The Prom (film)

2020 film directed by Ryan Murphy

The Prom is a 2020 Netflix movie adaptation of the 2018 Broadway musical.

Cast/Characters edit

  • Meryl Streep as Dee Dee Allen, a narcissistic two-time Tony award-winning Broadway actress.
  • James Corden as Barry Glickman, a narcissistic Broadway actor.
    • Sam Pillow as a young Barry Glickman
  • Nicole Kidman as Angie Dickinson, a chorus girl who has been unable to get a chance to portray Roxie Hart in Chicago.
  • Keegan-Michael Key as Principal Tom Hawkins, the principal of James Madison High School.
  • Andrew Rannells as Trent Oliver, a Juilliard graduate who is between gigs and starred in the sitcom Talk to the Hand.
  • Jo Ellen Pellman as Emma Nolan, a lesbian 17-year-old girl.
  • Ariana DeBose as Alyssa Greene, a cheerleader who is Emma's closeted girlfriend.
  • Kerry Washington as Mrs. Greene, Alyssa's mother and the head of Edgewater's PTA.
  • Tracey Ullman as Vera Glickman, Barry's mother.
  • Kevin Chamberlin as Sheldon Saperstein, Dee Dee and Barry's publicist.
  • Mary Kay Place as Grandma Bea, Emma's supportive grandmother who raised her when Emma's parents kicked her out of their house for coming out to them.
  • Logan Riley Hassel as Kaylee, Alyssa's cheerleader friend who disapproves of Emma taking a girl to prom and has a small tattoo on her wrist.
  • Sofia Deler as Shelby, Alyssa and Kaylee's cheerleader friend who also disapproves of Emma taking a girl to prom and has lost her virginity.
  • Nico Greetham as Nick, Kaylee's boyfriend whose parents are divorced.
  • Nathaniel J. Potvin as Kevin Shield, Shelby's boyfriend.

Dialogue edit

Mrs. Greene: Let's get to it. All those in favor… All opposed. (After the PTA meeting) Well, the PTA has an accepted set of rules concerning the prom. Young ladies must wear non-revealing dresses. Young men must wear suits or tuxes. And if a student chooses to bring a date, they must be of the opposite sex.
Reporter: Well, can you just ban that student?

Frank DiLella: It's Frank DiLella with New York 1's On Stage. We're here for the opening night of Eleanor! The Eleanor Roosevelt Musical, starring the incomparable Dee Dee Allen. Dee Dee! You're a Broadway star.

Trent Oliver: Still, I have played Hamlet, and yet I'm only known as that guy from the beloved early aughts' sitcom… (scene switches to Talk to the Hand where Trent Oliver starred in, Hootie and The Blowfish performed "Hold My Hand") Talk to the Hand.
[audience laughing]
Trent Oliver: (Switches back to the present) I question the very meaning of my existence.

Kaylee: (First lines when she and Shelby put two pink teddy bears on Emma's locker, one with a sticky note says "Hi, My Name is Lez!") Do you like the bears?
Emma Nolan: Yeah, I'm pretty sure this breaks a few laws.
Kaylee: It was our way saying thank you, Emma.
Shelby: (First lines while blaming Emma for canceling prom) Yeah. Thanks so much for canceling prom.

Nick: (Arrives with Kevin) Hey, Emma. Hey, who's this girl you were gonna bring to the prom, anyway? I didn't know we had more than one lesbo in town.
Emma Nolan: You don't know her. She's new here.
Kevin Shield: Like an exchange student?
[whistle blows]
Emma Nolan: Maybe.
Kevin Shield: Mmm.
Nick: Well, then why don't you, like, exchange her for a guy?
Kevin Shield: Ooh! Dude! Nice!
(The two high fives each other, Emma looked annoyed as Nick clicks his teeth, as he and Kevin dived into the other pool, splashing each other and annoying the swim teacher and the two female divers)

Barry Glickman: Okay, stop! Stop singing! You're making me hate God!
Angie Dickinson: You're scaring them.
Barry Glickman: Well, they're scaring me.

