to knowing what an Applebee's was any more than she would leave the theater after a performance in jeans and a sweatshirt.

I agree with r156. When they first arrive to this town it is made clearly it is *not* a suburb of Indianapolis or something.

Saying that the only real restaurant is an Applebee's and the only place to shop is a Kmart made it clear to the audience it was a rural type area.

That suddenly there was this giant mall later in the movie was a plothole that annoyed me. Clearly Emma would have brought that up as the best place to shop and not a Kmart. And it makes it seem like this town in is a decent metro area and not the backwater it was meant to me.

And any place that can support a giant shopping mall would have more restaurant options than an Applebees.

R164 That bugged me, too. The girl says there's a Kmart in town, but then they go shopping at a big, beautiful mall with high end clothing stores.

Guys, dont use logic when it comes to most Murphy productions. He lives for the fabulous gay fantasy world where impractical matters reign.

I know but it bugs me when a central theme of this story r166 is about what it's like to live in flyoverland and he could barely make an effort to make it seem like it takes place in smalltown Indiana.

R166 I think we all understand there's a reasonable suspension of disbelief that comes with movie musicals (they break into song and dance spontaneously, for Christ's sake), but there should be some elements that ground it in reality. And this one just has too many glaring holes and inconsistencies.

Most Hollywood productions never get working class people right. Even Bumfucke areas look much more affluent than they would be IRL. And of course, big houses. You rarely see accurate depictions of working class life in tv or movies. I think the reasons are twofold: the reality of it would look too depressing, esp. in light entertainment vehicles like this movie, and also because most people who work in Hollywood come from upper middle class or wealthy backgrounds and have never known or lived around any blue collar areas.

Beth is fine for a small theater in the dark but Meryl is a STAR.

Oh I get it. Another one was the hotel. In the stage version it looks like a cheap motel. I'm not saying the movie one is amazing but it's not the shit hole these actors make it out to be. But maybe they are used to resort like Hotels.

It's right up there with the film versions of Cats and Mame.

It’s a hit!

[quote]the evening wear equivalent of a Christmas sweater.

It looked like a favorite "ugly" Christmas ornament from my childhood.

Shiteous. Dated. I will never get that time back. I went to bed angry.

You must have serious mental health problems.

R171, as I mentioned up thread, that isn't a resort hotel. It is exactly like a hotel we call the Dreary Inn. May have been nice once, but hasn't been updated since the 1980s. It actually was perfect.

Part of the dissonance may be because the actual event took place at an agricultural high school in rural Mississippi, not a suburban high school in Indiana. Perhaps, the Broadway version was more faithful to that history. However, given that Murphy clearly chose to set it in a well-to-do suburb in Indiana, most everything is spot-on.

[quote]Was that before of after everyone broke out in song and dance....that you can swallow as realistic, right?

That's an idiotic comment, R121. It's a convention of musicals that people sing to each other in the course of their real lives. One either accepts the convention or not, but that's an entirely separate issue from whether or not the characters' words and actions seem realistic and well motivated. If Tony and Maria in WEST SIDE STORY were to build a space ship and take off for the moon at the end of the show to escape the bigotry and hatred of their world, would you think that would be okay because "well, the show's not realistic anyway, because gang members don't dance ballet in the streets?

I'm sorry if any of this is a news flash to you, moron.

[quote]You’ve got us pegged. We all mince around like we’re some parody of Nathan Lane in The Bird Cage. That’s every single one of us

Oh Sweetie, no one ever told you?

[quote]Times Square has a giant Applebee's. If Meryl's character is a Broadway star, she certainly would have known what Applebee's was.

Performers of her status get driven to and from the theater, she sure as hell wouldn't be traipsing around 42nd St. with the tourists.

If you’re not watching it stoned, you’re not doing it right. Fixes the whole movie. The colors will hug you. You’ll be gleefully failing at the choreography.

(But you’ll have the same pro-deportation opinion of James Corden.)

R180 Like she'd never have seen it riding in her limo.

Dee Dee Allen’s character doesn’t know what an Applebee’s is because she takes a company-provided towncar to the stage door then after the show is driven straight to Bar Centrale to be worshipped.

[quote]I really don't get the notion that The Prom is even handed. The fact that the NY liberals are portrayed as self serving doesn't mean the people form Indiana aren't shown as narrow minded bigots.

The people of Indiana who are portrayed as narrow-minded bigots are....the people of Indiana who ARE narrow-minded bigots. This of course does not include ALL of the people of Indiiana -- for example, the principal of the high school. That said, I do think this would have been made clearer if we had heard and seen a few of Emma's fellow students express support for her before the end of the movie. Just a few tiny changes/additions in that way would have made a big difference.

[quote] Like she'd never have seen it riding in her limo.

Tourist.

R183, she may have at one time, but she doesn't have that clout anymore. Theater stars don't get that kind of treatment. Movie stars on Broadway do, but not theater stars. Even Patti Lupone takes the subway and walks.

Applebee's has been around since 1980. Dee Dee would have done enough tours and summer stock to know what an Apllebee's is. The only plausible answer is that she is trying to keep up her image as a star and lying through her teeth.

If Meryl Streep manages a nomination for Ryan Murphy's “The Prom,” it would mark her 30th nomination from the HFPA, extending her record as the most nominated person in Globes history. She also holds the record for the most wins with seven.

Dee Dee doesn’t know what Applebee’s is the same way she doesn’t know what a Drama Desk award is.

I thought Corden shined. Thought the was heartbreaking with his mother and laugh out loud funny on the bus. The mall number was the best in the show. I enjoyed him in "Into The Woods" too. I have no chip on my shoulder about him as most theater queens do, what with him stealing all the parts they dreamed to play.

R184, they do. The two "cool kid" couples attend the alt prom and accept her.

My problem is that all of the press has touted the evenhanded portrayal of the people from Indiana. The musical really doesn't. The Kerry Washington character doesn't have a song. If the creator's wanted to be fair and evenhanded, there would have been a musical number for the people of the town.

I loved it minus Kerry Washington's bizarre final scene where she's suddenly ok with her daughter being a lesbian after spending the last 2 hours being the cuntiest cunt who ever cunted. Why did they feel the need to include that? It soured the movie for me.

This is easily Streep's best movie musical performance. She was just the right of camp and I was impressed by her vocals. Aren't singing voices usually supposed to have deteriorated by her age? How odd that her voice appears to get stronger with every movie musical she participates in.

@R186 When [REDACTED] worked at Paper Mill Playhouse in NJ, the producers paid for her to take an Uber Black back to her UES apartment to and from every rehearsal. $350 each way (while the assistants on the show were making $500/week). The rest of us losers were transported in a crusty rented van driven by whatever ensemble actor volunteered. You’d be surprised.

Fun fact, the actress who played Angie onstage was in the van with us.

