The Prom: James Corden Criticized For His Role In The Film, Calling It ‘Appalling Performance’ (Pic credit: Facebook/James Corden}
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Ryan Murphy directorial The Prom is still to release on Netflix and viewers seem to not be impressed by James Corden’s performance in the film. The actor/comedian is now receiving a massive backlash for his ‘offensive’ portrayal of a gay character in the Netflix musical film.
The Netflix film The Prom is scheduled for a December 11, 2020 release on the streaming platform, coincidentally releasing in select theatres as well. In the film, The Late Late Show with James Corden host plays the role of a gay Broadway actor Barry Glickman, who is losing his stardom. Some critics claim that the role should have gone to Nathan Lane.
Vanity Fair’s Richard Lawson in his review wrote, “Corden, who is straight, is so bad in ‘The Prom’- somehow both appalling and terminally bland.” He even called Corden’s performance as “flitting and lisping around in the most uninspired of caricatures, misses all potential for nuance, and thus never finds even a hint of truth in the role.”
While Newsweek critic Samuel Spencer called James Corden’s portrayal of Barry Glickman “offensive,” The Hollywood Reporter critic David Rooney called his performance as “a flaming gay stereotype” and “channels the mannerisms without the joy.”
The embargo for #TheProm has lifted so we need to have the conversation about James Corden and whoever let him play a stereotype of a gay man that would have been offensive 25 years ago, never mind in 2020 https://t.co/ynBeaCjFjl
Tim Robey from The Telegraph also in his review stated, “In a cast full of talented queer actors in the younger parts, it’s a massive problem to have Corden in gay-face front and center.” He further explained, “In a cast full of talented queer actors in the younger parts, it’s a massive problem to have Corden in gay-face front and center.”
While many critics slammed James Corden’s performance, TV Guide writer Damian Holbrook had praised his performance in the film calling it fantastic. A Twitter user asked him in disbelief, “The pussy from Cats is fantastic?” To which, he replied, “I know!”
my notes on #TheProm
-Corden is fantastic.
-watch Streep watch her costars. It’s beautiful
-K. Washington has the single-best scene. TEARS!
-Even when he’s in the background, Andrew Rannells delivers 1000% (also his big number is fire)
-hire Keegan Michael Key for everything
So far neither James Corden nor Ryan Murphy has issued any comment to the backlash.
Apart from James Corden, The Prom stars Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Keegan-Michael Key, Andrew Rannells and Kerry Washington. The film centres around fading Broadway stars who are determined to make a high school student’s prom dream come true as part of a PR stunt to resurrect her public image.
