THE PROM: Netflix's Pandering Misfire 

i really hate how they frame alyssa not wanting to come out to her homophobic mom as some sort of flaw she needs to overcome. as barry's backstory easily demonstrates, coming out, especially while she's still living with her mom, could put her in a really bad situation, and the fact that her girlfriend is pressuring her into it knowing that alyssa's mom is literally leading a homophobic movement as they speak is absolutely insane.

I hate Netflix’s attempts at diversity. I mean the lesbians who were the MAIN characters in the original get like 7 minutes on screen. They obviously don’t care and only do it for the money. Also James Cordon’s “gay accent” makes me want to commit crime

as a lesbian from indiana, you can imagine my disappointment in this movie. any movie with james corden automatically spells disaster though so i wasnt surprised lmao

If nothing else, I guess Netflix’s the prom is a good allegory for how Netflix’s the prom treats lgbtq+ representation

calling andrew rannells and nicole kidman not famous is like swinging a bat at a hornet’s nest

I'm struck by how much movie!Emma just...smiles. Even during the low point when she tells off Alyssa on the phone for not standing by her during the first prom. It's like she's genuinely starstruck by the celebrities around her...which completely goes against the original musical. Emma isn't a beaming token of a perfect gay person, who keeps smiling even when being oppressed and who needs rich people to save her; she's an angsty, messy teenager whose formative high school experiences are being ripped away by bigots. The stage version didn't generally need to soften Emma's personality or make it palatable for the sake of the straight people watching; she had very few reasons to be happy beyond her relationship with Alyssa. Athough I have my issues with the original musical's book, I do appreciate how validating it felt for a Broadway musical to directly address that having people (including celebrities) who purport to be queer allies alone won't fix shit unless collective action actually occurs, which it normally never does beyond a surface level (for example, Netflix making a movie with a plot about a lesbian feeling overshadowed by and taken advantage of by celebrities, only for the film itself to let the celebrities overshadow the lesbian couple that marketing centered around...whoops)

Bertram, Kevin Chamberlin, should have played the James Corden character tbh, he's lovable and gay in real life. I will say, while flamboyant gay is a stereotype, I as a gay person know a lot of very flamboyant gay people, and am one myself. While you are right we are much more nuanced, real people in real life. Flamboyant portrayals don't usually bother me, especially if the character is more nuanced and played by a gay actor. If Kevin Chamberlin played the main character I probably would have liked this movie a lot tbh.

If they just made the broadway dudes the villains this could have been truly iconic. i mean famous people who have fallen from grace taking advantage of social issues for clout could've been at least a little topical. also someone please take all of james corden's acting roles away please im begging you

8:00 actually! They made a book after/during the Broadway run, based off the musical, and it tells us why! No clue why the musical didn’t pick up on this, or the movie, but so sum it up: Emma and Alyssa hatched a plan. Emma was going to write down a random girl’s name to hide Alyssa, and Alyssa was going to write up a random guy’s name to hide Emma. Then Mrs. Greene learns that Emma wanted to go to prom with a girl, after the two people selling tickets let it slip out, and she went furious.

Fun "The Prom" Fact: The actor who plays Trent, the guy who sings the Love thy Neighbour song, is actually an out gay man. I just find it really funny that he had to act alongside James Cordon in this.

I never understood why they made James Corden the gay guy when Andrew Rannells was RIGHT THERE

24:51 it is actually true homecoming dresses are typically shorter and not as fancy while prom dresses are usually floor length and way more extravagant

the fact that keyan doesn’t scissor and kiss the homies explains why he thought it was lgtbq+

James Corden being in this movie is enough for me to avoid this movie like a plague.

The idea of air headed Hollywood hotshots profiting off of and making two girls’ prom about *them* -is really interesting. Unfortunately, by sidelining Alyssa and Emma, the movie commits the same crime that it’s supposedly criticizing the Hollywood stars for doing.

The chemistry between Emma and Alyssa couldn't have been worse imo. Not to mention that the movie trying to pretend like Jo Ellen Pellman is butch just looks like they put a Disney princess in baggy clothes and beanie. I also wish that Emma had a moment where she got to call out the Broadway stars for their elitism, clearly being more interested in using her story for publicity and insulting her local community, rather than actually helping her. Yeah they change by the end somewhat, but still.