@R191 Ryan Murphy really decided to change the ending to just be “never mind” and expected everyone to clap.

R192, you have to use a carrot to get a star to Papermill. However, that isn't the case any longer.

Mary Martin's contract for Do You Turn Somersaults? (1978). Not only did she have a limo, but she had fresh flowers in her dressing room every performance (to hand to fans at the stage door) and a new evening gown every month to make her exit.

Ia there really any doubt r187. Of course Meryl will get a Golden Globe nomination, how could she not.

The debate is whether she will win the Globe or not.

Streep will win. Dee Dee is a great musical comedy performance.

r170, so the Lunt-Fontanne, which seats 1505 and where Beth blew the roof off every night, is a "small theater?" Sure.

Meryl is certainly a star...in a studio where her voice can be manipulated by every bit of technology Murphy can offer her (and her face can be flattered by all the vaseline that can be smeared on the camera).

Seriously, how much CGI did they use on her?

She looks and sounds great. You are just jealous.

The Lunt Fontanne rarely filled that house when The Prom played there. On the Saturday night I saw it, the orchestra had a ring around its perimeter three or four seats deep. I had never seen that in a Broadway audjence.

My partner is an opera singer. He is certain that Streep's voice was "sweetened" by another singer. Nothing she has ever done has indicated that she has that kind of belt. It isn't something that one can learn, even with a few months intensive coaching, and certainly not at her age. Does it matter? Probably not. It has been the norm for film musicals since the talkies began.

Did you see Into the Woods? She trains and can sing. People are so delusional.

R202, it is widely known that her vocals in Into the Woods were sweetened. And actually, I have seen her in two musicals and bit of singing in several plays. There is quite a bit of her singing on Youtube. She has a perfectly nice voice, but not much of a belt.

No. It’s not widely known. It’s a myth unfortunately promulgated by people like you. She trained extensively for this part.

Dee Dee is a nice addition to Madeline Ashton. Streep has surpassed Streisand as a musical comedy star.

[quote]Part of the dissonance may be because the actual event took place at an agricultural high school in rural Mississippi

What the hell is an "agricultural high school"?

[quote]My partner is an opera singer. He is certain that Streep's voice was "sweetened" by another singer. Nothing she has ever done has indicated that she has that kind of belt. It isn't something that one can learn, even with a few months intensive coaching, and certainly not at her age.

But maybe she developed a belt voice early on, and just has had rare occasion to use it. I seem to remember her doing some country-style belting in one of her early movies, wasn't it POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE? And I heard her belt a little in live performance years ago in a Public Theater benefit on Broadway, and she sounded fine then.

There's no way that those high notes were belted by Streep. They either did some kind of computer voodoo in the studio to enhance her vocals, or another singer dubbed her on certain parts. Not even LuPone or Buckley can belt like that today and they're the same age as Meryl. The high parts sound a lot like Donna Murphy's voice.

Wrong. Even Donna Murphy has denied this.

Another Broadway clip, for those who want to see the Zazz number where you can see their full bodies for the dancing (and with a younger actress who doesn't have a dopey smile on her face the whole time).

(Correction--that's from the Atlanta run, pre-Broadway.)

The Prom was at the Longacre, which only seats 1091. A small theatre for Beth.

[quote]There's no way that those high notes were belted by Streep. They either did some kind of computer voodoo in the studio to enhance her vocals, or another singer dubbed her on certain parts. Not even LuPone or Buckley can belt like that today and they're the same age as Meryl.

There are many performers who maintain strongl belt voices in their later years -- Lu Pone definitely included, despite your comment. Oh and, ummmmm, Ethel Merman is another of many examples. I'm not saying Streep did all of that belting with no help, as I have no idea, but it's certainly possible, so for you to insist "no way!" is annoying.

Thanks, R210. Angie Schworer was really great in the THE PROM on stage. Actually, for me, Nicole Kidman is by far the weakest link in the star casting of the movie.

So for those who have seen (or are familiar with) the Broadway version--can you summarize the main changes/additions/deletions?

R169, I give thee The Middle, robbed of its many deserving Emmys by the liberul elite sucking Modern Family’s Baphomet tit

Not so many major changes/additions/deletions that I could tell. The words "dyke" and "fuck" were cut for the movie. Neither Barry's mother nor Emma's grandmother are characters in the show, and the level of the Kerry Washington's character's acceptance of her daughter's lesbianism is lower in the show.

Act One ended with Emma coming to the fake prom. The sets were not especially literal, so they showed the real prom in progress. It was a surprise when they walked in to an empty gym, except for an unopened back of potato chips on a card table. The two proms “merged” theatrically, so you saw Emma in horror while the kids at the real prom sang and danced. It got aggressive as they kept repeating the title of the song - Tonight Belongs to Us - which took on a darker meaning.

Correction: the title of the song is actually Tonight Belongs to You.

r217 Thanks. I wondered where act one ended as well.

[quote] Meryl is certainly a star...in a studio where her voice can be manipulated by every bit of technology Murphy can offer her (and her face can be flattered by all the vaseline that can be smeared on the camera).

Meryl has a surprisingly good and powerful voice, which comes straight from her heart and well-formed tits. I didn’t hear any autotune or voice-fixing.

As for her face, Meryl has some of the best and most exquisite skin in the business; she’s naturally well-preserved. She doesn’t smoke, drink, or do drugs; and she is innately buoyant and effervescent which helps. (She also has key planet placements in Gemini, the youthful sign of the zodiac).

As much as I disliked this movie, I can’t deny that she is excellent in it. Really.

I'd be okay never seeing bargain bin, smiley Drew Barrymore in anything else ever again.

As what always happens when Meryl appears in a shitty movie, she put The Prom on her shoulders and carried it across the finish line. She looked and sounded great...

I find Andrew Rannells very irritating.

I can accept Corden as a fey gay man more than I can Keegan Peele or whatever his name is being attracted to granny Meryl. Those two had ZERO chemistry.

Ariana needs to be on that inappropriate age casting thread, she is 29!

I enjoyed it. It was a million times better than that horrible Dolly Parton holiday musical on Netflix.

Helen Lawson would have perfect for the role of Dee Dee. Far better than Meryl. I don't know why Ryan didn't ask her first? The role of the principal would need to be changed to a white actor, and Helen would have insisted that the lesbian turn straight at the end, but those are minor changes.

And she doesn't need to be dubbed by another singer. She would scoff at the idea.

Helen Lawson would have loved Meryl. I can’t believe Datalounge is still jealous of her success.

[quote]I loved it minus Kerry Washington's bizarre final scene where she's suddenly ok with her daughter being a lesbian after spending the last 2 hours being the cuntiest cunt who ever cunted. Why did they feel the need to include that? It soured the movie for me.

I was kinda waiting for Kerry to look over at Barry's Mom for a nod as if she had talked her and told what she would be missing if she denied her daughter.

