Benny Fine’s 2017 film "F the Prom" is a campy high school dramedy centering on Cole (Joel Courtney) and Maddy (Danielle Campbell), who were close neighbors but drift apart when they start high school; Cole experiences constant bullying while Maddy rises to become the most popular student. They reconnect two and a half years later, joining forces with a group of misfits to sabotage the Prom, which is portrayed as the ultimate contest for teen status. The number of one-star ratings this movie has on IMDb seems excessive. While it’s true that the film was made on a limited budget, it's not deserving of such harsh criticism. Some viewers complain about the lack of realism, but this feels unfair given its intentionally over-the-top style—it’s comparable to criticizing the 1960s Batman television series for being unrealistic. There is definitely silliness and exaggeration throughout "F the Prom," and that's by design. Despite all that, the movie touches on some genuine issues related to popularity and the desire to fit in. Others have suggested the film’s message isn’t clear, or that characters act inconsistently; however, I think the themes are quite apparent, and any shifts in character behavior simply reflect the nature of teenage impulsiveness. Overall, it's a decent low-budget high school movie, though I found it to be somewhat overly verbose. The familiar “gay” character appears as well, but the film deserves credit for showing that even within LGBTQ+ communities, there are social hierarchies and those who don’t fit in can face exclusion. Danielle Campbell and Madelaine Petsch both deliver good performances, although I believe the director could have highlighted their looks more effectively—and I'm not suggesting nudity. Meg DeLacy is charming and smart as Stuft (also known as City), and she has a lovely face, though she might benefit from gaining some weight. The film’s running time is 1 hour and 32 minutes, and it was filmed in Southern California. The Fine Brothers and Molly Prather wrote the screenplay. My rating: C

Source on TMDB