Can we please stop casting James Corden in musical movies? And can we ban Ryan Murphy from directing anything ever again?
If you’re into musicals or musical movies, you have probably seen the film version of The Prom on Netflix. It was good, however it wasn’t the best at representation of the LGBT community, or from a directing standpoint.
The prom is about self-centered Broadway stars who stumble upon an LGBT crisis in Edgewater, Indiana, while seeking good publicity. Emma Nolan, a lesbian teenager, wants to bring her closeted girlfriend, Alyssa Greene, to an inclusive prom, but inclusivity was not something up for discussion with the PTA. They threw her a fake prom and through YouTube her story went viral amongst other LGBT teens.
The movie was okay, but the problems with it were the casting, the characters, and the tactics employed. These problems clearly lie with director Ryan Murphy.
The casting involves two queer actresses for the main characters, Jo Ellen Pellman as Emma, and Ariana DeBose as Alyssa. The Broadway stars include Nicole Kidman as Angie Dickinson, Meryl Streep as Dee Dee Allen, James Corden as Barry Glickman, and Andrew Rannells as Trent Oliver.
Speaking of James Corden, he plays a stereotypical flamboyant character, however he himself is straight. He was only cast because he is a star, even though he’s only well known for hosting carpool karaoke with people who are more famous than him. The LGBT community would like more representation on screen, as was done with the casting of DeBose and Pellman.
Other cast members include Kerry Washington as Alyssa’s homophobic mother and head of the PTA, Keegan-Michael Key as Principal Tom Hawkins, and Kevin Chamberlin as Sheldon the PR guy.
The performances, besides Rannells, Kidman, and Washington, were okay or good at best. However, the characters were nowhere near the levels expected of a Broadway performance. After watching the movie, I saw the Broadway musical The Prom online and the characters were pretty clear. Emma and Alyssa were in fact the main characters in the stage version, but the movie made them almost supporting roles. Ms. Greene and the homophobic teens, Kaylee, Shelby, Kevin, and Nick, were cast as ensemble, just as they are in the Broadway musical.
The performance of the song “Love Thy Neighbor” by actors Logan Riley, Sofia Deler, Nathaniel J. Potvin, Nico Greetham,and Rannells, was the best number of the movie. If I were in that mall with them during this performance, I would absolutely love it.
Unfortunately, they were also the stereotypical LGBT characters. Flamboyant, represented, but not in the more positive way. As a director, you should choose authenticity and the truth of the story you want to convey over star power. For example, Kevin Chamberlin, a gay actor, and Sheldon the PR guy, can also sing, and would be a more accurate representation of the community (and he has star power in Gen-Z from Jessie). James Corden took this performance and made it homophobic and inauthentic.
The tactics are another thing that needs work but can be combated by leading actors understanding the meaning behind the plot and the motivations to their characters. Tactics are how you get to your goal, how you convey your character, their story, and the plot.
For specific examples of how director Ryan Murphy completely ignored this in the movie, look no furtaer than the following list of complaints:
You don’t smile when your significant other for a year and a half doesn’t love you enough to stick up for you, or when they break up with you as Emma and Alyssa did.
If you’re homophobic, you don’t turn into an ally in a split second; it takes time to process and understand what you’re doing. Kerry Washington’s character was the only one that took any time with a change of heart; she at least takes a few hours to process after her daughter came out to her in public, but ultimately told her daughter at the prom that she loved her no matter what. Shelby, Kaylee, Kevin, and Nico on the other hand needed some convincing from Trent, but transformed in a split second.
Versus the Broadway Production:
One tactic that worked surprisingly well came from Meryll Streep. She displayed her emotion through spoken word, tone, and physicality after Emma told Dee Dee that she wouldn’t go on a television talk show to tell her story. The line, “You owe me a new house,” was delivered with quite a punch.
There was some original choreography from the Broadway musical in the movie. The water choreography was pretty cool, the ending was superb, and most of the plot did match. Lines were cut out as well as part of the last song was edited, but sometimes movies have to do that for time, because time in movies or TV is money.
Here’s what was good about the movie. At least a few characters were represented well. There was a queer person of color as a leading role and a gay man as an ensemble role.
In an interview with thequeerreview.com, Debose stated, “Growing up, I never really felt like I saw any one person who embodied all that I thought I was, right? Brown. Queer. It didn’t really feel like it was a thing when I was growing up.”
At least some representation is given for people of color, and the LGBT community. DeBose, Deler, Key, Washington, and Potvin are only some of the people of color in main roles. A refreshing group of actors is represented in this movie, mostly at the ending sequence of the all inclusive prom that the Broadway actors and the principal pay for and help Emma throw. People from all over the state came and danced.
The sets were beautiful, especially the prom at the end of the movie. It was magical, the nature scenes with the rose petals in the song “Dance with you”, which is one of the first scenes, was stunning.
The cinematography was okay. It was a bit of hit and miss action.
The emotion was there for audiences and you always root for the main characters, even when you don’t necessarily identify with the community you’re watching. The kiss at the end does warm the heart, and the music was great for the most part.
I remain neutral on this movie but I would recommend it if you’re into musical movies, if you are of the community, and if you are an ally.
Just a disclaimer, the songs will get stuck in your head and I will gladly be responsible for that.
MOOSE PRINTS 