Just watched the bootleg and Beth is great BUT she is so over the top. Dropping to the floor ,screaming, running around, a performance you can't do on film. Streep toned it down perfectly.

[quote]I can accept Corden as a fey gay man more than I can Keegan Peele or whatever his name is being attracted to granny Meryl. Those two had ZERO chemistry.

Can't agree, thought they were lovely together and Key's solo was wonderful.

R229, where does one find the bootleg?

Why does Murphy produce the sort of tv you’d expect from an edgy teenage girl?

Like a lot of gay men he's obsessed with a life he always wanted, but never got to enjoy.

r230 one of the zillion free streaming sites. This shit has been around for years, I can't believe there are people who are still clueless about it.

I couldn't get past the first 5 minutes and I made it 10 into Cats.

[quote][R229], where does one find the bootleg?

Go back to R229 Dear, your answer is right there.

R234, I had a rough time for the first 30 minutes, but it picks up around the point of the last hour.

Now that it's been a few days, I'd give it a 5/10. Surprisingly, the highlight for me was Andrew Rannell's religious hypocrisy number.

[quote]Andrew Rannell

and the boy CAN dance

I thought the whole Kevin Chamberlin character was kind of a waste. Was that a bigger part in the original?

I hate musicals about high school students. I just fucking hate them.

R220 : "Meryl has some of the best and most exquisite skin in the business; she’s naturally well-preserved. She doesn’t smoke, drink, or do drugs; and she is innately buoyant and effervescent which helps. (She also has key planet placements in Gemini, the youthful sign of the zodiac)."

Reality check:

R221 she looked like Drew Barrymore crossed with Elizabeth Moss.

On what planet does Meryl Streep not drink r220?

I had never heard that claim before a two second gooflr search makes it seem like bullshit.

So now I question everything you said.

Also Meryl Streep used to be a smoker.

Ugh. I meant she’s not a heavy drinker or prolific smoker like Mama Lange.

Meryl and Patti Lupine are the same age. Dee Dee reminds me of Patti mixed with Liza Minnelli.

Everybody and their brother smoked in the Seventies.

I would have liked this trainwreck better if it had Liza instead of Meryl

Um, did you see the early scene in the gym, and the one in the principal's office, where Meryl danced? Liza would barely be able to stumble 2 feet before needing a 1 hour break.

It's worth noting the bootleg posted on YT under the title r229 mentions (as Act I Title1 and Act II Title1) is of the pre-Broadway tryout in Atlanta, not the Broadway production. Changes were made.

Actually, Lorna Luft would be sublime as Dee Dee if they ever do a touring production.

I am sure Liza was inspiration. But casting her today? Never.

Do you think "The Prom" will have a life as a high school perennial, or is it too controversial for most of the country?

Is it controversial? It’s basically a G rated film.

It will be remembered like Hairspray as an inclusion musical. I don’t know if the glee fans like it. Netflix rarely says how many people have viewed it.

My friend who is 80 loved it . Movie fans have been waiting for something fun.

I don't think Liza is able to work at all anymore. She can barely walk without assistance, never mind sing or dance.

r253 You don't think a show with a gay theme is controversial in high school? There was a short-lived series on NBC about a drama teacher trying to stage "Spring Awakening" in his high school and all of the pushback he got.

That’s the thing, it’s not fun (save for Meryl, and even she wobbles under the weight of it here and there); it’s labored and belabored.

[quote]You don't think a show with a gay theme is controversial in high school?

I live in a coastal blue state.

For us, Washington and Kidman were the most mis cast.....like wtf mr murphy???

Keegan Peele was likewise very odd casting....VERY...HE and Meryl together was not believable at all.

Wow, put the transphobic loon @ R8 on ignore and see how it is also the pathetic Cockgobbler Aaron Schock loon, replying to its self on thread after thread, sad.

Here’s the deal: Broadway making fun of Broadway = funny.

A film making fun of Broadway, not so much.

Here’s the deal: Broadway making fun of Broadway = funny.

A film making fun of Broadway, not so much.

Re: James Corden

Due to Meryl, Nicole, and the Broadway connection, a lot of people are going to watch The Prom. Even if I think James Corden is a garbage human being, I do take comfort in the fact everyone he knows and loves will see his performance.

Hopefully, those feelings of regret and embarrassment linger for years to come.

From watching the clips of the stage production, that seems about the right scale of this story. Murphy makes the high school a bigger platform than an internationally renowned awards show and just loses all sense of proportion and thus any charm this pretty week material ever had. There’s also something about the original cast - a number of Broadway veterans - rising to the level of stars that made their tongue in cheek performances endearing. Casting Meryl Streep as Dede is, as they say, like a hat on top of a hat on top of a hat. I mean, Meryl Streep, of all people - who has trademarked the phrase, “world’s greatest actress (and don’t you forget it)” to the exclusion of all other actresses - with all her faux humility, sending up a Broadway diva who actually has a belt? The day Meryl Streep can laugh at herself will be the day she can do comedy. There is nothing her Dede needs from us - Streep herself is so self-absorbed that she thinks she’s playing a superstar rather than La LuPone.

Cordon is not a gay man and he’s young enough that he could hire a personal trainer which is why he’s nowhere near or at all endearing as Brooks was in this role - who is a gay man of a certain age whose waistline has given out and will never again be what he once was, which is why he just lets it all hang out. Murphy should’ve spent less on lights and glitter and paid Nathan Lane whatever he was asking. The delusion of The Prom is that these people actually can revive their careers, that somehow it isn’t over for them. They have something to prove to the audience. They don’t just show up all glamorous and triumph. They fail.

Kidman at least needed to do high kicks. She should’ve at least been a confident dancer, and possessed the language of her character. Which is why she’s kind of a nothing in this; Kidman as an actress needs drama. Here she’s like watching someone starved of oxygen.

Rannells was good casting, a good addition, and this is the first time I liked Keegan Michael-Key in anything, despite his preposterous pairing with Streep.

Plus with his big budget why didn’t Murphy do a post-credit sequence of Kidman playing Roxy, Meryl winning her Tony, etc. Not that he earned that kind of good will but that seems an obvious addition to this adaptation.

R266, I agree with you, but I will point out the audience *did* get to see Nicole play Roxy--in that lame "Zazz" scene.

It was fun, but it’s a road well traveled by now. Better if it had focused more on the washed up stars. James Corden who is not exactly an epitome of a butch straight male did just fine. Barry was basically him with an American accent. The character was written as a fey stereotype but he seems to bring it down to earth. Meryl had a touch of Chita and some of Patti but I wonder if Jane Krakowski coached her Was that Keegan singing or was he dubbed? Probably not. A gay story written for “them” and not blazing any trails.

Why does anyone use Kidman>? Its not like she has a big fan base....she is most often the butt of many jokes.

James Corden is an actor?

R270 He’s more of a personality, and not a very good one,

Believe it or not, R270, he's a Tony-award winning actor!

