Review of Prom (2011) by Destiny Chrystal M — 08 May 2011

Flying off like a prom dress, Disney skips the small screen and goes straight for the cinema screen with their latest teen cash-in...though it's definitely small time stuff. Documenting how every clique and cliché relates to the last formal dance before graduation, Prom plays out like High School Musical, only without the music. To further scratch at this dichotomy, there's even a budding, Breakfast Club-style, unlikely romance among the leads. Like the tacky decorations adorning such a dance, however, this predictable movie is just store-bought fluff-the kind of story moviegoers have seen done better by the likes of John Hughes. Oh, the trappings shimmer at times, but, once the lights come up, it's really just a pair of brown shoes with a black tuxedo.

In this sugary sweet PG-rated teen dramedy, a group of high schoolers (Teegarden, McDonell, DeVaughn Nixon, Danielle Campbell) find their lives coming together and futures taking shape as they prepare for the biggest single night of their young lives.

It's not that the movie lacks sufficient talent. In fact, every pretty face perfectly fits their clique to a T. The paper doll-thin substance of the script, however, leaves much to be desired. Hearts are supposed to sing as the good girl falls for a bad boy. Heartstrings are supposed to get tugged as the goofy kid struggles to find a date. Hearts are supposed to race as the jock cheats on his girlfriend. All this well-worn pastiche will do, however, is give the audience an excuse to hate high school all over again.

Bottom line: Disenchantment under the sea.