There’s nothing like an upbeat musical to lift the spirits. For the participating players in the show, they too aren’t immune to those charms. Just ask Academy Award winning actresses Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman. They both had their moods boosted performing in director/ producer Ryan Murphy’s adaptation of THE PROM.
Streep had not actually seen the live show when she initially gotten the call from Murphy to play Dee Dee Allen, an aging diva on the Broadway circuit. Judging by the audience’s reaction to show, when she finally was able to catch it, she was surprised to learn it was set to close. At the film’s recent virtual press conference, she said,
“I couldn’t believe it! It was absolutely packed. I’ve honestly never heard a reaction like that in a theater. People were standing on their seats, screaming and crying and laughing.”
At first she was confused that she was given the most dancing out of the cast to do, considering her character didn’t in the Broadway show.
“I’m the oldest person in the cast and I have the most dancing [to do], which didn’t make sense to me. When I saw the Broadway show, I noticed that the leading lady didn’t do a lot of dancing. I was very encouraged to see that.”
It was only after accepting the role and flying out to Los Angeles for the rehearsals did the affable actress become aware that she’d be required to strap on her dancing shoes.
“Then all hell broke loose when they laid out to me what it was. It was a lot of dancing. I got in shape. It’s a lot of stamina. It was hard work, but really, really fun.”
Murphy had built in a lot of rehearsal time into the production’s schedule before shooting so that his cast could bond. This musical bootcamp of sorts turned out to be a smart move on his part.
“We took over a very large space at Paramount Pictures and trained as much as we could. I think when you’re making a musical, it’s where the cast becomes like a Broadway troupe. Everybody cheered each other on. There were injuries and ice and it became a very great bonding experience. Everybody was free to try things.”
Nicole Kidman, who plays washed up Broadway chorus girl Angie Dickinson, was pleased to have the rehearsal time to really nail the complex choreography.
“We had 6 weeks of rehearsal before. These days, the rehearsal period just gets shoved aside. But we came in and we diligently rehearsed.”
Maybe it was over-confidence on her part, but she had also grossly misjudged how much time she thought it would take to learn the moves for her character’s Fosse-inspired solo number, “Zazz.”
“I came in thinking, ‘Oh yeah. I can do this.’ It was terrifying because the Fosse dancing is so specific. I had this amazing group of dancers who just trained me and trained me with the patience of saints. Actually, it was really fun.”
The UNDOING star was impressed by how the entire ensemble crushed their dance numbers.
“I remember seeing Meryl do her first number on the first week and going, ‘Oh my God! This is so, so good.’ I looked at her and went, ‘You can do that too?!’”
Streep took comfort in the film’s sense of community.
“When we were in the rehearsals, we’d be struggling with these numbers and then the young people would get up and lift the roof with their exuberance and joy and vitality.”
This is also the ingredient she values most about making musicals.
“It’s the breakout aspect of musicals: the lid comes off the pressure of your life. It’s irresistible in movie musicals when people start to dance.”
THE PROM begins streaming on Netflix on December 11.
Starring: George Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Tiffany Boone, Demián Bichir, Kyle Chandler, Caoilinn Springall, Sophie Rundle
Despite the great success George Clooney has had in front of the camera as a dashing, charismatic leading man, he’s had a pretty dismal career as a director. Outside of GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, his other offerings haven’t hit critically or commercially. At its best, THE MIDNIGHT SKY is a middling effort. It’s an unwieldy piece, suffering from difficulty connecting two separate narrative tracks into one cohesive picture. It’s clear he’s pulling inspiration from GRAVITY, THE MARTIAN, AD ASTRA and THE REVENANT, but few of those films’ strong qualities show up here. That combo of survivalist and space movie influences should be winning, yet here we are.
