It appears the film leans heavily into identity casting, with the central group of prom queen candidates assembled largely to achieve maximal diversity. The focus on backstory and struggles tied to race, gender identity, and sexuality seems to take priority over their actual roles in the plot, giving the impression of box-ticking rather than organic character development.

Traditional high school dynamics, family, and even the concept of the prom queen are regularly subverted or outright satirized. Masculine characters are typically sidelined, lampooned, or portrayed as obstacles, while moral clarity is linked to progressive social causes rather than classic personal virtues.

All the sympathetic characters espouse nearly identical social views, and traditional perspectives are limited to stereotypes or antagonists. There’s little space for meaningful disagreement or alternative values, diversity of thought definitely didn’t get an invite to this prom.