I came out in 2020, so naturally I was super excited to watch a lesbian movie with my family. I really liked The Prom at the time, having watched a bootleg, listened to the soundtrack on repeat, and even read the novelization (speaking of which, if you want to see a version of The Prom where Emma and Alyssa actually _are_ the main characters, read the book). But now, looking back on it, yeah it's kinda...meh. I mean I'll always love any sort of sapphic rep but?? Why aren't they the actual main characters? I think the only parts that I do actually like about the movie are the songs, colorful lighting, and Andrew Rannalls. Please help me Andrew Rannalls has stolen my soul and I cannot take it back. I am in pain.

The moment you said "Why didn't they cast famous people to play these two?" and an arrow pointed to Nicole Kidman I felt ancient as a millennial who grew up watching her LOL, like "Back in my day, Netflix used to come in the mail!" ancient

I literally gasped when Jose was on screen. Was not expecting to see my old middle school principal on a RU-vid video about The Prom lol. Awesome video!!

The real life incident was more messed up, because the only other people at the second prom were basically just all the special needs kids; Whole bunch of lawsuits came out of that from everyone they sent to the "loser prom".

I will always remember when i found out bertrum from jesse was an actual brodway actor, and thats when I was seeing Wicked in new york and I nearly choked when the wizard waltzed on stage and it was him

Between this, Be More Chill, Dear Evan Hansen, and a bunch of others, is it just me or does it seem like there are a lot of musicals coming out recently with poorly written or conceived plots that mostly become popular through writing pop songs about being a teenager with anxiety and possibly homosexuality? Like the songs get popular on streaming with theater kids, aka teenagers with anxiety and possibly homosexuality. The show becomes popular not as a show that's seen but as essentially a pop album. You don't need to concern yourself with doing good stagecraft because the majority of your fanbase is only gonna see it if they bother to find a bootleg after listening to the album.

That digression about your principal is the funniest thing ever and radiates theatre kid energy

I am a lesbian (from the midwest). I watched this movie with a room full of gay people (also from the midwest). we were all SCREAMING at the screen by the end. I'm so glad you discussed how much potential Emma/Alyssa had to be a real sweet story because the thing that pissed me off the most was how sanitized their relationship was. they barely hold hands, they barely kiss, and their relationship is not developed at all despite being a VERY difficult situation. it is so hard to be in a relationship when one person is out and the other is closeted. I've been there. it's really hard. I wish that was explored more, with the compassionate and care that the situation deserves. but god forbid two lesbians have any chemistry at all because then... GASP the viewers might have to confront the concept of sexuality. also yeah why is Emma smiling the whole time !!!!!! let her get angry. she is facing extreme hatred and she just... smiles. because it you just endure horrible oppression, bigots will eventually feel bad and stop. 🙄 I'm convinced the target audience of this movie is slightly homophobic parents of gay teens. that's who its for. the message feels very "it's ok to be a lil homophobic if you love your kid!!!! if your kid is a good kid they will forgive you!! you're such a good ✨ally ✨!

i was violent after i watched this for the first time. as a gay dude with a really tough and hard relationship with my parents, seeing james cordon cosplay my trauma made me see red. I've never experienced so much rage and disgust at a portrayal of a gay character. it was genuinely offensive in a way i wasn't ready for.

I did not expect this video from this channel, but as a fan of the stage version, I thoroughly enjoyed the hour you spent listing every single aspect of the movie I hated with a burning passion. It was extremely satisfying, thank you. One of the things that wasn't touched on that infuriated me while watching the film is that one of the consequences of centring Barry, aside from the obvious issues with it, is that it reversed Emma and Barry's relationship. One of the things I loved about the stage version was that Barry was clearly probably the first older queer person she'd ever met, and him taking her under his wing like that was one of the first dominoes to fall that led to Barry's growth, because he did it as one member of the queer community supporting a younger queer person, rather than directly as part of the publicity thing. Barry is a catalyst for other characters (other example is being the only adult that spoke up for Alyssa to her mother, again being able to because he had the experience of his own life to draw from), and through that connection with younger queer characters is able to also heal himself. In the movie though, Emma is a catalyst for Barry instead, and his story is resolved entirely separate from her and Alyssa, while the girls' conflicts just sort of resolve incidentally from his presence. The stage version says that family is shit sometimes but we will still have community, and that if shit family still wants a relationship then they have to do better. The film says family is the most important thing, and that the only way to heal is to reconnect with family even if they've kicked you out of the house, because they deserve a chance to make it right and you have to be the bigger person and let them. It's a very straight moral, which is mind boggling since Ryan Murphy is the director. Shrug. End of (accidental) rant.

