Can a glitzy Broadway adaptation truly capture the struggle for LGBTQ+ acceptance in Indiana?

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Ryan Murphy’s 2020 film adaptation of the hit musical The Prom brings Broadway stars to a small Indiana town to champion a lesbian student’s right to attend her school dance. While the film features a star-studded ensemble, its flashy, musical-driven approach to social advocacy sparked a polarized critical response.

The film follows Emma Nolan, a teenager in Edgewater, Indiana, who faces a school-wide ban on attending prom with her girlfriend. When a group of narcissistic Broadway actors, reeling from professional failures, decide to champion her cause to rehabilitate their own public images, the resulting clash between coastal celebrity culture and small-town prejudice forms the narrative core. The story is loosely inspired by a 2010 controversy within the Itawamba County School District, where a student similarly fought for the right to bring a female date to her prom.

Directed by Ryan Murphy, the project marked his fifth film for Netflix and the first under a significant $300 million deal. Murphy, who has actively pushed for better gender and ethnic diversity among production crews through his 2017 Half Initiative, assembled a high-profile cast including Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and James Corden. Production, which began in December 2019, faced a major disruption in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing a temporary suspension before filming concluded in the summer of 2020.

Critical reception was notably divided. Supporters praised the film as a joyous, well-intentioned homage to LGBTQ+ youth, highlighting its energetic musical numbers and message of self-love. Conversely, detractors labeled the narrative sloppy and emotionally hollow, arguing that its moralizing tone felt grating. A significant point of contention involved James Corden’s portrayal of a gay character; some critics argued that his performance relied on offensive stereotypes, questioning the choice of a straight actor for the role. Despite these mixed reviews, the film reached a wide audience upon its December 2020 release, serving as a high-visibility platform for its central message of inclusion.

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