Review of Prom (2011) by Tom R — 28 Sep 2011

Sure, it has cliche's and formula plot, and the "magic moments" which tie up loose ends had me chuckling at the cheese factor... but it's really not a bad movie for its intended market. If you're about 11-16 years old, then this movie might be enjoyable for you, and your parents won't find much objectionable material.

One thing I really appreciated about this film is that Disney took something like "Prom" which has been typically cast as the PRIME way for teenagers to lose their virginity... and then completely stayed away from that storyline! It was actually refreshing to see relationships being explored, feelings expressed and growth occuring without descending to the typical "sex is all teens think about" mentality. In fact... it didn't even come up.

The teenagers were decent kids, too, avoiding the over-the-top caricatures of jock, bully, druggie, sex-pot, etc. So while there was no great depth to these people, at least they had admirable traits and were generally likeable.

Overall, a nice, clean, family-friendly movie about those big life moments that actually feels more real by being good natured then by assuming "prom + teenager = sex.".