Principal Tom Hawkins: Just to be clear, this is America and everyone gets to have an opinion... (Noticed Beverly raised her hand) Oh, just like you.
[microphone feedback squeals]
Beverly: My son will not be forced to go to a homosexual prom.
[audience applauding]
Mrs. Greene: Thank you, Beverly! Thank you!

Trent Oliver: Uh, Dee Dee, we gotta make haste.
Dee Dee Allen: Okay.

Trent Oliver: I vomited in the bus again.
Angie Dickinson: Mmm.
Trent Oliver: Can I see the hotel doctor, please?
Motel Clerk: Oh, my God, it's you. I can't believe it. It's actually you. You're the guy from Talk to the Hand. It's on every night at 9:00 after...
Trent Oliver: Can I have my room, please?
Barry Glickman: Okay, let's get this started. Okay? Let's change some minds.
Angie Dickinson: Uh...
Trent Oliver: Thank you.
Motel Clerk: You're welcome.

Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, Truckosaurus, the car-eating robot dinosaur, will not be your half-time entertainment today. Instead, we have some guests who've come from New York to sing us a song about intolerance.

Sheldon Saperstein: Anybody hungry?
Angie Dickinson: Well, I could drink.
Sheldon Saperstein: What's around here?
Trent Oliver: I saw a Big Boy by the highway.
Sheldon Saperstein: Ooh, they have a gay bar here?
Angie Dickinson: I love Big Boy.

Dee Dee Allen: Uh, Tom?
Principal Tom Hawkins: Yes, yeah?
Dee Dee Allen: Is there a restaurant in town that has plates and cutlery and…
Principal Tom Hawkins: Oh, uh, there's an Applebee's by the mall. Would you like to go?
Dee Dee Allen: Yes. Take me now to this Apples & Bees place.
Principal Tom Hawkins: All right.
Dee Dee Allen: Thank you.
Principal Tom Hawkins: You're welcome.
Dee Dee Allen: How nice of you.

Dee Dee Allen: So theater is a distraction. Is that what you mean?
Principal Tom Hawkins: An distraction is momentary. An escape helps you heal.

Emma Nolan: Is that okay?
Bea Nolan: Yes, mall the hell out of it!
Emma Nolan: Let's go.
Barry Glickman: Okay! But get dressed. This is disgusting.

Sheldon Saperstein: God. What's the theme of this prom? Death row?

Alyssa Greene: You lied to me?
Kaylee: Oh, yeah? Who's the liar?
Shelby: We know about you and Emma, and trust me, we're doing you a favor.

Emma Nolan: Thanks for hanging out with me these past couple of days. You've been a good friend.
Angie Dickinson: I have?
Emma Nolan: You have. You seem surprised.
Angie Dickinson: No, I just… I'm a chorus girl. You know, I just… No one ever thanks me. They don't even see me. Spend my whole life trying to stay in the game, and keep my day-drinking under control. That's really nice. Thanks, kid.

Barry Glickman: We shouldn't be doing this.
Dee Dee Allen: Oh, it's rom-com Friday. Rom-com Friday is sacred.
Barry Glickman: We should be helping Emma. We gotta get her on TV.
Dee Dee Allen: Sheldon is on it. Come on.

Principal Tom Hawkins: [sighs] Let's go and talk on how to be good human beings.
Dee Dee Allen: Apples & Bees?
(Tom tries to refuses it, but smiles, as they went to Applebee's)