Corden is gay as a goose ! i dont care if he married with kids. get real..

Was this supposed to be released in cinemas...? No, it was always a Netflix film, right? So it would've just had a limited release. If this had a theatrical run, it might've played better on the big screen where one would've been more immersed in all of those flashing lights, etc. On the small screen, it just seemed absurd.

Yes, it was always intended to be released to theaters for an awards-qualifying run before hitting Netflix. It was mentioned in the original announcements of the project in 2019.

"Sources said Murphy will get underway directing the film adaptation of the Broadway hit in December, for a fall 2020 awards season release in theaters before it airs on the streamer."

With all due respect R265, you're full of shit.

If M gets GG nominations for this and Let Them All Gabshite, it will be her 33rd and 34th nominations!

I liked it. Meryl's song at the PTA meeting where she insults the parents had me howling. And I very much like the upbeat end credits song Wear Your Crown.

From IMDB trivia:

[quote] Singer and actress Ariana Grande was once attached to the project in the role of "Alyssa". She was also expected to produce the film's soundtrack. However, Grande had to leave the project as a result of scheduling conflicts with her Sweetener World Tour.

This was very enjoyable, perfect for a winter evening.

Funny lyrics, catchy songs, appealing young actors and uninhibited performances from the established actors.

The 4 main actors were great but I kept thinking how fun it would be to see the Broadway actors effectively playing themselves. Patti LuPone and Jane Krakowski in the Streep Kidman roles, Andrew Rannells as himself and maybe Harvey Feirstein as James Corden.

What a shit show. A combo of dull script, serious miscasting, junior high school level choreography, bad directing, editing. This is what Hollywood has to offer? No wonder I watch TCM.

When did choreography get so jerky and frenetic?

[quote]However, Grande had to leave the project as a result of scheduling conflicts with her Sweetener World Tour.

"However, Grande had to leave the project once she read the shit script and her management advised against getting involved in this naff shit show."

There, fixed it for you.

Arianna Grande was going to play Kerry Washington's daughter? I don't think that would've gone over too well.

Enjoyed the fuck out of this.

I have not seen any controversy over it. We are too busy making sure every LEGAL vote is counted.

R281 Ever since the Turkey Lurkey number in Promises, Promises. That’s why most Broadway shows keep a chiropractor on retainer.

[quote]For us, Washington and Kidman were the most mis cast.....like wtf mr murphy???

I really liked the movie overall, but I have to agree. Kidman was pretty embarrassing in that part, because she's way too old for it AND because her plastic surgery (or whatever) is so horribly obvious in many shots. In response to someone else's question, I too have never understood why the post-Cruise Kidman has so much power to still get cast in so may high-profile roles, as I also would not consider her to be such a valuable name at the box office. It's okay when she grabs roles that she winds up being very good in, like the Cynthia Nixon part in RABBIT HOLE, but when she of all people is (mis)cast in that role in THE PROM and then winds up being bad in it -- well, that's very unfortunate for all concerned.

[quote]Kidman was pretty embarrassing in that part, because she's way too old for it

How was she too old, she was in the chorus of a show for twenty years, last time I check the chorus of "Chicago" didn't include eight year olds.

R288 Nicole Kidman is 53. Let's assume her character was 18 when she joined the chorus. So she'd be 38 today.

No one becomes a chorus girl at 33.

That's how she's too old.

Does Nicole have a ginger fanny?

In this production, I would rate the performances as follows: Streep, Rannells, Corden, Nicole (who had very little to do). The young lesbian couple sounded good, but they were a strangely matched couple and seemed 30+. Keegan was good and lovable. I have watched the Meryl numbers several times. She saves the movie and elevates it. Several of the songs are good.

R289, I am actually very surprised to read that Kidman is only 53 (assuming that's true), because in this movie, she looks like a woman 10 years old than that who has had very bad plastic surgery and/or Botox injections, etc. to try to hide her age. I found it extremely distracting. And, of course, what really matters is not how old she actually is, but how old she looks, and whether or not that age fits the role.

I agree with everyone who thought it was awful. I was really glad I was in my bedroom and not stuck in a theater glancing at my watch.

Netflix can't be happy about their $300 million deal with Ryan Murphy. Everything he's done for them has underperformed--The Politician, Ratched and Boys in the Band have not been hits. The Prom still hasn't gone #1 on the Top 10 list. What were they thinking giving him so much money?

Ratched was a hit r294. He has delivered them one.

R295, Not really. It came and went pretty fast. I don't hear anyone talking about it like they do The Queen's Gambit or The Crown.

Murphy was able to at least manage some Emmy nominations for Netflix with "Hollywood".

R296, Ahem...

At least Murphy gives them content. What has that cunt Shonda shrines done since she joined Netflix?

Is Hollywood any good? I'm thinking about starting it soon.

$300m is peanuts for Netflix. People watch his projects and he draws talent.

[quote]Is Hollywood any good? I'm thinking about starting it soon.

I loved "Hollywood". It's big time revisionist history, but nice escapism with some eye candy. The older cast, especially Joe Mantello, is excellent.

Where is the top ten list for Netflix?

I have watched all of his recent projects and while they always have issues they are entertaining.

[quote]The Politician, Ratched and Boys in the Band have not been hits.

I can't believe that Netflix expected huge viewership numbers for THE BOYS IN THE BAND. I'm guessing they are very happy with it in terms of the viewership it did get as something of a niche property, and the excellent reviews

The Boys In the Band was a dusty old relic that should've stayed in the past.

[quote]The Boys In the Band was a dusty old relic that should've stayed in the past.

You're just looking in the mirror :-)

Nope r306. That old relic is just embarrassing.

The Prom, as a stage musical, was right up there with AIDS and cancer. I can't imagine what the film must be like...

I can't fucking stand Corden or Rannells, I have a visceral reaction to them.

Mary Kay Place is rough looking for only being in her mid 50's.

Mary Kay Place is 73.

? no way.

When did Nicolle Kidman morph into Ann Margaret?

R310 she is 73 and used to smoke.

[quote]The Politician, Ratched and Boys in the Band have not been hits.

Ratched was a hit albeit not critically. That was the one he was so excited hit number one watched upon release that he had to post about it.

The Politician was a mess and season 2 was an even bigger flop.

Hollywood didn't do as well as they wanted and it was criticized for being too much of a fairytale that ultimately didn't make sense.

The Boys in the Band was shot at the beginning of 2019 and pushed into the depths of October 2020, in the middle of the week, because they knew it wouldn't do well. They promoted the hell out of it and it absolutely didn't matter.

He was always hoping The Prom would be his big hit this year.

[italic]Ratched[/italic] pulled in some impressive numbers but then was trashed, made fun of, and quickly disappeared.

Most people slow down as they pass a car wreck; it doesn’t make the wreck popular.

