MOVIE REVIEW - Prom

Disney's new teen love story, Prom is in theaters this week.

Oh, no! All the prom decorations have been destroyed in a fire. Prom is three weeks away, what are we gonna do? Oh yeah, and Nova the class president doesn't have a date! This is terrible!

OK, enough kidding around, but that's the basic story of this new movie rated PG, that stars Aimee Teegarden as Nova and Thomas McDonnel as the sullen rebel teen, Jessie. Nova is of course the goodie-two shoes student without a blemish and she is in charge of making sure the prom goes off without a hitch. Jessie, the motorcycle riding teen has just gotten in trouble with the principal and now he must help Nova replace and make the prom decorations as part of his detention. So this sounds a bit silly? It is to you and me, but for middle school or early high school age girls, this movie will be right on the money.

Prom is a great example of an age old formula. Squeaky clean girl, and the rebel young boy. Opposites attract. With Nova and Jessie fall for each other? And will he ask her to the prom in the end? Well, of course he will. This is no secret. But as in these kinds of flicks, the audience doesn't care they know the answer before they walk in. There is joy in watching the predictable journey. And that's OK with me.

Prom is not for me. It's for a young adolescent crowd and it serves who it intends too very well. It's story, plot line, execution and casting set a far more tolerable and far less intense example than the Twilight movies. True, this is not going to be the hit Twilight is, and that's fine too. It may be said this is a poor mans Twilight. But Prom doesn't try to fool you that adults may like this movie. Prom is for a young audience, and they need movies too that aren't animated , computer generated or inappropriate. And Prom is none of these. Overall, Prom goes to great lengths to be safe for teens, and not to be square. - Kudos.

Teegarden is very good in this breakout role, very well cast, and so is McDonnel. Lot's of side characters and side plots too many to mention. All very easy to relate too, know matter how old you are. Some things about growing up never change.

Prom. Overall for whom it's for and who will go, this is timely and OK.