In Prom Dates, Jess is one of the lead characters. She is obsessed with having a date for her prom night. Antonia Gentry plays Jess.
Back when Jess and Hannah were kids, Jess got obsessed with the idea of being with the love of her life on her prom night.
Jess wants to be the prom queen, the most popular girl in school, dating the most popular boy.
Hence, at the beginning of the film, she is dating Luca, the soccer team captain, who doesn’t treat Jess right. Jess has been wanting to meet Luca’s parents, but Luca never takes her to meet them.
The motivation behind Jess’ dreams
In a conversation with Jacob later in the film, Jess explains why she is obsessed with being the prom queen and finding the right date for her.
According to Jess, going alone to prom is kind of like admitting that no one wanted to go with you, whereas going with someone popular means she has made it.
This is exactly why Jess keeps looking for popular guys to date and drags along her best friend, Hannah, into finding a date for her as well.
Jess’s dream of having a prom date brings her to a point where she is ready to forgive Luca, who has cheated on her, just so that she can at least bring Luca to the prom.
Understanding her mistakes
Near the end of the film, Jess’s obsession ruins her friendship with Hannah. Jess failed to see how she treated her best friend in her chase for the right date. Furthermore, she also kept a secret from her about dating her brother, Jacob.
At the prom, Jess finds herself lonely, leading her to steal Luca’s car and find her best friend.
As she first finds Jacob, she and Jacob confess their feelings for each other. However, Jess refrains from dating right away because she now knows she needs to focus on herself and find the right reasons to date someone.
Jess finds Hannah at the prom. Hannah watches Jess punch Luca for disrespecting Hannah. The two apologize to each other and come together.
While both of them fail to live up to their pact, they enjoy each other’s company for the rest of the night.
Also Read: Prom Dates summary and ending explained