DVD Reviews

Prom (Blu-ray / DVD Combo) – Blu-ray Review

By Patrick Luce Sep 4, 2011, 19:38 GMT

At "Prom", every couple has a story and no two are exactly alike. For Nova Prescott (Aimee Teegarden), it\'s a classic tale of opposites attracting when she finds herself drawn to the guy (Thomas McDonell) who gets in the way of her perfect prom. Share the laughter and the drama as secrets are brought to light, seemingly steady relationships unravel and new romance catches fire. Get ready for this hilariously ...more

Without a doubt, Prom will please its teen/tween targeted audience, but some older viewer might groan as the movie rolls along. It reminds of some of the great teen comedies of the 80s and the films of John Hughes, but lacks their edge.

Directed by Joe Nussbaum (2004's Sleepover) and written by Katie Wech (who wrote for the Stephen King's Dead Zone TV series), the film stars a fresh-face cast of young actors who seem comfortable in their roles - even if there isn't much room for character development in the teen romance/comedy genre.

The cast is led by the talented Aimee Teegarden (who has shown better dramatic range on the incredible Friday Night Lights television series),Thomas McDonell, DeVaughn Nixon, Danielle Campbell, Yin Chang, Nolan Sotillo, Cameron Monaghan, Kylie Bunbury, Raini Rodriguez and Nicholas Braun (who's Lloyd character is the funniest part of the movie). 

During the opening credits, the movie quickly introduces the characters in a very visual style and establishes the importance of prom – which appears to be the most important event in a teenager’s life. Girls are not merely invited to prom, but receive massive invitation from their hopeful dates with the words PROM written in various ways with YES or NO cleverly beside it.

It is during this opening sequence that the audience meets the established couples (who will all go through some kind of hardship that pushes their relationship to the breaking point) and the central character of Nova Prescott (Teegarden) - a high school overachiever and class president who is in charge of prom and plans to make it the best one ever!

Unfortunately, Nova has yet to be asked to the prom by the boy of her dreams Brandon (Keltz). Brandon asks her to the event, but it is more of a business arrangement which later falls through since Brandon has a college interview at the same time.

Luckily for Nova, the film also has a bad boy in the form of Jesse Richter (McDonell). His character rides a motorcycle, has long hair and cuts class all the time. He is basically ripping off The Breakfast Club's John Bender (Judd Nelson) without any of the edge that character brought to the screen.  Although he has a bad boy rep, Richter is actually a good guy and takes care of his brother while his single mother works to support her family.

In true teen romance style, Nova and Richter are forced to come together after an accident destroys the prom decorations and the principal punishes Richter by making him help Nova repair them. Both characters are against the idea, but love quickly blooms.

Teegarden and company handle their roles with ease, and manage to make the movie somewhat entertaining (more so to its target audience I am sure) – even though it doesn’t require much acting skills from its cast. Teegarden has proven she has great acting chops on Friday Night Lights, and I hope she will find meatier roles in future projects. While she is believable as a high school student, I think it is time for her to leave the high school prom days behind her.

Although it has some laughs, the real comedy comes through the performance of Nicholas Braun’s Lloyd Taylor. His character easily reminds of the classic John Cusack comedies of the 80s (such as Better Off Dead, One Crazy Summer and of course Say Anything) and the lovable losers he brought to life on the screen. Lloyd’s little sister encourages him to find a date for the prom, and most of his efforts provide huge laughs thanks to his miserable failures.

Fans of the film will love the special features that come along with the Blu-ray/DVD combo. Including a short film that gives Lloyd more screen time, the Blu-ray comes with bloopers, a “making of” featurete, and seven music videos from the bands showcased in the film.

While Prom left me wanting to watch the better movies of the past that might have inspired it, the film is sure to please its target audience. In the age of raunchy teenage comedies (such as Superbad), Prom feels a little too squeaky clean to be a believable portrayal of the “greatest night” in a teenagers life, but that could also be part of its charm.

Visit the DVD database for more information.