The Prom (1999)

The big night is here. From the fresh corsages and hairdos to the sweaty last dance and the morning after, The Prom tracks a group of students from Montreal's FACE High School, charting 24 hours of a great adolescent ritual. Observant and affectionate, this film captures a wealth of telling detail. The teary conversations with parents over morning coffee--Mon choux. You've grown up so fast. The long hours at the beauty salon--Do I need more mascara? The preparations for the after-grad booze-up--Drinking is the heart and soul of my social life. The film bops along, infected by all those raging teenage hormones, against a hip soundtrack that combines Montreal acts like Bran Van 3000 with the lush sentiment of Louis Armstrong. Finally, the cameras capture the bittersweet dawn on Mount Royal as the group disperses. Part Cinderella, part American Graffiti, with a dash of Saturday Night Fever, The Prom is smart, touching and funny--a movie snapshot that appeals to the teenager in everyone.