Similarly, Disney's new high-school comedy Prom faces its own expectations, mostly that the purveyor of squeaky-clean kids' entertainment won't be able to handle any edginess in the storytelling.
But director Joe Nussbaum says these aren't the only things that matter. He hopes Promwill show truth and heart in its coming-of-age stories.
"Of course we're not going to show sex and drugs and cursing, which is a part of teenage life, for sure," says Nussbaum (Sleepover, Sydney White). "But there are a lot of other parts to teenage life, too — insecurity, anxiety, disappointment on the negative side, and also falling in love, having crushes, and the excitement of an event like this on the positive side."
Disney's plans to make it resonate with actual teens, as opposed to the younger tween fans who drove the High School Musical franchise, came to light in April, months before production began. New studio chief Rich Ross, formerly of the Disney Channel, told reporters he wanted Prom to be closer to the "honest and authentic" works of John Hughes and Cameron Crowe, icons of teen-dom from the '80s with movies such as Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club andFast Times at Ridgemont High, respectively.
But those films dealt with sex, drugs, abuse and other issues that would make many parents cringe.
Prom , which opens April 29, doesn't delve into those dark corners, but Nussbaum's goal is to capture the intensity of emotion on one of the most memorable (or notorious) nights in teen life. "High school elevates all the highs and lows in life," he says. "Everything is a big deal. And prom elevates it all even further from there."
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