‘Prom Pact’ Cast on the John Hughes-Inspired Teen Rom-Com for a New Generation (VIDEO)
Children of the ’80s, rejoice!
Disney+ has done the impossible— unite Gens X and Z — by fusing nostalgic gems from the golden era of Swatch watches and parachute pants with a genuinely delightful rom-com that doesn’t dare speak down to teens of today. And we are swooning! So much so, this guy could barely get his words straight during our chat with the stars (see above stammering).
Prom Pact, dropping Thursday, March 30, stars Doogie Kamealoha M.D.‘s effervescent Peyton Elizabeth Lee as Mandy Yang, a quirky brainiac with Harvard in her heart and entirely over the over-the-top “promposals” popping up all over the halls of her high school. When she finds out that her college dreams have been wait-listed, Mandy tries to up her shot of getting in by tutoring jerky all-star jock Graham (Aussie dreamboat Blake Draper), whose dad just so happens to be a powerful senator and Harvard alum.
Maarten de Boer/@iheartmaarten
Before you can say “music montage!,” the sparks are flying and Mandy’s bestie Ben, played by School Spirits‘ endlessly entertaining Milo Manheim, is feeling like a total Ducky from Pretty in Pink.
But don’t expect this thing to go where so many rom-coms have gone before. As smartly directed by Anya Adams and exec-produced by Modern Family‘s Julie Bowen), Pact plays against the expectations of anyone raised on John Hughes classics. “I watched all of his movies,” admits Adams, a self-proclaimed “Hughes-head” who was thrilled to see all of the nods to the late icon in the script. “It was so exciting to think I [would be] able to put my stamp on it.”
That means all three players of this potential triangle are given way more to do than get angsty and the viewers are given so many shout-outs to ’80s favorites, it will likely inspire an Easter Egg listicle on some AI-generated website soon.
What we’re hoping it will also inspire is a sequel. After all, as we all know, life really begins after graduation and the way Pact wraps perfectly sets up the further adventures of Mandy, Ben and Blake. Perhaps Spring Break Pact?
Prom Pact, Movie Premiere, Thursday, March 30, Disney+
