mystemo Tell me, what do you get when you squeeze as many cheesy clichés into a movie as possible? Answer - Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story. I am gay and I was very embarrassed by this film, how it deals with a very topical issue regarding religion and homosexuality and, more to the point, Marc Hall's struggle through this ordeal. The humour (or attempt at such) dominated the film, so by the time we reached an emotionally exhausted Marc at the courthouse we have not had much of a chance to empathise with him because of the annoying crap inserted everywhere. This means what could have been a moving drama with light comedic elements, now becomes a farce. On many occasions gay people are shown as the token butch lesbian, the highly effeminate hand-model, the bear, the P-Flag Mother, the twink - all superficial stuff and totally misses the point the film is trying to make that no matter who you are, we all have the ability to love and be loved for who we are (my favourite bit at the end when the schoolkids leave the school to support Marc, they all seem to find a huge crate of rainbow flags at the Catholic school and run out of the school carrying them - PLEASE!). The perception that could be taken is that gay people are so far stretched from the average joe that they are freaks and are completely different to you and me. So many other films have covered the innate meaning of being gay so much better and this film is so very naive in terms of this. I felt for the actor portraying Marc because as his character was getting so fed up with all the pressure from the public, I could see he was the only one who got the message at all and getting frustrated too. All I can say is, try again and let's not continue to push the tired stereotypes of what it is to be gay.

jenniolson This uplifting comedy-drama is based on the true story of Marc Hall, the Canadian gay teen who sued the Catholic Church for not letting him bring his boyfriend to his High School Prom. Like a homo-positive "Afterschool Special," Prom Queen has a terrific cast which includes openly gay "Kids In The Hall" comedian Scott Thompson and rising star Aaron Ashmore as the blue-eyed, blue-haired rebel who boldly confronts the homophobic school board, and ultimately takes on the Catholic Church. This heartfelt story inspires and entertains as it offers up a heroic portrait of gay teen activism and portrays the true courage of his straight friends and family as they rally together to send Marc and his boyfriend to the prom.

pastoila 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

greenrose I remember cheering & tearing up when Marc Hall won his case in court. I also recall seeing his parents as being a bit media shy on TV news, but still way more articulate than the actors in this poor excuse for a film. It had nothing going for it, which is a shame and a waste of money and effort on an issue that is so vital.The actor playing Marc was way too old for the part, and his hair looked grey, not blue, through most of the film, unlike the real-life character. I gasped when I saw a thinning circle at the top of his head. Yikes, this was supposed to be a high school student? The target audience was obviously around 13-17, which was silly since this story also involved parents and teachers, and still does. The music mostly sounded like something from a child's play program at a circus, adding to the horrible comedy made out of some of the more serious elements of Marc's story, i.e., when coming out to his parents. I could barely hear much of the dialogue with it blaring in the foreground. While Marc gave his key court speech, the music turned horribly clichéd, full of sobbing violins. Of course, the music hardly mattered when Mr. & Mrs. Hall were on, since they were portrayed as unable to speak 99% of the time. Marc's boyfriend is given an attitude that makes us wonder why they even have a relationship. We know they did split up some time after the court case and the prom, but jeesh, they showed absolutely no affection or support for each at all. It's one thing to show viewers how stereotyping does exist, but the goofy gay males at the Hall home meeting were inexcusable. Marc's lawyer preening in the car mirror and manipulating Marc, rather than firmly supporting his case, was another item that helped push my vote way down. What really helped to plunge it down to 1/10 for "Awful" were the 3 female students who did their best to live up to the Bimbo label. Ugh, and Why?Oh, and there was no acting done at all during this film. What a waste. Canada - we can do better than this!