RHODY LIFE

At the Movies with Joyce and Don

Posted 12/24/20

THE PROM

***½

(Campy Broadway musical)

In this Netflix film, Broadway veterans have a big flop with a musical about Eleanor Roosevelt. The show closes on opening night.

They look …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in
RHODY LIFE

At the Movies with Joyce and Don

Posted

THE PROM

***½

(Campy Broadway musical)

In this Netflix film, Broadway veterans have a big flop with a musical about Eleanor Roosevelt. The show closes on opening night.

They look for a cause to champion and win favor with their fans. A small-town Indiana lesbian wants to bring her date to the prom. The conservatives object, and the nasty PTA president (Kerry Washington) cancels the prom.

The stars hop a bus to the Midwestern town to help the girl, with blatant ulterior motives. This being a Broadway musical, they break into song and dance at every turn.

Meryl Streep plays the primadonna Dee Dee Allen; James Corden plays her gay co-star; Nicole Kidman is the chorus girl with big dreams; and Andrew Rannells is the unemployed actor. They make a great team as the sing, dance and become activists for gay rights.

How will this all end?

Well, it is a musical, and like good fairy tales, is destined to end happily ever after.

The performances are all over the top, but if you are a musical fan, you should have fun for nearly two and a quarter hours.

RETRIBUTION

***

(English murder mystery)

This 2016 English murder mystery, also on Netflix, opens with the killing of a newly married couple. The young man and woman grew up as neighbors in a farming community.

Then, the apparent murderer is driving on a dark and stormy night, only to be met by disaster. That leads to a two-family cover up and lots of secrets being revealed.

The limited series has a number of twists and turns, leading to a bizarre conclusion that I had trouble buying into.

MANHUNT: UNABOMBER

****

(Based on true events)

You may remember the events surrounding the Unabomber, the man who terrified the entire country back in the late ’90s.

Netflix tells the story of the FBI’s long and complex attempt to capture and try him for the murders of many innocent people, including those on an airplane flight.

The story centers around Jim Fitzgerald, a young linguistic profiler who is seldom taken seriously by his bosses and other FBI agents.

Fitzgerald is obsessed with the Unabomber, getting inside his head and actually gaining his confidence.

The eight-episode series ends with the capture and trial after the Unabomer’s manifesto is printed in the Washington Post.

The effect that the case has on Fitzgerald is overwhelming.

“Manhunt” is one of the best things I have watched on Netflix.

movies, entertainment

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here