Saw a screening this week and overall it’s really good! It’s super faithful to the stage show (despite cutting a few songs) so if you liked the stage show you will definitely like the movie. Beautifully shot and great performances across the board. Absolutely loved it and looking forward to watching it again when it comes out on Amazon Prime!
So far the early reviews have been pretty positive, not praising it, but treating it as a perfectly decent movie musical that is recommendable. Which means it's off to a good start in comparison to Dear Evan Hansen.
I saw on Twitter* (*maybe) that someone called the movie " A 2.5 hour long RuPaul's Drag Race makeup chair sob story"..Yikes...although, glad to see elsewhere it is being talked about better.
"Ok ok ok ok ok ok ok. Have you guys heard about fidget spinners!?" ~Patti LuPone
I have been picking through the soundtrack and just read the interview with Tom MacRae. In it he talks about the new song they added called "This Was Me" which gives a history of the gay community. So I popped it on. Such a good song and it took me back. The lyrics had me choked up a bit because they fully described that time long ago when the gay community was carefree until the AIDS epidemic hit and changed everything. I lived through that and lost a lot of friends. But it was a most amazing time to be a pert of the gay community.
I like that they added this song to give Jamie a bit of history of the gay community. JMO
I preferred the film to the stage show. The cuts tighten the pace. Richard E Grant’s new song is miles above the stage counterpart and ads some needed context. After watching the queer teens of The Prom film get treated as mopey punching bags it’s nice to see a queer teen lead with some agency and bite.
FYI, as far as I've seen, Prime always releases their new original movies early on Thursday night, and I believe around 8 p.m. ET is the norm. I'll post again when it goes live, for those who want to watch tonight.
Just watched the live film with John McCrea. Wow! What a fantastic musical all around. I had zero interest in this musical though I was fully aware of all the hype. After reading a few comments regarding the new film adaptation, I decided to watch the stage production first. So glad I did. In rare form, I was actually looking forward to the musical numbers. And yes, I stood for the curtain call. Their performance radiated off the screen. Excited to see the film adaptation now. The trailer NOW made sense to me. Hahaha.
MrsSallyAdams said: "I preferred the film to the stage show. The cuts tighten the pace. Richard E Grant’s new song is miles above the stage counterpart and ads some needed context. After watching the queer teens of The Prom film get treated as mopey punching bags it’s nice to see a queer teen lead with some agency and bite."
I watched it last night and I fully agree with this. Amazon Prime finally has a very enjoyable movie musical from beginning to end, which was needed after sitting through Cinderella.
Skip23 said: "Jamie was fine if a bit old. I missed the willowiness of John McCrea.” Max Harwood is 24 compared to John being 28. I didn’t think his age was inappropriate whatsoever.
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Watched the stage version yesterday for the first time and LOVED the film adaptation enormously. Beyond faithful to the stage version, which was great to see.
Can't compare the stage and film versions but I went in with low expectations and found myself really enjoying it by the end. Priti was poorly written but the actress was good. I had some quibbles but the melodrama was surprisingly effective. I wish Richard E. Grant's character had been played by an openly gay actor but he was fine and I did like the song that's apparently a new addition. It really grounded the character and helped explain why he's so hopeful and supportive of Jamie. I think the weaker songs are towards the front (they're catchy but they're repetitive pop songs that don't do any storytelling) but as it unfolds, the songs get better and it's clear that it is a musical. The story is simple but the performances are great and it manages a deeply wholesome energy without being cloying or saccharine. The production numbers felt very TV but I think that helps calibrate your expectations for the vocals and the scale of the story.
Call_me_jorge said: "Skip23 said: "Jamie was fine if a bit old. I missed the willowiness of John McCrea.”Max Harwood is 24 compared to John being 28. I didn’t think his age was inappropriate whatsoever.”
In case many are unaware, John McCrea plays the young Loco Chanelle in the film.
I thought this was enjoyable and surprisingly touching (also, age appropriate actors!). Only issue was i could not make any of the words in the title song, which I am guessing was the Act 2 opener? It was able to make out the words (and enjoyed it more) in the credits.
"Observe how bravely I conceal this dreadful dreadful shame I feel."