Netflix's new musical The Prom dropped at the weekend, and people are saying it's so bad it's good.
The Ryan Murphy hit, adapted from the 2018 Broadway Musical of the same name, focuses around four Broadway actors (Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman and Andrew Rannells) who travel a very conservative town in Indiana upon hearing the news that a lesbian student, Emma (Jo Ellen-Pellman), is banned from bringing her girlfriend to prom.
And while it has come under some criticism since it landed on the streamer - namely for James Corden's casting as a gay man and the song lyrics, which have even been dubbed 'truly dreadful' - others have looked more kindly on the musical, arguing that its pure, unadulterated cheesiness is part of its charm.
"The Prom is SO bad that's it's good," one wrote.
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While another penned: "I watched @netflix The Prom last night. Loved every terrible and cheesy second of it. Highly suggest if you need a giggle and a Meryl Streep fix in 2020".
In retaliation to all the backlash, another wrote: "'The Prom is too cheesy' GOOD".
In the movie, Meryl Streep appears as award winning Broadway actress Dee Dee Allen while James Corden joins her as Barry Glickman - two stars who both receive such career ending reviews that they realise a highly publicised charitable favour is their only way back into public favour.
Angie Dickinson (Nicole Kidman), and fellow jobless actor Trent Oliver (Andrew Rannells) join the pair on their mission, and it's then they embark on their journey with the excluded teen.
The comments come as James Corden's performance as Barry Glickman in the film received huge backlash.
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The 42-year-old, who identifies as heterosexual, has been criticised by film reviewers and fans for leaning into offensive gay stereotypes, with many slamming his performance as "horrifically bad".
"Why on Earth would they hire James Corden... a British, straight, TV show host that can't sing... to play a gay American Broadway actor... next to the amazing Andrew Rannells, who fits the role perfectly?" queried one viewer.
"So... we couldn't get a gay man to play James Corden's role in The Prom? They were all too busy? Do we still think it's kosher to have non-LGBTQIA people playing aggressively flamboyant, stereotypical gay characters? " said another.
James himself has since defended the casting choice, saying he is "proud of his performance."
"You spend quite a long time, just personally, feeling like you might be able to have a bit more to give," he told the Metro. "Like you might be able to have a bit more depth and you want someone like Ryan to come along and drop a script in your lap like this.
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"And then you go, 'Oh God, what if I am not able to do these things?'. Ryan - I will be indebted to forever for his guidance - the way that he led me through it...the way he led me through it as a director, the way he led me through it as a friend, the way he led me through it as a gay man. And I'll treasure those days.
"I find it very moving when I think about how I felt on those days when it was just Meryl [Streep] and I. I love those scenes and I'm very proud of them."
The Prom is available to view on Netflix, if you want to make your own mind up.
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: TV News, TV & Film, TV Entertainment, Netflix