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The "Prom" before the Storm

The prom, that rite of passage that haunts every high school, is well-trod cinematic territory for teen pathos. Directed by Joe Nussbaum, "Prom" brings some new steps to the old dance with a varied cast of fresh young faces.

Nova (Aimee Teegarden) is the class president and daddy's girl. With brains and beauty, she was seemingly born to organize her class prom. Fate pairs her with bad boy Jesse (a Johnny Depp-looking Thomas McDonell) whose latest academic punishment is being made to help with prom preparations (because the principal says so). The mismatched romance that develops is a given, but manages to leave out the saccharine from its sweetness.

Other social dramas that one would expect to find in high school are here: college applications, romantic betrayals, strained friendships. But all of these play out within the larger context of the approaching big day.

Indeed, "Prom" makes the prom even bigger and more traumatic than it needs to. Students ask each other to the prom as if they are proposing marriage, with one ludicrously elaborate proposal after another. Some are successful, others not. Much of the movie's humor is derived from the failed attempts, specifically those of the hapless character Lloyd (Nicholas Braun).

Nova idealistically says that prom is the one night where all students are united, regardless of cliques or social status. That's not true, but the charm of "Prom" is making you believe for a moment that it is, or if you're older than the target audience, that it was.