Prom Queen

Greengoose: You are most definitely entitled to your opinion, but I think there's a limit as to just how harsh one can be. Considering all the negative things you said regarding the film, I'm actually pretty surprised you managed to watch the whole movie. I actually enjoyed the film. You said that the characters were poorly and inaccurately represented...that Aaron Ashmore was too old to play Marc; what you're escaping to keep in mind is that teens in movies are rarely ever played by teenagers anymore. You also said that they made a mockery of the story and the people in which it is about...I don't think it is a mockery--I think the film makers wanted to portray the story in a less intense light. And those three girls--the bimbos--you were talking about, I happen to be friends with one of them.

If this seems abrupt, I am sorry...I just think you should have thought a little more before posting what you posted. You didn't like the film, alright, that's your right. You don't have to like it; but please give those who worked on the film credit for doing so.

~Pastoila

PROM QUEEN succeeds not only because it is a controversial subject based on a true incident, but because of the light touch director John L'Ecuyer adds to the dimension of storytelling. Writers Michael MacLennan and Kent Staines have pieced together the facts from a now famous 'hearing' in Quebec concerning one teenage boy's challenging the Catholic Church school policies about sexual preferences in preventing him from attending a high school Prom and have fleshed out the characters to make the story not only meaningfully important but also entertaining.

Marc Hall (Aaron Ashmore) is a fun-loving, blue-haired gay lad who has a partner Jason (Mac Fyfe) and is comfortable in a semi-closeted way, and who attends a Catholic high school in Quebec. He is fortunate to have a band of accepting and supporting friends like Beau (eye candy actor Trevor Blumas) and Carly (Tamara Hope) among others who encourage Marc to bring his boyfriend to the upcoming Prom. The school officials - principal and school board - are adamant that the Catholic Church regards sames sex relationships as sin and refuse to allow Marc to consider attending the Prom with Jason.

Marc decides to 'come out' to his parents Emily (Marie Tifo) and Audy (Jean Pierre Bergeron) and they warmly assure him they have known for years ("Your hair. It's blue. And you have a poster of Celine Dion on your wall. We know.") With the support of his friends and a gay lawyer Lonnie Winn (Scott Thompson), Marc agrees to challenge the school/church stance and in a touching courtroom drama Marc pleads his case. Though due to the familiarity of the case the audience knows from the beginning that Marc Hall won his right to attend the Prom with Jason, it is in the telling that the story takes flight.

Though 'made for TV' budgetary constraints and format are obvious, PROM QUEEN boasts some fine actors and manages to bring to the screen another important hallmark in the Human Rights field. While some may avoid this film for fear of its being a 'gay movie', rest assured that the content is handled in a touching and realistic way. Recommended for all audiences, especially the teens who need to see both sides of a bit of history. Grady Harp

For those of you not privileged to live in Canada, or for those of you who haven't heard of or haven't seen this movie, you have certainly missed out. Marc Hall, a young man living in Quebec, registers his prom date as per his Catholic school's rules. He is denied his request, because his prom date is a boy. Marc Hall is an openly gay teenager in a very conservative Catholic school. This film documents his struggles (legal, emotional, ethical and personal) to be himself and to live his life the way he deems best. With the help of friends, family and supporters, "Cinderfella" makes it to the ball, With his Prince Charming. 9/10 because it is a fabulous story, and a very important social issue, but the acting and cinematography is a little lacking at times.

"Prom Queen" is indeed a modern-day "fairy" tale, complete with the happily-ever-after ending. And the film regrettably has all of the depth of a fairy tale.

The film tells the story of Marc Hall, the Canadian gay teen who fought the Catholic school system for the right to take his boyfriend to his high-school prom. Hall is presented as a knight-in-shining-armor hero slaying the fire-breathing dragon of archaic church doctrine. Needless to say, in this "fairy" tale, there are no damsels in distress.

The film is deliberately calculated to offend Catholic sensibilities. Title cards at the beginning of each segment make direct reference to articles of Catholic faith. For instance, Marc's coming-out is called "Annunciation". There are crucifixes, plaster statues and holy pictures everywhere, and Marc himself is shown (not once, but twice) framed by a crucifix of light, thus casting him in a saviour role.

A telling detail is that a rosary hangs from the mirror in Marc's room, with little evidence that it serves any more than a purely decorative purpose. Even more telling is that the rosary is juxtaposed with photos of Marc and his boyfriend, not to mention the mirror itself, as if to suggest where Marc's real interests lie.

There is never any indication that Marc has never struggled with his own sexuality, or that his spirituality has ever been anything but skin-deep. Indeed, the "good guys" in the film are all stoutly secular and anti-clerical, and all the "bad guys" (read: pro-Church) are pained, cramped and anal-retentive.

Curiously absent is any reference to Dignity, the gay Catholic organization with chapters in Canada and the United States.

To be fair, "Prom Queen" does show a few bumps along the road to Marc's newfound gay freedom. His boyfriend is closeted and not terribly supportive. His lawyer (played by Scott Thompson of "Kids in the Hall" fame) is probably using Marc as a stepping-stone in his career. To Toronto's gay newspaper, Xtra!, Marc may be nothing more than a front-page poster boy.

The film is also reductionist in its vision of what it means to be gay. Marc's mother (played by Quebec actress Marie Tifo) sums this vision up in a nutshell when she responds to Marc's coming-out by saying, "Your hair is blue. You have a poster of Celine Dion in your bedroom. We know." Ah, if only coming out were so easy for us all!

The Marc Hall story made me uncomfortable at the time, and the film version leaves me with the same feeling. It seemed like such a trivial matter in the broad scheme of things, and it was trivialized even further by the media circus/feeding frenzy/cult (gay and straight) that developed around Marc Hall. And where is he today? Did he -- or anyone else involved, for that matter -- really live happily ever after? Somehow, I doubt it.

Student at a Catholic school, gay teenager Marc Hall (Aaron Ashmore) is denied permission to attend his school prom with his boyfriend. Marc sues the Catholic church in an attempt to overturn the school boards decision, in time for the prom...but will he, or won't he make it to the ball?...

If nothing else, at least a film like this get's people posting comments....and after reading some of them, i feel disheartened by the progress society has apparently made in the acceptance of homosexuality. One person wrote that the male couple (Aaron Ashmore and Mak Fyfe) were 'too good looking to be gay...as it is a well known fact that most gay people are average looking and a little effeminate' There were also comments suggesting that the roles have been wasted on heterosexual actors, and whilst i support the the advancement of gay actors in the movies i find it ridiculous to expect 'only' gays to play gay roles...after all that is why they call it acting!...should we then deny gay actors roles in films were they must kiss a female?...i think not On the subject of this particular movie, there were a number of things that frustrated me number 1...was the complete lack of affection between Marc and Jason, which for me just didn't wash. There was nothing remotely 'couple like' going on. number 2...there were a couple of pointless 'people' and stories, fitted in around the main structure which had no conclusion and no purpose other than to fill the gaps along the way. primarily the '3 girls' and the boys arranging the hotels for getting laid on prom night...it's a sign of bad story telling and one of my pet hates! number 3...whilst i would normally argue that a fictional piece of work carries very little responsibility to represent the group it is portraying...this film is a little different as it does represent actual events...therefore i was disappointed by the lack of any real or deep argument relating to the catholic church, it's teachings and homosexuality...this subject was skimmed over at best and left this a very mild and unoffensive movie (some may say uninteresting).

Overall the film moved along reasonably well, was not especially taxing on the brain (as nearly all of the legal process was omitted), and passed a couple of hours. It could have been so much better...and of course so much worse!