Educational Media Reviews Online

Prom Night in Kansas City takes a close look at the tradition of prom - its meaning, its rituals, and its malleability. Prom has become a rite of passage for many in America; for some it is even considered an institution. Co-director Hali Lee admits that she found her own prom experience disappointing. Rather than finding it the formative experience she expected, instead she found a “disconnect between expectation and reality.” Convinced that she must have missed something, Lee and her fellow director Peter von Ziegesar set out to delve deeper into the prom experiences of others.

Lee and von Ziegesar look at four different proms: those of an urban public school, a private, conservative religious school, a wealthy suburban school, and a gay and lesbian organization. As might be expected, there are some drastic differences between the groups. CPRS, (the religious school) for instance, puts their students through a rigorous prom dress vetting procedure, whereas at Passages (the gay and lesbian organization), part of the appeal for prom participants is that cross dressing is allowed. Then there’s attitude. While the urban students take prom very seriously, the suburban students interviewed are so cynical about the ritual; they might as well be poster children for alienated youth. The film points up the way in which a seemingly standard tradition can be altered to fit highly individualistic groups and circumstances.

Smurf, a student from the urban school, is the first in his family to attend his prom, not to mention the first to graduate high school. His prom experience seems almost as important to his mother as it is to him. The young adults of CPRS struggle with adapting traditional American prom rituals so as not to go against the tenets of their religion. As their church prohibits dancing, their prom is simply a banquet. It’s a poignant moment when one of the formal-clad couples steals a dance on the floor of the local Baskin-Robbins afterward. Oliver, the student at the suburban school, documents the prom with his video camera. One might be tempted to think that choosing a disaffected suburbanite for this segment of the film is a stereotypical choice, but it’s worth pointing out that every one of Oliver’s predictions about prom turns out to be accurate.

Overall, Prom Night in Kansas City is a thought-provoking film that covers a ritual that deserves more attention. The production values are good, and in fact, the end credits are wonderful in and of themselves. It would be a valuable addition to collections supporting American studies and sociology. It is highly recommended.