Emma Nolan: I'm gonna go public and tell my story. Will you do it with me?
Alyssa Greene: I want to. I…
Emma Nolan: Yeah, wanting to isn't enough. I believe you have feelings for me. But I can't do this anymore. It hurts too much.
Alyssa Greene: Are you breaking up with me?
Emma Nolan: I guess I am, yeah. Bye. (Leaves Alyssa alone, despite her apology)
[Alyssa Greene]
You're not yourself
You're not what she wants
You're someone in between
(Alyssa is heartbroken after Emma left. We cut to the Edgewater Fashion Center food court, where we see Nick, Kaylee, Kevin and Shelby with the three students)
Kaylee: I saw it on CNN. They said that Edgewater, Indiana overflows with bigotry.
Kevin Shield: (Sees Trent Oliver arriving) Hey, look. It's that guy from Talk to the Hand.
Trent Oliver: Hey, guys. I was just taking a walk, enjoying the sweet scent of Americana.
Nick: We're not interested.
Trent Oliver: I feel like there's an ideological divide between us, but if we got to know each other, we could bridge it, right? So I'll start. I'm Trent. I'm an actor. My instrument was forged in the fiery furnace that is Juilliard. I'm sure your drama teachers told you about that institution.
Girl (Megan Troung): We don't have a drama program.
Trent Oliver: That explains your general lack of empathy. (She scoffs) Let's start with you.
Kaylee: Me?
Trent Oliver: Yes. Why did you hate gay people?
Kaylee: Hey, I'm a good person, right, Shelby?
Shelby: Yeah. Yeah, we all are.
Girl #2 (Brenna Daly): We go to church.
Boy (Riley Rydin): Yeah, we're Christian.
Trent Oliver: Well, I'm sure there are a lot of rules in the Bible that you break every day.

Shelby: You know, it kind of make sense.
Kaylee: What are you talking about?
Shelby: Oh, come on. You guys don't even feel, like, slightly bad for Emma? I mean, you guys used to hang out.
Kaylee: That was before she turned gay.
Shelby: Maybe she's always gay.
Trent Oliver: Exactly, because that's the way God made her, Shelby.
Nick: Come on. What?
Kaylee: Whatever.
Trent Oliver: (Sees the Godspell cast members) Hey! It's the Godspell kids!
Godspell Cast Member (Yusuf Nasir): Hey, Trent. What's going on?
Trent Oliver: You guys'll back me up.
Godspell Cast Member (Yusuf Nasir): With what?
Nick: He's just trying to confuse us. Because my stepdad always says-
Trent Oliver and Godspell Cast Members: [gasped]
Trent Oliver: Stepdad? Do you mean your parents are divorced?
Nick: Yeah, and?
Trent Oliver: Well, divorce is a big no-no.

Dee Dee Allen: (After Emma turned down the offer, she became furious and starts trying to attack her) You owe me a house!
Barry Glickman: (He, Angie and Tom holds her back) Oh, my God!
Emma Nolan: I'm so sorry.
Dee Dee Allen: You owe me a house!
Barry Glickman: Go, go! (Gestures Emma to run)
Emma Nolan: I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.
Barry Glickman: Run! Run!
Dee Dee Allen: She owes me a house! She owes me my house! (We see Emma and Barry running to the Waffle Shed after Dee Dee tries to kill her over a house where Eddie Sharpe, the talk-show host's been getting it for years while Angie and Tom tries to calm Dee Dee down) I need my house. [continues shouting]
Barry Glickman: She's a very passionate woman.

Dee Dee Allen: Why does being good cost so much... money?
Principal Tom Hawkins: Well done, Dee Dee.

Shelby: Hey, Emma. Can we talk to you? (Emma approached them as Alyssa arrived) I was a jerk, and I'm sorry. You deserve to go to prom just like any other kid. (Hugs Emma)
Emma Nolan: What? I thought you hated me. I thought you all hated me.
Trent Oliver: Oh, they hated you. They hated you with a burning passion stoked by centuries of intolerance and the lack of a drama program.
Kaylee: I'm sorry too, Emma. You know, you explain things really well. You should be, like, a teacher.
Shelby: Oh, you should be our drama teacher!
Kaylee: Yes, please!
Emma Nolan: You should do it. Do it.
Principal Tom Hawkins: You're hired!
Trent Oliver: I'm a teacher!
Dee Dee Allen: As a temp.
Principal Tom Hawkins: Absolutely.

Principal Tom Hawkins: What do you prefer? Gardenias or orchids?
Dee Dee Allen: For what?
Principal Tom Hawkins: Your corsage.
Dee Dee Allen: Gardenias.
Principal Tom Hawkins: All right. (Leaves, but he and Dee Dee shared their first kiss)
[Dee Dee moans softly]
Dee Dee Allen: [chuckles] Don't let me destroy him.
Barry Glickman: I'll try my best.
Dee Dee Allen: [gasped] Is this what not failing looks like?
Barry Glickman: Yeah. I think it is. Pretty good, huh?
Dee Dee Allen: Yeah!