Movie musicals have made a comeback over the past few years, thanks to such hits as “Hairspray”, “Mama Mia” and the “High School Musical” films. But last summer’s remake of “Fame” not only won’t “live forever”, it died pretty quickly at the box office.
“Fame” is a remake of the 1980 film about life at the New York School for the Performing Arts. We get to meet a lot of the students, too many, in fact, as they all work to become “the next big thing.”
The movie takes us through all four years of their time at the school, and we see their successes and failures and how their lives change as they chase stardom.
A simple storyline? Yes. And that isn’t the only thing a little disappointing about “Fame”. The performances from most of the young, unknown actors who play the students are not very believable (which is odd, since many of them are playing characters who are trying to become actors). The teachers in the school, played by Charles S. Dutton, Bebe Neuwirth, Megan Mullally and Kelsey Grammer, nail their parts, but they, especially Grammer, don’t get much screen time.
The plot involves so many students that we never really get to know or care about any of them individually. There are some dramatic moments in the film, but by the end you’re not inspired or uplifted. And the decision to cover all four years of school was a mistake. A story that concentrated on just one year would have worked much better.
On the plus side, the music is great, except they don’t do the song, “Fame”, until the end credits. I was hoping to see an updated version with the kids in the streets on New York, jumping on busses and cars. Oh well.
“Fame” is rated PG for a few mature scenes and words. It’s appropriate for kids 10 and up, but it’s certainly not as entertaining as “High School Musical” or “Hairspray” so I don’t think most kids would enjoy it.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Fame” gets a C. I still haven’t seen the original, but I’m guessing that fans of that movie will not be happy with this version.
But please, whether you watch this movie or not, “remember my name.”