Netflix is all about creating content it can keep and control. The content created by Murphy is no different. Very few producers have the kind of name recognition Murphy has. Like Shonda Rhimes or Joss Whedon.

Glee and AHS may come and go on Netflix (or other streaming services), but the Netflix exclusives will be available when someone wants to binge on Murphy entertainment.

[quote]Ratched pulled in some impressive numbers but then was trashed, made fun of, and quickly disappeared.

What the fuck are you babbling about quickly disappearing? It's not like it was in theater and pulled. It's on Netflix and easily available. All streamed shows get big buzz when starting, people binge and move on., It's not like network shows that will be talked about when a new episode airs.

R318 It wasn’t talked about - and is still not talked about - soon after its debut. It sucks along with its fivehead “star.”

[quote]I can't fucking stand Corden or Rannells, I have a visceral reaction to them.

And yet, they speak very highly of you...

[quote]That old relic is just embarrassing.

What's embarrassing is that you can't appreciate a 50-year-old play in its historical context. I'll be you also think of DEATH OF A SALESMAN and A DOLL HOUSE as "old relics."

[quote]Mary Kay Place is rough looking for only being in her mid 50's.

I'm not sure if that was some sort of failed joke, but MKP is 73.

[quote]Hollywood didn't do as well as they wanted and it was criticized for being too much of a fairytale that ultimately didn't make sense.

That's an understatement. It made less than zero sense.

[quote]The Boys in the Band was shot at the beginning of 2019 and pushed into the depths of October 2020, in the middle of the week, because they knew it wouldn't do well. They promoted the hell out of it and it absolutely didn't matter.

As I said, I'm sure Netflix didn't expect BITB to be anywhere near as popular as shows with more mainstream appeal. But anyway, I don't understand your point. During a pandemic, why is "the middle of the week" in "the depths of October" a worse release time than any other time? And if you think that IS a bad time, why didn't Netflix release it at a "better" time in hope of better ratings? You seem very confused.

[quote]What's embarrassing is that you can't appreciate a 50-year-old play in its historical context. I'll be you also think of DEATH OF A SALESMAN and A DOLL HOUSE as "old relics."

Nope. Those plays are works of art. BITB is a bunch of awful queens acting like cunts for two hours. There's a HUGE generational divide over BITB, as was seen when the movie came out on all the threads here. The eldergays love it, Gen X gays and younger find it cringeworthy.

r320 is the kind of pissy, bitchy fag I avoid like the plague, no pun intended.

[quote][R320] is the kind of pissy, bitchy fag I avoid like the plague, no pun intended.

The truth hurts, doesn't it? You POS.

[quote]BITB is a bunch of awful queens acting like cunts for two hours. There's a HUGE generational divide over BITB, as was seen when the movie came out on all the threads here. The eldergays love it, Gen X gays and younger find it cringeworthy.

I would say that BITB is SUPPOSED to be "cringeworthy," though not in the way you mean. In order to misunderstand the point of BITB, one would have to have no knowledge whatsoever of history and the status of gay people prior to Stonewall -- which I have no doubt is the case with all too many of the "Gen X gays and younger" that you mention, including yourself. (And P.S., your description of what happens in BITB is not accurate, it's only part of the picture.)

I have plenty of knowledge of history and that era r324. That doesn't mean I can't find BITB an embarrassing, dated relic.

BITB is a minstrel show. If I didn't know better, I would think a straight homophobe wrote it. It's an awful play.

But you ARE a pissy bitchy toxic fag r324.

[quote]I have plenty of knowledge of history and that era [R324]. That doesn't mean I can't find BITB an embarrassing, dated relic.

Sorry, but those two things are mutually exclusive. In my opinion, if you REALLY had knowledge of gay history, you would not feel that way about BITB, because there is so much truth in it. Or do you feel that plays (and movies and books) that accurately portray an outmoded culture are "embarrassing, dated relics" just because the culture is outmoded? I think such plays are very valuable as historical documents, aside from their entertainment/dramatic value. If you disagree, that's up to you, but I find your attitude restrictive and actually kind of dangerous in your desire to edit history.

[quote]But you ARE a pissy bitchy toxic fag

How pointedly ironic, R327 (et al.) The very fact that you have the nerve to refer to me as a "fag" (only because you are posting anonymously) proves that THE BOYS IN THE BAND is not the "dated relic" that some of you ignorant fools insist it is.

[quote]All streamed shows get big buzz when starting, people binge and move on.

The big hits on Netflix are talked about for years and have cultural relevance, like Stranger Things, The Crown, Tiger King and The Queen's Gambit. None of Murphy's shows have come close to achieving this. Both The Haunting of Hill House and Bly Manor made a much bigger splash than any of his shows.

I heard that he's putting Feud on Netflix next year, so that's good at least.

Ryan would be smart to develop a show like Euphoria for Netflix with several gay characters. I think it would be a huge hit and bring back some of the younger viewers he's lost since Glee and AHS have faded.

Another thread ruined by bitchy gays complaining about themselves.

[quote]Sorry, but those two things are mutually exclusive. In my opinion, if you REALLY had knowledge of gay history, you would not feel that way about BITB, because there is so much truth in it. Or do you feel that plays (and movies and books) that accurately portray an outmoded culture are "embarrassing, dated relics" just because the culture is outmoded? I think such plays are very valuable as historical documents, aside from their entertainment/dramatic value. If you disagree, that's up to you, but I find your attitude restrictive and actually kind of dangerous in your desire to edit history.

Sorry, but BITB is just not a good play. It trades in obnoxious stereotypes that were offensive even then. It's like a gay Amos and Andy. I hate it. You can't compare it to Death Of A Salesman or The Dollhouse. I mean, really? That's idiotic. It's historical, that's for sure, but there was no need to revive it. Let sleeping dogs lie.

And you ARE a real cunty fag. The kind that anybody in the modern world would ask to leave the party, just as if anybody acted like the characters in BITB. Nobody would put up with toxic queens like that today.

Ok, here's my two cents. First of all it's a Musical, you have to suspend your disbelief. It is a fantasy people not real life. The real problem I had was the choices the director made.. If you have real dancers let them fucking dance. Quick cuts and swirling cameras are distracting, just pull the camera back and let the performers carry the action. The casting was fine and Corden did a serviceable job, Kidman bugged me trying to do Fosse but whatever. All in all I enjoyed it

[quote]Another thread ruined by bitchy gays complaining about themselves.

You ARE in a Ryan Murphy thread.

[quote] The very fact that you have the nerve to refer to me as a "fag" (only because you are posting anonymously) proves that THE BOYS IN THE BAND is not the "dated relic" that some of you ignorant fools insist it is.

Aren't you running late for cocktails at the piano bar?

[quote]Sorry, but BITB is just not a good play. It trades in obnoxious stereotypes that were offensive even then. It's like a gay Amos and Andy.