the film about homophobia bad doing a homophobia is both incredibly sad and entirely expected

respectfully you did Not just say that keegan michael key is more famous than meryl streep and that nicole kidman isn't a famous actor. please say sike i beg of u

22:24 I'm glad you mentioned it. As someone from a fairly small, rural midwestern town, I'm glad you addressed that fact that nothing about the sets and visuals of the movie even remotely reflect the look and feel of any actual small/rural town. I mean, my town didn't even have an Applebee's! Closest thing we had was a restaurant that used to be a Big Boy and a few fast food places lol.

Is there like a trend now of people finding out musical plots don’t really work until they’re made into movie adaptations, (ala Dear Evan Hansen) cause I’m kinda thinking that the reason the show was primarily framed around the broadway actors was because it was written by them, and the stuff where they tried to be satirical was really just self-awareness as an excuse for bad writing.

"he can turn this butchy duck into a swan" implying theres something wrong with being butch?? nice one lmao

i can’t tell if “why didn’t they get famous people to play these two” while having one of the arrows point to NICOLE KIDMAN was a joke or not but i love it either way (also andrew rannells is one of the bigger celebrities to come out of broadway, not like patti lupine levels but still enough to be known for his work off stage, though the arrow pointing at him was justified)

about the homecoming dress thing, 1) i didn't notice it until you pointed it out, 2) homecoming dresses are typically short because homecoming is semi formal and prom dresses are normally long because prom is formal but like??? if they all cared so much about prom why didn't they go all out with their damn dresses

I don't know if there's a term for this, but whenever you check the casting for a movie, and you see that one certain actor/actress that makes you go "Oh, this is going to be bad." I KNOW there's a name for this type of effect/law, but I don't know what it's called. I hope that I'm not the only one who thinks this.

My (performing arts) school is putting on the Prom this coming year and I was cast as Kevin, one of the jocks. Not only am I very obviously gay, I am also literally a wheelchair user. My joints make it so I physically cannot be a jock. This will be interesting.

The cishet jokes made me laugh It’s really awful how much Emma and Alyssa got overshadowed in this. I knew about the musical before this movie came out and my only exposure to it was through listening to the broadway soundtrack which I love, so I was really excited for the movie since I didn’t have access to anything else really. I wish it was better… I also have this strange experience of watching that when it first came out and being mad on Twitter because I SWEAR they cut out Emma and Alyssa’s portion of You Happened, but then when I rewatched it like a month or so later, it was there? I feel like I’m delusional, but I remember it, and I even made a comment while reacting to the movie so hmmm

At first I watched the movie because "Ooh, Andrew Rannells" and because I'm queer, but I always found it really disturbing how they managed to make a story that's premise is a lesbian not being allowed to bring her girlfriend to the prom into "look at Barry! Do you know how much money we spent for him to be here?"

24:50 she said that because people usually wear full length dresses for prom, not danceable skater dresses

its okay, as a lesbian myself, i laughed at 25:52 too. the line delivery is just so. tell her you’re GÆ also, can confirm that i do take on a rural southern accent in fits of emotional outburst

The entirety of Herbie Fully Loaded staring Lindsay Lohan lives in my head rent free, so hearing it randomly referenced made my day. The demolition derby scene is the best part of the movie

As someone who grew up in rural Indiana, part of me is going "this is a slanderous depiction of the Midwest" and the other part is going "well...maybe the movie's got a point." I love your new content man, keep up the good work, and I can't wait for the Lab Rats: Elite Force review!

