"FAME" (2009) (Naturi Naughton, Kay Panabaker) (PG)
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QUICK TAKE:
Musical Drama: Students attending a New York high school for the performing arts deal with growing up while honing their singing, dancing and acting talents.
PLOT:
In 2009, we are re-introduced to the New York high school for the performing arts where young actors, dancers, singers and musicians learn and hone their craft under the tutelage of such teachers as Mr. Cranston (KELSEY GRAMMER), Mr. Dowd (CHARLES S. DUTTON) and Principal Simms (DEBBIE ALLEN, the only returning cast member from the original 1980 film).
Over a span of four years, we come to know a host of young aspiring artists as they struggle to break out of their shells and be the best performers they can be. Denise (NOTURI NAUGHTON) is a classical pianist who yearns to be a hip-hop singer. Malik (COLLINS PENNIE) is a tough, African-American kid from the streets who wants to study acting to become a better rapper. Victor (WALTER PEREZ) is a talented keyboardist who thinks he has what it takes to be a music producer. Jenny (KAY PANABAKER) is a shy actress wannabe who has yet to lose her inhibitions.
By contrast, Marco (ASHER BOOK) is a natural performer whose singing and acting have always come naturally. He and Jenny strike up a romantic relationship that is complicated by her attraction to Andy (CODY LONGO), a successful alum who is a regular on a TV show that films in Manhattan.
Finally, Neil (PAUL IACONA) is an aspiring filmmaker who gets bilked out of $5,000 when he thinks his short film will receive distribution. Joy (ANNA MARIA PEREZ DE TAGLE) studies theater and must ultimately choose between a cushy gig on "Sesame Street" or staying in school. Kevin (PAUL McGILL) is an aspiring dancer from Iowa eager to make it in New York. And Alice (KHARINGTON PAYNE) is a dance prodigy who strikes up a relationship with Victor.
OUR TAKE: 3 out of 10
The new version of "Fame" fits in well with a culture obsessed with the instant celebrity that shows such as "American Idol," "So, You Think You Can Dance" and "America's Got Talent" promise, not to mention the interest various videos on YouTube can generate. At the same time, the film rather obviously piggy-backs on the success of the "High School Musical" and "Glee" franchises, both of which have made singing, dancing and flitting across the stage of one's own high-school gym cool and fashionable.
So, it shouldn't come as any surprise that the new "Fame" is a PG-rated, bubblegum version of the R-rated original from 1980. That film, flawed as it was, is a veritable classic compared to the update.
Oh, where to begin? Well, most glaringly, the new "Fame" makes the same mistake the original did in trying to pack way too much into way too short of a running time. Both films take the viewer from the audition process of kids assembling from all over New York to try and gain admission into an elite school for the performing arts on through to all four years of their time at school there. The original had a 133-minute running time, and it still felt sketchy and dramatically incomplete. No wonder a TV series followed, which dramatized the struggles and pressures of the young students so much better and more convincingly.
The new "Fame" doesn't even clock in at two hours. And it STILL tries to cover four years in the lives of at least a half-dozen kids. Sadly, each character is a little more than a one-note type. The shy actress (Kay Panabaker) looking to break out of her shell? Check. The angry black kid from the streets (Collins Pennie) who wants to make it as a rapper? Check. The gay dancer from Iowa (Paul McGill) wanting to make it in the big city? Check. The singing phenom (Asher Book) whose talent comes easy to him? Check, check, and more check.
You could make the same criticism that the characters in the original "Fame" were all one-note sketches, too. But that film at least had the benefit of showing 1980 audiences a world they really hadn't seen before. It was also beautifully edited. And, yeah, it was rated R. As a result, there was a certain authenticity to it that this new "Fame" just doesn't have.
Dramatically, this remake could have gone further, too. So many beats are repeated from the original "Fame," there was ample opportunity to both tweak and heighten the drama. Case in point, in the first film, a young dancer contemplates suicide by nearly throwing herself in front of an approaching subway train. The same scenario plays out in the remake, but it has the exact same result of the kid pulling back at the last possible second.
It's hard to imagine this "Fame" having the same cultural impact as the original. Even the remix of the title song is proof of so much that is wrong in music today, drowning out the catchy melody and earthy vocals with massive bass and percussion. Five minutes after the end credits roll, you'll be ready for the parody version. Call it "Lame." As a result, it rates a disappointing 3 out of 10. (T. Durgin)
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