This comment alone represents the crux of your idiocy. To start with, you don't understand the difference between a "stereotype" and a character who is a recognizable type of human being. You may feel you're entitled to your opinion, but as a very wise drag performer once said in one of their acts, "Stupid people aren't allowed to have an opinion." Or, rather, they are "allowed" to have it, and allowed to express it, but they should be prepared to be called out for their incredible stupidity and, in this case, their total lack of comprehension of how "stereotypical" characters fit into historical context.

The Prom seems to be doing just fine. It was #2 on Netflix this weekend. Considering it's a big gay musical, that's pretty damn good. A lot of people don't like musicals to begin with.

It's one of the better things Ryan Murphy has done. His Normal Heart was pretty good as well.

I couldn't handle Cordon the Prancing Toad and shut if off within ten minutes.

Thanks for the update Scrooge

I should have said "depths of September."

[quote]But anyway, I don't understand your point. During a pandemic, why is "the middle of the week" in "the depths of October" a worse release time than any other time? And if you think that IS a bad time, why didn't Netflix release it at a "better" time in hope of better ratings? You seem very confused.

I think YOU seem confused, R321. Netflix works like a television network that tries to not compete with itself. They schedule things months in advance and release things they think are going to do well at times when they think they can best build viewership [italic]if they know it's going to do well and want to help it along.[/italic] Friday is usually the golden day so shows can have the entire weekend to build an audience. It didn't get that release. It got Wednesday.

They also they don't release multiple films or television shows that they think will do well at the same time. They space them out so they're constantly churning out hit after hit.

It ended up competing for attention with Ratched (Friday) which was released before it, The Great British Bakeoff was released the previous Friday, Emily in Paris (Friday) was released two days after their release and then The Haunting of Bly Manner (Friday) was released the next week. It couldn't topple Enola Holmes which came out the previous week on a Wednesday but that one was a children's film and it's generally hard to beat those in viewership.

My point is they likely never had much faith in it. They wouldn't have held it off the schedule for over a year if they did. They would have released it during their Pride month (June) like they did Tales of the City (which did well) if they wanted to give it a boost and attention. They would have dropped it on a Friday.

Nothing about this heavy-handed, contrived, over-the-top, musically banal, glitter fart to the face hammering a message is good.

Not the original stage version; not this movie.

You basic bitches need to elevate your taste.

#ItGetsWorse

Good grief. It was free. What are you expecting? I would have cast Nathan Lane and Natalie Dormer, but we can’t have everything we want. It’s only intent really is to make people happy.

[quote]If you have real dancers let them fucking dance. Quick cuts and swirling cameras are distracting

The same issue I had with Guy Ritchie's direction of ALADDIN. Few wide shots to take in all the dancers, and the rest were quick cuts that didn't give the audience time to focus on the choreography.

Why do queers here hate themselves so much yet stay here? Yes when fey guys annoy you, you have flashbacks of the terror of being outed, and hated or worse, thinking people think of you like that, we get it. Pssst, they did, but you survived. But it's 2020, gays get married now. Time for you to embrace all queers and support our own. No one is actually coming for you.

[quote]The same issue I had with Guy Ritchie's direction of ALADDIN. Few wide shots to take in all the dancers, and the rest were quick cuts that didn't give the audience time to focus on the choreography.

Please ,Rex Reed has been bitching about that since "Grease". You simply can't have an entire dance sequence shot in long shot.

It's got great energy and heart and that won me over. It was like watching a really overeager community theater production where there are a handful of truly great elements, but everyone seems to be having such a genuinely good time that you can't help but smiling. It's not perfect, but I was entertained and it had some good moments where the message wasn't too sugary or preachy.

[quote]It's not perfect

Hundreds of thousands of films have been made since Edison. Very few can be deemed perfect.

[quote]My point is they likely never had much faith in it. They wouldn't have held it off the schedule for over a year if they did.

Are you saying that you think THE PROM was ready for release/telecast over a year ago?

This movie had almost finished shooting when Covid hit. That was earlier this year.

No, Netflix did not sit on the movie. It was always intended to be a late fall release, from the moment the project was announced in June 2019. The article was posted above and here it is again. It was intended as an awards contender, and was scheduled for an awards-qualifying run in late fall before hitting Netflix. I didn't like the movie, but there's no need to make up shit.

"Sources said Murphy will get underway directing the film adaptation of the Broadway hit in December, for a fall 2020 awards season release in theaters before it airs on the streamer."

[quote]Are you saying that you think THE PROM was ready for release/telecast over a year ago?

[quote]No, Netflix did not sit on the movie. It was always intended to be a late fall release, from the moment the project was announced in June 2019.

R349 and R347 ...

NO. I said, "The Boys in the Band" they didn't have much faith in and was done over a year ago.

They always threw everything behind The Prom and wanted it out in time for awards contention. They finished it and released it relatively fast.

[quote]NO. I said, "The Boys in the Band" they didn't have much faith in and was done over a year ago.

What are you babbling about? Most major films take a year from production to release. This wasn't a Hallmark Channel movie. "The Boys In The band" began production on July 2019 and released in September 2020. Netflix releases their films in the fall for better Oscar exposure and would have had a NY theatrical release but for Covid. It's what Netflix has been doing since "Roma".

I don’t know, I feel the Prom is a Hairspray wannabe that wasn’t organic, but comes off as created in a Petrie dish.

Finally got around to watching it last night.

1 - James Corden needs to be banned from films.

2 - Nicole Kidman has turned into Melanie Griffith who I'm actually surprised Ryan Murphy hasn't cast in anything yet considering he loves nepotism.

3 - If Andrew Rannells seriously thinks he was playing straight in this movie, he obviously doesn't know any straight men. Love him but he's one of those actors who can only play gay.

4 - Love Meryl but she needs to take a day off. There are so many talented actresses of her generation who are sitting by the phone twiddling their thumbs because Meryl gets offered everything first. Not sure what attracted her to this project unless it's true that she accepts anything and everything just like Nicolas Cage.

5 - I was surprised they cast a black woman as the villain of the piece.

6 - The songs were blah. Typical of modern Broadway though. Sounded more suited to a Saturday morning kids show.

Love Corden.

[quote]but comes off as created in a Petrie dish.

Rob or Laura?

What other famous actress could play Deedee convincingly?

There is NO WAY that the principal isn't gay.

[quote]No, Netflix did not sit on the movie.

Thanks. As usual, DL is infested with people who don't know what the FUCK they're talking about and blithely spread misinformation as if it were factual.

[quote]Love Meryl but she needs to take a day off. There are so many talented actresses of her generation who are sitting by the phone twiddling their thumbs because Meryl gets offered everything first. Not sure what attracted her to this project unless it's true that she accepts anything and everything just like Nicolas Cage.

