"Prom" is pure bubble gum, from its shiny wrapping to its mushy insides to its fleeting aftertaste. And sometimes, there's nothing wrong with chewing bubble gum. Attention pubescents: "Prom" is such a time.
Movie review: 'Prom'
Disney knows its audience: "Prom" might lack edge, but it gooey fun.
August 17, 2012 at 9:08PM
Brookside High School is the place. It exists in some nameless middle-class suburb somewhere in the great old U-S-of-A where the worst things afflicting its student body are detention and unrequited puppy love. (Teen pregnancy? Bah!) Free of irony, "Prom" is a squeaky-clean, fairy-tale teenage romcom that makes "The Breakfast Club" look edgy.
Our guide through prom season is Nova (played by Aimee Teegarden from "Friday Night Lights"), a straight-A student on her way to Georgetown with a full academic ride. But before she graduates to the real world, nothing else matters but prom.
Her problem: She doesn't have a date. Enter Jesse, the hunky, misunderstood rebel. Otherwise known as young-guy-who-looks-exactly-like-Johnny-Depp (aka actor Thomas McDonell).
In a series of misbegotten events, the pair must work together on this year's massive prom decorations. Cue indie pop soundtrack, and -- bam -- their bellicose relationship turns into a star-crossed love affair.
The humor in "Prom" is colored with enough snark to balance the gooey romance. That other major high-school obsession -- hint: S-E-X -- is never mentioned.
"Prom" is a harmless jaunt into a fanciful teenage world where the last dance really is the only thing that matters. There's a message here, and it sounds something like this: Kids, dream while you still can. (Rating: PG.)
