‘Prom’ – No sex, drugs or violence – only in the (Disney) movies

The new film “Prom” assembles every high school cliche and buffs them so smooth there’s nary a nick on the surface.

We are talking about a Disney presentation, after all.

But in between the familiar teen tropes lies a pure heart, one that beats with such insistence it’s darn near impossible to resist. That should go double for the film’s expected demographic, tweens who think falling in love with vampires sounds icky.

Uber-perfect teen Nova (Aimee Teegarden) wants nothing more than to make the upcoming prom the exclamation point to her romanticized high school years. Those dreams are temporarily dashed when a fire torches the prom decor she and her friends spent weeks creating. Now, it’s up to her and the school’s “walking misdemeanor” Jesse (Judd Nelson wannabe Thomas McDonell) to put the pieces back together for a prom to end all proms.

Meanwhile, sad sack Lloyd (Nicholas Braun) can’t find a date for the big event and the quasi-pubescent Lucas (Nolan Sotillo) thinks he can steal a girl out from the clutches of a handsome, albeit two-timing, senior (De’Vaughn Nixon).

You don’t need fancy plots or hip, of the moment music to make a teen movie click. It’s about casting, sincerity and tapping those universal feelings that make us squirm and smile in equal measure. The tapestry of plots here doesn’t jump out at you, but the buoyant cast sure does. Teegarden feels as artificial as her character sketch at first, but she matures nicely as her story arc evolves.

“Prom” graciously avoids the kind of pop culture references that could render it stale long before its cable TV debut. In fact, there’s something wonderfully retro about the entire affair, a film laser focused on teen angst without the darkness hanging over many student features.

It might be glorified wish fulfillment, but movies are supposed to provide escapism.

On paper and even during the first few scenes, “Prom” simply shouldn’t be as charming as it ultimately becomes. There’s nothing bold or original about the presentation, and even those relatively new to the teen movie genre will guess all the major story beats a few scenes ahead of schedule. When it’s time for the big dance to begin, audiences might feel some butterflies of their own, a sure sign “Prom” is on to something.