The so long gay bowser absolutely murdered me and the second I recovered you hit me with a second one 😂

The Prom could have been a sincere drama about growing up gay in a red state, or it could have been a black comedy satire about how celebrities try to make everything about themselves, but it tried to have it both ways at once, and so it failed at both.

It’s a shame because I actually really love the stage version. It’s a shame that they refused to even audition almost any of the Broadway leads- Emma’s actress did but I got the vibe it was just as a courtesy. Part of the joke of the show is that Broadway performers are not names outside of NY and theatre nerds. Casting Meryl Streep doesn’t have the same effect as using Beth Leavel, who’s absolutely fantastic but doesn’t have a recognizable name. Even aside from James Corden being straight (and Brooks is not), he’s also too young for the character as written. It’s also a shame because I saw The Prom a week before it closed and the energy was amazing. The audience was full of teenagers in prom dresses who felt represented by Broadway in a meaningful way. Even then there was a vibe that Ryan Murphy would screw it up. The show deserved better. The actress who plays Emma is way too smiley in the movie, where Caitlin really got across the angst and real trauma of the character. The show does put more emphasis on the relationship between Emma and Alyssa.

I like how Keyan realized he was spelling LGBTQ+ wrong but continues to say Luh-juh-tuh-buh-quoi, which would still be LGTBQ. Never change Keyan, great video. Also she 100% stole it, LEGO needs to sue her

So far I agree with a lot of these points HOWEVER the songs are not better in this movie. Sure, Love Thy Neighbor is better, but you cannot tell me what Tonight Belongs to Us, You Happened, and Alyssa Greene are better in this movie than on Broadway?? (Excited for the rest of this video tho!)

i was a background actor on the set of this and james corden is so terrifying… and they gave me the absolute ugliest most foul side part i’ve ever had but anyways back to james corden i saw him talking to some other extras and laughed really hard but when he turned around (like towards my direction) to leave, his smile dropped so fast even though his laugh sounded really genuine and he was so smiley when talking LMAO unfortunately i don’t remember what he smelled like bc this was a while ago but he was scary to me

Are there schools where the PTA is in charge of the prom?? This was not the case at my high school. Iirc it was like, the student council

Watching this with my mom who doesn’t know I’m lgbt and having so much to say about how bad the gay representation while being closeted was extremely frustrating.

bruh wish i could like this video twice the editing was HILARIOUS and it’s so refreshing to see someone not a part of the community genuinely defend us and get the issues any gay person would have with this movie :’) appreciate it!

I’m so glad you also critique the source material. I’ve only seen the show but as a former high-school lesbian I really found it weird that the relationship was so shafted and the camp was so overdone.

Random complaint: why is it in every movie where a girl wears a suit to the prom, does she wear a weirdly cut frilly shirt?

"I was in theater in Portland, i saw every single one of my friends come out" I'm glad this is mostly a universal experience. Only I'm in Virginia and all my friends were band kids that came out

I’ve never watched the movie, and now I’m entirely distracted by all the mall scenes bc they were filmed at Northridge Fashion Center. I went to Northridge for college and it’s a popular film location, it was very normal to see my campus in a movie, but the mall is a new one for me lol

I wasnt interested in the prom but I thought the two girls wouldve been the main characters, focusing on their love story but its somehow about the celebrities which is really disappointing. This film maybe still couldve had some problems like how the visuals play out in music but wouldve been better if they follow the trailers by making it a love story about these two girls and the celebrities at the side (and not have a straight woman kiss a gay man, that was just disgusting)

James Cordon’s “gay” accent feels so weird. Its going to make me homophobic and I AM GAY.

The fact that Kevin Chamberlin and Andrew Rannells are both gay men and they got James Corden to play the gay lead male is such a weird choice

Did you know that, in the SAG Awards for Best Ensamble Cast, the rule says you need a "solo" title card to be nominated, so... If The Prom has been nominated, neither of the teenage girls would be, as they share a title card. Just, a funny little trivia that is kind of perfect for the way this story is told.

the most unbelievable thing about this video is that your principal took away the lightsabers, then LISTENED to you when you told them what you were using them for, and gave them BACK. Principal Dasilva for President 2024

A lot of British people's fake American accents tend to overcorrect and land in vaguely Texan. I think that's why Barry sounds like he's from a ranch whenever he gets emotional. James Corden was struggling to keep an American accent up while sounding emotional and next thing you know... yeehaw!

