Film Review: ‘Prom’ is a cutesy spin on the real thing

It is prom season. Meaning every time I go to the mall, I see hordes of high school girls looking for the perfect prom dress. My senior prom was four years ago, but I still remember all the chaos that surrounded the event. Therefore, I thought it would be fun to check out the new movie, Prom. Watching Prom, I didn’t relive my prom memories. In fact, Prom isn’t all that realistic. It’s more of a cutesy spin on what prom is like, but it’s still something teenage girls would love and find entertaining.

Aimee Teegarden plays Nova Prescott, the head of the prom committee, president of student government, etc, etc. Nova is pretty much Miss Perfect without the snobby or self-righteous attitude. When the prom decorations get destroyed, Nova must work alongside the school’s bad boy, Jesse (Thomas McDonell), to remake all the decorations. All the while, she and her friends are dealing with all the stresses of prom, like finding the right dress and date.

There are lots of subplots in this movie. They all interconnect well, and it stops the movie from falling flat. We have the dorky guy who can’t find a date, the popular couple who are having trust issues, the girl who’s afraid to tell her boyfriend that she doesn’t want to go to the same college as him, and on and on. Each of these subplots touches base with real issues that go on during those last weeks of high school. The outcome may not be realistic, but hey, it’s a Disney movie, you don’t want to bum people with real world drama. (Or mention that a main concern nowadays for high schoolers is planning what they’re going to do AFTER prom.)

What stops Prom from being an ABC Original Family movie is the charisma of the actors and the heart behind the story. I won’t say Prom is filled with impeccable acting, because it isn’t. But the actors have a lot of charm. Aimee Teegarden is very likeable as the lead. Although she seems like a Miss Perfect, the audience doesn’t feel intimidated by her. Thomas McDonell is also very charismatic as well. He may deliver some really cheesy lines (Blame the writer on that!), however you can’t help but leave the movie feeling a little in love with him. He was just cast in Tim Burton’s anticipated Dark Shadows film. I look forward to seeing him in that!

So ladies, if you’re out prom dress shopping, I would recommend you take a break and go see Prom. It really is a cute movie. It’s full of corny and predictable moments, but it’s good, wholesome Disney fun.