The emptiness within the Barbeau Observatory in the Arctic Circle feels cavernous. It’s February 2049, 3 weeks after “the event” (a.k.a. post-apocalypse). Earth’s atmosphere has become toxic and it’s only a matter of time before the region’s air will be infected too. While everyone else has abandoned the outpost in search of more viable living conditions, Astronomer Augustine Lofthouse (Clooney), who’s suffering from an isolating terminal illness, has chosen to stay behind to man the station. He’s tracking the spaceship Aether, which is returning to Earth after a long mission to determine if human life can be sustained on Jupiter’s recently-discovered moon K-23. Aether’s crew is comprised of pilot Mitchell (Kyle Chandler), Mission Specialist Sullivan (Felicity Jones), Flight Commander Adewole (David Oyelowo), and Communications Analysts Maya (Tiffany Boone) and Sanchez (Demián Bichir). They were on their way home when the cataclysmic event occurred, causing a three-week blackout in their communications with Mission Control. It’s only 12 more hours until Augustine can potentially make contact again to warn them of the dangers that await upon their return.
However, a few wrenches are thrown into Augustine and the Aether’s plans, threatening to send both off course. The Aether crew is challenged with the usual space-movie tropes like meteor showers, crew expendability and debating mission objectives. Back on Earth, mute child Iris (Caoilinn Springall) was accidentally left behind at the observatory, automatically becoming the aging astronomer’s charge. Augustine also must contend with daily transfusions to keep his illness at bay. In addition, his transmitter is too weak to reach the Aether, so his only option is to brave stormy, snowy conditions to reach a stronger antenna at a remote weather station. His lifelong quest to help man repopulate another planet may or may not happen in his lifetime.
Felicity Jones and David Oyelowo in THE MIDNIGHT SKY. Courtesy of Netflix.
Screenwriter Mark L. Smith’s adaptation – based on the novel “Good Morning, Midnight” by Lily Brooks-Dalton – does a sufficient job extrapolating the book’s themes of isolation and connection, which reverberate throughout the narrative, aesthetics and soundscapes. Alexandre Desplat’s symphonic score feels expansive and emotionally robust. Martin Ruhe’s sparkling cinematography is crisp with its subtle, steely cool undertones. Jim Bissell’s chic, lean production design – especially on the sleek ergonomics inside the ship – gives the film a rich texture.
Since this is Clooney’s film, his character is the most developed. They delve into Augustine’s moral complexities, portraying him as someone who “saves the cat,” which in this case is the young laconic stranger, but also takes a life, compassionately killing a half-dead man. The fascinating dichotomies don’t end there. He’s an explorer whose quest is to ensure humans live on, but whose own life is passing him by. There’s a good relationship dynamic established between Augustine and the youngster so when their survivalist mission begins, we genuinely care and feel invested in their safety. The dinner scene where the pair flick peas back and forth at each other is cute, and also adds needed levity, as later there isn’t room for any. Attempts to do the same for the Aether astronauts, seeing them spend time in their personal hologram simulations, or engaging in a group sing-a-long to Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” is an admirable way to endear them to us– though these situations feel more expected than delightful. They’re dealt short shrift when it comes to fleshing out their characters beyond one dimension.
Jumping back and forth between the two storylines – one set in space and the other on Earth – robs each of their momentum. Their connective tissue, which intertwines through emotional through-lines and survival scenarios faced by both Sullivan and Augustine, is fairly thin and doesn’t leave much room for profundity. While Augustine’s physical and psychological stakes are bestowed with a sense of pressing urgency and further character development, the crews’ travails play like an amalgam of generic scenarios seen in space films past. There are also a few flashbacks that augment Augustine’s backstory – those featuring his failed relationship with an ex-girlfriend (Sophie Rundle). Those too take away from the narrative propulsion, and worse, lead into a gimmicky twist.
Perhaps the worst thing about THE MIDNIGHT SKY is its unreached potential. Failing to leave the audience with much to ponder after the credits roll is one thing. Not delivering wholly engaging characters to tether them the story is another.
Grade: 2 out of 5
THE MIDNIGHT SKY begins streaming on Netflix on December 23.
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