Prom Dates (2024)

User Review

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  ScreenZealots

  6 / 10

  While comparisons to “Booksmart” are inevitable, the perfectly acceptable Hulu streamer “Prom Dates” (from director Kim O. Nguyen) stands on its own as a cute and charming film that knows its audience well. It’s the kind of movie that will resonate with its target demographic, while others might dismiss it as pedestrian and forgettable. It’s not total garbage, but mostly because the film doesn’t pretend to be more than what it is and celebrates the significant moments that define the awkward high school experience.
  
  Jess (Antonia Gentry) and Hannah (Julia Lester) are best friends who, at 13, made a pact to have the perfect prom. Nothing is going as planned, and everything really falls apart when they each lose their dates the day before the big event. It’s a straightforward story about horny teenage girls and their quest for the senior soirée of their dreams.
  
  There’s a nice comeraderie to the friendship between the two lead characters, and Lester and Gentry have a natural rapport that’s fun and sincere. Their antics and inside jokes make for some genuinely funny and heartwarming moments, but beyond their dynamic, the characters feel like they’re plucked straight from a teen movie playbook. What does stand out is the refreshingly organic queer storyline, which feels like a breath of fresh air in a genre often guilty of forced, token representation. It’s handled with care and authenticity, adding a layer of depth to an otherwise shallow pool of characters.
  
  The film tiptoes the line of being slightly naughty without ever crossing into too-risqué territory, and screenwriter D.J. Mausner manages to sprinkle in some inspired and seriously amusing one-liners and gags. It’s just a shame they’re often drowned out by the lukewarm plot and thinly written characters.
  
  “Prom Dates” doesn’t cement itself as a teen movie classic, but it accurately captures the essence of senior year shenanigans with humor and heart.
  
  By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS

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