My theory is that, some time ago, she began regretting not having done more musical projects in the prime of her career, so she has tried to make up for it with INTO THE WOODS, MAMMA MIA! and THE PROM. I think that's at least part of the reason.

It’s also because she is bankable whereas the other ladies of her time are not current to audiences. Maybe Cher could have played Deedee but her plastic surgery would just pull people out of the fantasy.

Cher could have played Nicole's part

R353 Murphy did cast Griffith as Kimber's mother in one of the last seasons of Nip/Tuck. It wasn't much of a role, but she was well cast.

And I could have played Emma.

Cher is almost 80, she can barely lift an eyebrow let alone her leg

I'm trying to figure out how Streep's voice went from mediocre in Mamma Mia to decent in Into the Woods to downright great in this. Women's singing voices are usually supposed to deteriorate over time, aren't they? Whoever trained her for this role should have their name put out there. They'd become the world's most popular vocal coach.

R364, I believe MAMMA MIA! had an unusual setup in which most or all of the vocals heard in the actual film were recorded live on the set, whereas the "soundtrack" album contains studio recordings of the same songs. So if you're going to compare Streep's singing in THE PROM to her singing in MAMMA MIA!, you should probably compare to the album of the latter, not the video.

[quote]It’s also because she is bankable whereas the other ladies of her time are not current to audiences

Of course those other actresses would have a chance to prove they're bankable and current if only Meryl would quit hoovering up every role in town. Does she have De Niro like money issues or is her home life so bad she can't stand to be with her husband for five minutes?

Even Streep's studio vocals on the Mamma Mia soundtrack don't sound as good as she does in The Prom. She sounds like an honest to God belter which I never thought she had in her. And it can't be autotune, because that can only fix pitch. It can't fix a voice's power. Listen to Nicole Kidman. She's perfectly on pitch and pleasant to listen to, but she doesn't have a very powerful voice at all.

[quote]Of course those other actresses would have a chance to prove they're bankable and current if only Meryl would quit hoovering up every role in town.

I pretty much agree with this, and I would say that Nicole Kidman has also been piggish in taking a few roles that might have gone to others who would have been at least as good if not better than her in those roles. I don't know about you, but such piggishness tends to turn me off towards actors for whom I previously had only positive feelings.

[quote]Even Streep's studio vocals on the Mamma Mia soundtrack don't sound as good as she does in The Prom. She sounds like an honest to God belter which I never thought she had in her.

I've asked this before: Didn't Streep do some pretty powerful belting in POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE? I'll have to see if I can find that clip.

Streep's always sounded passable and sometimes decent while singing, bu her vocals in this are definitely like nothing we've heard from her before. Shit, give her Norma in Sunset Boulevard and Rose in Gypsy. She might just have it in her.

And....here's that clip of Streep singing in POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE. Some pretty impressive belting in here, I would say, and she does quite a great job with the whole song. It's sort of a country belt, so not exactly the same as the belting in THE PROM, but close. And I'm pretty sure this POSTCARDS song was recorded live on set, with that hand mic, so it's all the more impressive.

Of course, I have no idea if there was any sweetening or even dubbing of Streep's singing in THE PROM, but this POSTCARDS clip is strong evidence that maybe this was not the case.

R368 Yep. I feel the same way about Nicole. I'm a fan of hers just like I am of Meryl but it's hard to get excited about their next project nowadays when there's a new one every month. Nicole is always going on about her great husband and great kids and spending time with family etc but she seems to accept every role that comes her way so she never has to be home with them.

I'm sure Diane Lane and others would appreciate it if Nicole could learn to say no once in a while.

There was a thread not long ago that destroyed Meryl's singing in that Postcards clip. No idea why. I always thought she sounded really good in that scene, too.

[quote]There was a thread not long ago that destroyed Meryl's singing in that Postcards clip.

No doubt those comments were from people who know nothing about music or singing, and/or narrow-minded fools who think a song like that is only allowed to be sung by an "authentic" country artist.

"Mamma Mia!" were pop songs that didn't require a belting voice although "The Takes It All" had it's big moments. "The Prom" were full front of the stage show tunes.

She’s trained with Audra McDonald’s voice coach. She has sounded her best in The Prom, which allows her to cut loose and even make fun of being too old to play Eva Peron. It’s too bad they destroyed her past demo for Evita. ALW said it was quite good,

After hearing her singing in The Prom, I also wish those Evita demo tapes were out there. I wonder how much of it she could have handled. I wouldn't expect LuPone-eque vocal acrobatics, but she might have been pretty good.

Did anyone else hear the story about Streep auditioning for Arthur Laurents when Mike Nichols was trying to get a Gypsy movie off the ground right after the success of the movie version of Chicago and Laurents apparently hated her and her voice? I wonder what that would have been like.

I didn't expect this movie to flop as bad as it did. It's about to fall out of the Top 10 completely after less than a week.

Meryl must be embarrassed that Jessica Chastain is a bigger draw than her.

The belting in The Prom was studio synthesized, which, fine. It’s the increased breathiness of Streep’s speaking voice and the ever-threatening lisp that bother me.

Dream on

[quote]Did anyone else hear the story about Streep auditioning for Arthur Laurents when Mike Nichols was trying to get a Gypsy movie off the ground right after the success of the movie version of Chicago and Laurents apparently hated her and her voice?

Who and what DIDN'T he hate?

Yeah, that one was one legendary miserable soul.

Just watched it and was embarrassed for everyone in it having to sing those godawful songs. At first I thought they were parodies of bad musical theatre composing, but it became clear that wasn't the case.

This piece of unmitigated crap makes Mama Mia look like Cabaret.

I will say that I don't get all the hate for James Cordon. He's no great singer to be sure but I was expecting his performance to be a horror show of broad mincing and it wasn't. Compared to Eric Stonestreet on Modern Family, Nathan Lane on the same show, and anyone who's played Albin in La Cage, Cordon was practically a model of subtlety.

Streep was obviously having fun (at least someone was), but I don't know why she did this.

R382, MAMMA MIA! is one of the worst pieces of garbage ever to disgrace the musical theater. Incredible that you think it's better than THE PROM, which is actually vastly superior.

I do agree with you about Corden, but you might have taken the trouble to spell his name right.

I love when Mamma Mia turns dark after the Nazi invade the island and hold them hostage singing their aryan songs and intimidating the cast.

Corden, a Brit doing a gay American accent just doesn't pull it off. The flouncing about heightens the cringe. Kerry Washington pushed to be included in the end dance number. It derailed her homophobe character for me. I guess she wanted the redemption arc and a dance spotlight too. Why is Meryl's character named Dee Dee Allen. All I could think of was the film editor of the same name (Dede Allen).

Good article full of choice bits, but I particularly liked this:

"It’s not to say straight people haven’t pulled off masterful performances in queer roles; Richard Lawson over at Vanity Fair gets into this nicely in his review of the film. The distinction, as a queer viewer, largely boils down to a you-know-it-when-you-see-it judgment. And when you see James Corden in a silver tuxedo singing about being a “big ol’ girl” and how “it gets better” and making jokes about Scruff in small town America … that’s not it. That’s a caricature." Yep.

