The Big Picture

Big comedic swings in
Prom Dates
mostly pay off.
The film doesn’t do enough to develop its characters or make us understand their motivations.
Antonia Gentry and Julia Lester commit to their roles and have great chemistry.

Production company American High has been making a name for itself in the teen comedy space, carving out a niche of films that embody the spirit of beloved John Hughes classics while giving them a modern twist. From Plan B to Crush, they’ve put out some real gems that tackle current issues of everything from the morning-after pill to coming out with a blend of raunchy humor and heartwarming moments. Prom Dates fits their brand nicely, and while it doesn’t quite reach the heights of its best projects, there’s still plenty to love about the simple and sweet yet sometimes stereotypical flick.

Prom Dates Run Time 1 hr 25 min Director Kim O Nguyen Release Date May 3, 2024 Actors Julia Lester, Antonia Gentry, JT Neal, Jordan Buhat, Zión Moreno, Terry Hu, John Michael Higgins, Chelsea Handler

What Is ‘Prom Dates’ About?

Prom Dates feels like the Avengers: Endgame of teen television, bringing ambassadors from nearly every popular young adult show together for a cinematic event. There’s Antonia Gentry from Ginny & Georgia, who plays Jess, a high schooler desperate to win prom queen, even going so far as to date popular but sleazy Luca (Jordan Buhat, Grown-ish) to do it. Her best friend is Hannah (Julia Lester, one of the best parts of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), who’s dating Greg (Kenny Ridwan, The Goldbergs) even though she is secretly a lesbian with a crush on Angie (Terry Hu, Never Have I Ever). There’s also Gossip Girl’s Zión Moreno as a scene-stealing college student nicknamed “Vodka Heather,” Alexa & Katie’s Emery Kelly as a hilarious concussion-prone frat bro, and John Michael Higgins as the principal, who’s fresh off his role as a different principal in the gone-too-soon Saved by the Bell reboot.

The premise is straightforward. The film opens on a flashback of a younger Jess and Hannah making a blood oath, vowing to have the perfect prom. Unfortunately, just 24 hours before the big day, it looks like making good on this pact is going to be more difficult than they originally thought, as Jess finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her, and Hannah is struggling to embrace her sexuality as Greg grows increasingly clingy. The two set out on a wild night filled with hijinks to try and find new dates so they can live their dreams, but the pressure threatens the most important thing of all — their friendship.

‘Prom Dates’ Lacks Characterization and Nuance

The main reason Prom Dates doesn’t always work is its confused tone, as it tries to mix the humor of American Pie with the quirkiness of Booksmart and the message of a Disney Channel Original Movie. The story itself feels aimed toward pre-teens like 2011’s Prom or 2023’s Prom Pact, though the way it’s told keeps it from being appropriate for that audience, with the comedy and content more Blockers-esque. The genericness of the plot and lack of character development drag it down most drastically.

This is particularly evident with Jess as her motivation never makes sense. She desperately wants to win prom queen, but we never get a specific reason why it’s so important to her. She’s insecure, that much is clear, but there’s no exploration as to where that lack of self-esteem stems from. We’re not privy to her family life, nor do we get a real sense of the school hierarchy or where she and Hannah fall on the social food chain, so to speak. They seem relatively well-liked, and they’re not shown as being bullied, which makes the stakes feel low and hollow. Instead of digging into her past or getting any real depth, she’s reduced to delivering cliché platitudes like, “Going alone is like admitting nobody wanted to go with you — going with someone popular means I made it.” Gentry does her best with what she has, and she fares better on the comedy side of things, but unfortunately, she’s not given a lot of inspiring material with which to work.

Hannah fares slightly better, as her journey grappling with her sexuality is more grounded and substantial. But one can’t help wishing it was handled with a bit more care and nuance. It’s moving to see almost everyone immediately accept her for who she is, and the absence of abuse or trauma is refreshing. However, coming out can be a confusing, vulnerable, and scary process regardless of how the people close to you react — a fact that the film doesn’t present with particular eloquence. Hannah should be held accountable for making mistakes, especially when they hurt people, but she’s given very little grace, all things considered. She didn’t date Greg with malicious intent — it was and is a common form of self-protection — but people come down hard on her for that decision, painting her as a manipulative liar. Prom Dates tries to make a very gray situation black-and-white, which ultimately doesn’t do Hannah’s storyline justice.

The Humor of ‘Prom Dates’ Is a Mixed Bag
Image via Hulu

Luckily, despite its downfalls, Gentry and Lester have charisma and chemistry — enough to make watching them bounce off one another for an hour and a half a good time. They each fully commit to the often outlandish moments, and their banter and friendship are where the movie shines brightest. In lesser hands, dialogue that integrates pop culture — like “I would rather get in a Lyft with Thelma and Louise” and “I was giving handjobs to a guy with a Glee bumper sticker” — could come off cringe, but they’re delivered with snappy wit.

Unfortunately, not all the humor works as well. The film can’t help but fall into cliché gags, an over-reliance on lukewarm slapstick, and an abundance of gross-out humor. From the principal putting a condom on his head during a sex ed lecture or a chain of vomiting that goes on a few beats too long, a few moments seem lazy — like we’ve seen them a million times before. The bigger the film swings, the bigger laughs it evokes, with the more bizarre and absurdist plotlines giving it a wild Bottoms-like tone. Chelsea Handler is great in a weird but hilarious role as Greg’s mom training her beloved yet homicidal dog to communicate using buttons, and Jess nearly being sacrificed by an evil Italian man at a party shouldn’t work, but oddly does.

While Prom Dates doesn’t handle the drama of Hannah’s coming out perfectly, it nails the comedic aspects. Lines like “I had to think of Rachel Weisz in The Mummy to cum” and “My music taste is all women who sound like ghosts anyway” are sure to tickle the sapphics — especially the ones who were obsessed with the elementary school teachers and have DMed Sarah Paulson while under the influence. More queer representation is important, but it’s crucial that it not always be depressing and feel authentic to the community it’s representing. Prom Dates manages to do both, letting us see lesbian joy alongside lesbian clownery and imperfection, too.

Prom Dates mostly blends into the countless other films that cover the same subject matter, but there are a few moments here and there that elevate it to something more. While the characters are thinly drawn and their arcs underbaked, the comedy is there for the most part. It’s not likely to join the ranks of sleepover staples like Mean Girls or Clueless, but there are certainly far worse ways to spend 85 minutes.

Prom Dates Prom Dates doesn’t dig deep enough with its characters, but the great comedy beats somewhat make up for it.ProsThe film takes some big comedic swings, and they mostly pay off.The LGBTQ+ humor feels specific and authentic.Antonia Gentry and Julia Lester fully commit to their roles and have nice chemistry. ConsJess? storyline feels underbaked, and Hannah?s isn?t handled with the nuance it deserves.The combination of raunchy humor and Disney-like messages can make for a strange tone.The film occasionally succumbs to comedy clichés.

Prom Dates is now available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

Watch on Hulu