You are honestly killing it lately with topics and videos.

The book (from what I can remember, I read it two years ago) was a lot better and it actually had flaws :( 1. One of Alyssa's friends (I think it was Shelly?) Wasn't actually accepting. 2. I don't remember the whole principal/dee dee thing? 3. Alyssa and Emma had a plan to hide who they were going to prom with, but Emma was low-key stupid and didn't come up with a name before hand and wrote down "Anna Kendrickson". Yeah... 4. Alyssa and Emma were actually main characters in their own book!! 5. When Emma finds out that the Broadway stars didn't actually come down to help her, she actually gets mad at them. She doesn't say that everything's fine and it doesn't matter.

I was really excited for this movie in 2020 since I like Andrew Rannells and ofc a lesbian love story is great, and I thought at least a few of the songs on the og soundtrack were good! It was such a huge disappointment tho. I knew smth was really off when Emma sang about how being gay in Indiana sucked while just... smiling passively.

This seems way to forgiving of homophobic parents, like on top of all your good points her saying “we didn’t kick you out you left” reads like those narcissistic parents who deny their past actions and like she’s still actively married to a homophobe.

the fake video end screen at 0:34 is scary accurate to my watch history.

Small error at 36:20 - Angie is played by Nicole Kidman. She's very famous

this is one of the funniest videos ever made. "note to self, don't be gay-" made me cry laugh

Lucky to be one of the first few people to start watching The prom video from Keyan.

Actually, the book explains how everyone knows about her taking a girl to prom. In the book everyone has to sign up with a date because of limited tickets, and she writes in a fake name of a girl in order to not out Alyssa. And then the sugar honey iced tea hits the fan.

Being closeted absolutely sucks but I always cringe at films that act like it's worse than... being safe? If your mum's going to go so far to ban proms and lead homophobic movements, yeah, she's likely to abuse and kick you out onto the streets if you come out

"The whole point of broadway is to make shows worse than they were originally" as someone who just watched the stage version of hunchback, I'm inclined to agree

36:17 Excuse me, I will not tolerate Nicole Kidman/Anthony Rannells slander

It is very telling that a musical movie starring MERYL STREEP came out two years ago and I am only just hearing about it right now. Who does Meryl owe money? I can only imagine she's in debt to the mob if she's doing something like this.

i watched this with my best friend and we both were cringing at every single thing in this movie p.s: also the intense grinning emma had through every moment even while breaking up with her girlfriend give me chills

One classic gay stereotype is liking men.

If it was more like Annie where they push the girl towards the front and try to make her a little more of “icon” but in an ironic way that hurts her and she hates it then they actually conclude it in a meaningful way, this could have gone right... AND most importantly keep ALL of the love interest parts. Then break the movies in 2 parts with a sad ending first so we can decide if we want to watch more but trick us into a second terrible second movie. Oh or do none of that and just dump James Corden.

I feel so bad for Jo Ellen Pellman. She's genuinely talented but hasn't gotten the chance to do anything else after this (I'm sure that your complaints about her performance are easily fixable). I feel like the general outlook on the movie would be very different if they didn't cast James Corden and actually kept all the Emma/Alyssa scenes (or even expanded on them!). Maybe then Jo Ellen would've actually become a big name. I hope she hasn't quit the industry yet, I'd like to see her again in something else someday.

i can agree as one of your gay friends that i do not sound like a southerner, love that i am supposed to view james corden as my gay icon king

As a butch lesbian, I can’t say I feel particularly uplifted by a movie that has James Cordon pretending to be a flamboyant gay man insulting a lesbian for being “butch” and saying she needs a makeover like that’s a flaw that needs to be fixed and basically calls butch women ugly ducklings, especially when she’s no where near being butch, they just insulted two different types of gay people with one line and the movies meant to be pro gay Lmao, these types of lines only make sense if they make the rich celebs the villains not make out like they’re her actual ally’s and like you said they gave the lesbians basically no screen time, they also seem to have no chemistry and despite being discriminated against the entire time she just smiles and acts like it’s all rainbows and sunshine, I’m so glad I didn’t watching this movie, I’m cringing so hard just from a commentary video 🤦🏻

