The Prom 2020

Sometimes the best of intentions are not enough, as in the case of this well meaning but vapid and annoying musical based on the Broadway musical. Seeing this loud but not vulgar enough flashy and false take on inclusion and acceptance make me realize why I hate Broadway musicals and not crying that they are missing from our entertainment landscape at least for now. However I have a long history of seeing some legendary shows and performers, the list is long, but this monstrosity is not one of them. The plot is thin a youngish high school lesbian wants to take her girlfriend to the prom but meets up with the expected stereotypical bigotry led by a terrible Kerry Washington who's closest daughter is the girlfriend in question. There is a gay friendly but straight (yeah right principal wrongly played by Keegan-Michael Key who pushes for the teen lesbian played by the way too old jo ellen pellman to believe as a high school teen. Somehow some Broadway has beens get involved to help things along in one of the worst plot devices I think I have ever seen in a movie. Horribly played (and I mean horribly played by Meryl Streep in a red fright wig, and an anorexic looking Nichole Kidman along with two gay twits along for the ride acted with relish and not much else by James Corden and Andrew Rannells. The mess is full of terrible songs, not one of them a keeper and is full of dead end spaces and the usual garish sets and costumes that we have come to expect from Ryan Murphy who maybe should take a rest from making movies, his latest American Horror is also terrible and tacky. There are two flashy dance numbers that as usual with Murphy is chopped up and thrown at us with his usual vacant flair. This is to be avoided at all costs, and hey if you need a good musical there are plenty to pick from this one is certainly not one of them. Unclean unclean.