 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Prom
- Review Date: April 13, 2011
- PG
- Genre: Drama
- 2011
Common Sense Media says
Unrealistic prom flick is bland for teens, fine for tweens.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this Disney-fied take on a quintessential teen rite of passage is tween friendly. Unlike most movies featuring high schoolers, the characters in Prom don't swear, discuss sex, or indulge in overt public displays of affection. Characters do date and flirt, but only kissing is shown. There's some tension between a rogueish character and a group of guys who disrespect his mother, but the ensuing fight is brief and only shows one punch and some shoving. There's no drinking, and the language is limited to "stupid," "loser," and the like. The cast is diverse, and all of the teens make parent-approved decisions like leaving a two-timing boyfriend and not giving up a spot at a top university for a guy.
What's the story?
Class president Nova Prescott (Aimee Teegarden) is in charge of planning her school's senior PROM. Everywhere she looks, guys are going to elaborate lengths to ask potential dates to the dance, but Brandon (Jonathan Keltz), the boy she's interested in, simply asks her to carpool together instead of making it a big deal. Her mild disappointment is replaced by horror when she realizes that all of the prom decorations have been destroyed in a small campus fire. The principal (Jere Burns) offers the help of Jesse Richter (Thomas McDonell), a troubled senior who must help Nova reconstruct the decor as punishment for his truancy. The two hesitantly begin to work together every day after school, and as they begin to see past each other's reputations, the rest of the senior class deals with their own personal dramas in the lead up to the big night.
Is it any good?
Parents looking for a completely tame high school movie for their younger kids to watch will be thrilled with this PG version of adolescence. Director Joe Nussbaum has so rigorously Disney-fied the high school experience that the characters act more like Disney Channel or Nickelodeon TV tweens than real teenagers. In the Prom universe, no one is belligerent or rebellious or even hormonal. Jesse skips class to help his single mom, and when it's revealed that the school 's big jock, Tyler (DeVaughn Nixon), is cheating on his prom queen-wannabe girlfriend, Jordan (Kylie Bunbury), she breaks up with him without betraying any bitter recriminations. It's like these teens are from another planet where high school is devoid of any wild and crazy -- or even merely emotional -- students.
Naturally, such a sugary-sweet take on the last month of senior year is fine for tweens, because it's definitely not aimed at actual high schoolers. While teens are likely to laugh right along with the adults, a 10-year-old may not pick up on all of the clichés -- like when Jesse takes off his lumberjack flannel shirt to reveal muscular arms, or when he croons to Nova "When I'm about to kiss you, you'll know."
What families can talk about
Families can talk about whether this is a realistic depiction of the way teens behave. Why might the filmmakers decide to clean things up a bit? Does that make the movie any less appealing?
Is prom really as important as Nova -- and the movie -- makes it seem?
Who's the target audience for this movie? Is it teens or younger tweens and kids? How can you tell?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Good but pretty girly
I thought that this movie was really good but some things were just really predictable. I think that it wad more of a "chick flick" as you would call it. I would think that it would be a good movie for a bunch of girls to watch at a sleepover or something.
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AGE
Could be titled "Another one of those teenage high school movies"
And disneys done way to many of them. High school is not Candyland, Disney Channel.
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Kid, 10 years old
May 2, 2011
AGE
Great for kids 8 to 17+
I want to see this movie so freakin' bad! But nooo, my dad said, "You're too young!" What a freak, he hasn't even seen it!
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AGE
Cheesy, but actually a really cute movie.
When I went to see it, there were a lot of other girls my age in the theater, and they seemed to be enjoying it just as much as I was. I thought the Common Sense rating and comment was completely stupid. Any smart ones here know this is supposed to be a comedy movie?
I thought the cliches and jokes were hilarious. There were no insulting or dirty comedy which is awesome. And I thought overall this was a very cute movie. Even if they portray high school in their own little disney universe where everything turns out right in the end. And even so, doesn't that alone make people feel happy?
I just got over a bad breakup and this movie seriously made me feel a lot better!
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Kid, 11 years old
May 4, 2011
AGE
AMAZING!
this was a really good movie! awesome.
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AGE
Pre-teen movie.
"Weird" is how the group of 9yo and 10yo I took to see it. However, they enjoyed it well enough. Completely innocent look at realistic teenage drama.
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AGE
Not a bad movie for tweens and young teens
I'm generally not a Disney fan, but I thought this movie was ok. The storyline was predictable, I went with two 13 year-olds. They called it "cute". It was totally clean with a little bit of teenage kissing. One of the best messages was the popular girl who decided that it was better to go to the prom alone than to go with someone who wasn't treating her right.
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AGE
Cute for tweens!
It was entertaining,but it got a little boring in the middle of the movie defintely for younger teens.
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| Topics: | high school |
| Studio: | Walt Disney Pictures |
| Director: | Joe Nussbaum |
| Cast: | Aimee Teegarden, DeVaughn Nixon, Nicholas Braun, Thomas McDonell |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 104 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | April 29, 2011 |
| DVD release date: | August 30, 2011 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | mild language and a brief fight |
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