FILM REVIEW: Prom

by Eli Glasner Posted: April 29, 2011 2:06 PM Last Updated: May 2, 2011 8:08 AM

Jesse (Thomas McDonell) explains to Nova (Aimee Teegarden), why denim jackets are soooo 2002. (Richard Foreman/Disney Pictures)

It's impossible to review the latest high-school hijinks film without addressing the spirit of writer/director John Hughes, who haunts every teen drama, like a schlumpy spirit from a time when movies had more heart (and better tunes). Remarkably, even though it's been over two decades since his films such as The Breakfast Club hit the big screen, Hughes's characters continue to be the template.

For example, in Prom there's Jesse, the motorcycle riding, long-haired rebel. He cuts classes, favours plaid shirts and I think I even saw him sporting a pair of fingerless gloves. Judd Nelson, this is your legacy.

Then there's the inexplicably named Nova, played by Fright Night Lights's Aimee Teagarden. She is the uptight leader of the prom planning committee. Take a little bit of the can-do spirit from Pretty in Pink's Andie crossed with the well-manicured appearance of Lea Thompson in Some Kinda Wonderful and you pretty much have Nova.

Prom is full of set characters like the rebel teen played by Thomas McDonell. (Disney Pictures)

The rest of the cast is a mix of fresh faces in familiar roles. There's the varsity playboy Tyler. About the only thing novel about him is that he plays lacrosse. Lucas is a nerdy sophomore working a Wyatt from Weird Science sort of vibe. The best of the bunch is Nicholas Braun, who plays Lloyd, the tall goofy outsider who waited too long to get a date. If John Cusack ever needs someone to play his younger self, Braun has the role covered.

While the characters are predictable, Prom is an aberration of sorts in today's Hollywood. Here is a teen film that isn't a launch vehicle for an up-and-coming TV starlet and (gasp) wasn't inspired by a popular series of books, board games or lunch boxes. Perhaps Prom's most refreshing quality is that it's just a simple story designed to make teens giggle and squeal.

Although it's easy to see the imprint of John Hughes on Prom, it is a bit like a bad Xerox in that the well-etched details are missing. Part of the magic of Hughes came from the way he identified with his teen stars. He'd sit down and talk to Jon Cryer about his life and put those flavours into the film. (Check out Cryer talking to Diablo Cody about the film here.)

Prom lacks that sweet and sour tang that marked some of the better teen films of 1980s. What's also missing are the messier parts of teenaged life. Since this is film that takes place in the Disney dimension, it's a puritan Prom where no one drinks anything stronger than soda pop and sex has yet to be discovered by the student body. (There is one stoner kid named Rolo, yup like the candy. But we never see him ingest anything that's not branded.)

For the target demo, namely girls the age of 16 or so, Prom is a safe escape into the realm of glittering gowns and bad boy cuties. With all the edges safely sanded off, the actors do their best with the meek roles provided. Working in the confines of a family-friendly film, screenwriter Katie Wech does a decent job raising the stakes, before the big day arrives.

Prom is a bit like one of those gaudy dresses Disney would like to start selling you: A shiny superficial indulgence, certainly no future classic.

Rating: Two and a half wilted corsages out of five.

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