[quote ]And when you see James Corden in a silver tuxedo singing about being a “big ol’ girl” and how “it gets better” and making jokes about Scruff in small town America … that’s not it. That’s a caricature." Yep.

Says you. I loved his performance, his big song and him dancing with his younger self. And life goes on....

R386 I'm not defending Corden, but I'm sure he didn't choose his wardrobe nor did he write the dialogue or song lyrics, so this critique of his performance being a caricature is a little disingenuous.

Blame the wardrobe department. Blame the screenwriter. Blame the lyricist.

I think all it needed was adding a scene of Kerry and Tracey and a "don't make the same mistake I did" to make the quick turnaround of Kerry's character plausible. Or let Kerry be around when James and Tracey meet in the hallway.

I think it's a cheesy feel-good movie, perfect to distract yourself from 2020 and the pandemic.

[quote]I will say that I don't get all the hate for James Corden. He's no great singer to be sure but I was expecting his performance to be a horror show of broad mincing and it wasn't.

I was expecting much worse, too.

I don't think he was nearly as over-the-top as the reviews suggested.

And if you say you don't know a gay guy who acts like that, you're lying. Stereotypes are not of thin air.

[quote]Why is Meryl's character named Dee Dee Allen. All I could think of was the film editor of the same name (Dede Allen).

And why is Nicole Kidman's character named Angie Dickinson? Maybe both of these were in-jokes that some of us aren't getting.

[quote]I think all it needed was adding a scene of Kerry and Tracey and a "don't make the same mistake I did" to make the quick turnaround of Kerry's character plausible. Or let Kerry be around when James and Tracey meet in the hallway.

Agreed. In the show, right near the end, Barry (the Corden character in the movie) says to the Kerry character something like "Don't do this, or you'll lose your daughter." Would have been even more powerful in the movie, with the Tracey character added.

The ending felt rushed, like they realized "shit we need to wrap this up!"

I would have cut out the Keegan song, one of the couple songs, and the entire Barry meets his mother plot (she could have just shown up at the prom for a hug). That would have cut out 20 minutes.

The 3-second 180-degree turn by Kerry Washington was silly.

And that character would NEVER have been wearing that flashy, flamboyant outfit at the end.

The Prom fell out of the Top 10 in less than a week. Hillbilly Elegy did much better on Netflix, and got better reviews.

Hillbilly actually got worse reviews, but it’s about hillbilly people so it did better.

And yet, [italic]Let Them All Talk[/italic] is better than anything you’ve done in over twenty years.

R397 And yet because Let Them All Talk is on HBO Max, nobody will see it.

Glenn, dear, you forgot to sign your name at R398.

R295 / R297 Girls, girls, stop this.

M, work on getting that Tony.

G, work on getting that Oscar.

And then, you can both finally relax and take up another hobby you may be brilliant at like me.

Tracy Ullman was stunt casting. They could done with a more authentic actor

I can wait until Oscar night when I win for Best Supporting Actress and Viola Davis blocks Meryl to win Best Actress. What a great night it will be for Viola and me.

I've already instructed my stylist to find an Oscar gown with plenty of flowing chiffon so it will hit Meryl in the face as I waltz by with my Oscar in hand.

And don’t get me started on Nicole’s fakey-fake accent

R402 Please wear a gold dress. That should do it!

For such an acclaimed actor, Kidman really does have a major problem with American accents, doesn't she? It's better in some projects than others which makes me wonder if some films spring for a dialect coach and some don't.

[quote]For such an acclaimed actor, Kidman really does have a major problem with American accents, doesn't she? It's better in some projects than others which makes me wonder if some films spring for a dialect coach and some don't.

As I recall, her American accents in TO DIE FOR and RABBIT HOLE were pretty much perfect, so I don't know what happened with THE PROM. Maybe not enough rehearsal time.

[quote]I've already instructed my stylist to find an Oscar gown with plenty of flowing chiffon so it will hit Meryl in the face as I waltz by with my Oscar in hand.

Does any rational being in the universe believe that there is enough flowing chiffon in the universe for this Sisyphean endeavor?

[quote]The 3-second 180-degree turn by Kerry Washington was silly. And that character would NEVER have been wearing that flashy, flamboyant outfit at the end.

Yes, it completely ruined the realistic moment she burst into song!

[quote]And yet because Let Them All Talk is on HBO Max, nobody will see it

Everyone who has HBO and millions do, get HBO Max.

[quote]The Prom fell out of the Top 10 in less than a week. Hillbilly Elegy did much better on Netflix, and got better reviews.

And? How queer to care. I know people who are actually waiting for family to watch on Christmas together, where they used to go to the biggest Christmas release, but theaters are closed.

Why would Nicole's 80-year-old-and-still-in-the-chorus character be hanging out with the headliners in a show?

[quote]Yes, it completely ruined the realistic moment she burst into song!

What a stupid remark. So nothing in a musical should make any sense?

R409 Maybe she the cougar girlfriend of rugged hetrosexulist Andrew Rannells and came to pick him up after work?

Has Ryan Murphy said anything about the why he decided to go with Corden for this?

All I’ve seen is poor Andrew Rannells being forced to give rehearsed lines about Murphy being “meticulous” with his casting choices.

CAA baby. It’s got that zaaazz

Let Them All Talk is very good.

That hairline is a worry.

[quote]Why would Nicole's 80-year-old-and-still-in-the-c - horus character be hanging out with the headliners in a show?

Oh Honey, you clearly have no idea how much of a family the Broadway community is and sorry if it sounds Pollyanna but it's true Broadway Cares should clue you in.

Happy Holidays

Creating Broadway in LA.

Very cool set, I could walk up and down the real streets blindfolded and tell you where I am but I'm sure pissy Theater Queens will bitch they took liberties.

[quote]I'm sure pissy Theater Queens will bitch they took liberties.

Hey, my partner isn't a pissy Theater Queen. He still bitched about it though.

Loving the soundtrack and it is most definitely Streep doing the belting. The last song is a cut one of Corden singing a lovely song about love to a mother about her daughter. Not sure if it's directed to Kerry's character which might be the key to why she changed or he was addressing Emma's Mom. If was even filmed, hope it's on the Blu-ray

I didn't think much of it the first time I watched it then I watched it again (after seeing the drag queen version of It's Not About Me that Netflix posted on YouTube) and loved it. I've had that damn song in my head for days.

Both the source material and the film are worse than Covid....

Conversations at Home with THE PROM

80% of viewers enjoyed it. It’s entertaining.

Watching this film felt like abuse.

Pure joy.

Beautiful song and one that I would never had heard queers singing when I was growing up in a movie or show.