Hey, it’s normal to wait 8 hours for Applebees. I once waited 12 hours for some Applebees

the bit with cishet the whole time took me out lmao it was too good

I got to see this show on Broadway and I had tears streaming down my face at the end. It was not the best show at all but goddamnit seeing all those happy gay teens got to me. The ending of the movie is still a bop and keeping the choreography definitely helped but it still didn't have the same effect

I did not expect a musical movie review from this channel and I am so here for it

fun fact: the guy who sings 'love thy neighbor', andrew rannells, played whizzer in falsettos (on-broadway)! i haven't actually watched the prom myself but as soon the clip of that song played in this video i recognized his voice lolol

no i was so dissapointed with this movie, as a lesbian i was so happy that there was going to be a movie with a lesbian main character and a sapphic couple as the main focus, just to be served Fucking James Cordon

I saw this musical w my mother (and am currently closeted lol). The original show that I saw already so many problems, but knowing the movie is worse…doesn’t surprise me. I wish they didn’t like play into stereotypes so much! I wish the characters were fleshed out more :(

I saw the original musical on Broadway and loved it. Shame if this turned out bad

One good thing we got out of this; Andrew Rannells as Trent. His love thy neighbor was great

hearing “cishet” pronounced as “kiss-shae” absolutely sent me

I personally don’t care if a straight actor plays a gay role(though I do groan if James Corden plays a role period), but I think the major problem the movie has is similar to Love Simon(2018). It feels like a “gay” movie completely marketed to straight people that doesn’t do anything risky beyond basic ‘love is love’ mentality. They spend more time on the predatory straight romance between the older broadway actress and a younger fan than the lesbian couple the story centers around. They also gave two homophobic mothers(Mrs Greene and Barry’s mom) unnecessary/unrealistic 360 turns into becoming accepting people. All this while giving the lesbian couple at the center of the movie little screen time. Not to mention that Emma is boring, passive, and not at all butch, while Alyssa has her entire arc brushed over quickly despite it being one of the more interesting ones in the movie. The “you’re someone in between” line hit really hard, just it’s a shame that they didn’t give her character the development beforehand for it to really land.

20:03 “because the whole point of broadway is to make shows worse than they were originally” - shows be more chill Me: PREACH

I wish Lady Gaga would stop taking majority control of the land in my area through dating. I mean what does she even need it for?

As the B in the LGTBQ+ collective I felt used whenever they'd as much as have a blue and purple light close to each other like "Wow I can't believe you're appropriating my flag for glamour" then I have to die inside when Emma who's the actual character being used by them keeps worshipping the ground they walk on. But I might just have tainted memories of her cause seeing her in her "I'm out of my shell" prom suit that looks just like the one from Tall Girl shaved 2 months off my lifespan when it defiled my corneas.

Wow, you were not kidding, this is some of your best work. I hope I'm not sounding like I'm stepping on any toes of any members of the LGBTQIA+ community (seeing as I am straight) but I feel like if I was gay, I wouldn't like how the character we should be following gets no screentime compared to James Corden acting as a gay man. This movie just takes so many weird steps and it's so laughably stupid especially in how multiple anti-gay people just shift they're values they've probably held for years entirely as if it's a 2 hour long Dhar Mann video. It's just such a weird ensemble of problems made into a Netflix Original movie. At least Bertram was in it. Bertram makes everything better.

I would pay anything to have principal Jose as my principal i’m kind of jealous. Great video as always keep it up 👍

The fake video ending was wonderfully executed great job

I like to imagine this Trent is the same Trent from Lab Rats. They act nothing alike but I still like to imagine it

is that "I want it all" from HSM3 I hear in the background during Act One?? if so great choice lol

loved the time Andrew Rannels ended homophobia in a mall in Indiana through High School Musical-esque random musical numbers, very cool.

I love the high school musical backgroung music representing moments a DCOM did better years ago