Prom Dates
A generic teen comedy with plenty of tropes and no heart
Julia Lester and Antonia Gentry are trapped in this generic teen comedy.
Ever since sneaking into senior prom at 13, Hannah and Jess promised themselves their prom night would be perfect. Jess (Antonia Gentry) dreams of becoming prom queen, as it would prove she achieved popularity in her high school career. Hannah (Julia Lester) just wants to dance with the love of her life at prom.
Five years later, the dream isn’t looking so hot.
Jess caught her boyfriend cheating and is now dateless the night before prom. Hannah has a date to prom she can’t stand and is struggling with defining her sexuality. Both girls cling to the prom fantasy, hoping they can turn things around in the 20 hours before the big dance.
Can this duo make their prom dreams come true in less than a day?
A bawdy teen comedy that hits almost all of the genre’s well-worn tropes, Prom Dates is a cute but shallow film. Director Kim O. Nguyen hits all the notes you’d expect from a movie that’s clearly inspired by Book Smart, Bottoms, or Superbad, but the heart of the movie is missing. Nguyen has a good sense of comedic timing, and there’s an especially funny sequence that takes place at a wishing fountain, but the film as a whole feels flimsy. There’s no big point to the movie, other than prom is overrated.
The largest problem in the film is how sketchily the characters are drawn. Hannah and Jess are best friends but seem to have no common interests or social groups. Why are they still friends years later? The movie isn’t going to tell you, so you might as well come up with a story yourself. In fact, they spend most of the film apart, having adventures. We don’t understand what makes either girl tick, what they’re hopes for the future are, or even how they’re regarded in school. It’s almost remarkable how blank these central characters feel after spending 90 minutes with them.
This is a shame because Gentry and Lester are both capable performers. But they’re given little to do but throw themselves into comedy bits. The whole film seems like an improv exercise where the audience is asked to yell out teen movie tropes for the performers to act out.
There also seem to be no consequences for their actions in any scenario. They get drunk at frat parties and meet the world’s most wholesome fraternity brothers. They bounce between booze and drugs but are totally sober when they need to be. Friendships are ruined, as are relationships, but quickly mended with a talk. There aren’t even any bullies to add conflict to the story. The only conflict present is Jess and Hannah might not have the prom they dreamed of when they were in eighth grade.
I also question how one can influence Prom Court voting 20 hours before the prom. Granted, I’m officially “an old”, but Prom King and Queen were determined by campaigning and pre-event voting back in the Cretaceous period when I went to high school. So, I question how Jess believes dumping her worthless boyfriend the night before would affect her chances. If anyone currently preparing for prom wants to correct me on that assumption, I’m willing to learn in the comments.
If you’re looking for a light movie that won’t require much brain power, Prom Dates is well-meaning enough. I recommend you check out Bottoms, however, if you want a truly hilarious high school comedy.
Verdict: This flick is like ordering your prom dress on Temu — it looks good at first glance, but don’t expect too much upon delivery.
Prom Dates is available for Hulu.
