Writer: Allison Burnett
Starring: Naturi Naughton, Asher Book, Kay Panabaker, Megan Mulally
Release Date: September 25, 2009
Length: 1 hour 47 minutes
It’s dance, it’s drama, it’s singing, it’s way too pre-epic, and after almost 30 years, the students of New York Performing Arts School are back for the remake of Fame.Newcomers like Asher Book, Naturi Naughton and Kay Panabaker are part of the new cast and some of these teenagers are not actually half-bad. Kelsey Grammar and Megan Mullaly play some of the teachers. Also, Debbie Allen is back again, but this time as principal of the school. There’s no point even comparing this film to the one that came out 29 years ago, but let’s just pretend this film is half as good. Anyone who hasn’t even seen the trailer for the film will know that this movie wasn’t nearly as incredible as the original film that came out in 1980. Not only is the writing and acting on a lower level, but the new film also lacks a certain raw and edgy personality that the original had. The 1980 version seemed more authentic, with the tougher language being used and the consistent background, of the gritty streets of New York City. Now, I’m not saying the R rating makes the film better, but as soon as it becomes PG, the film loses a level of believability and realism. When the film started, I was extremely excited that it was keeping so close to the original. But about halfway into the movie, it was pretty obvious they wanted to keep almost too faithful to the original movie and it’s characters. Almost every character, every scene, every conflict was taken from the 1980’s version. That was most likely the writer and director’s point, but it would have been nice to have some originality for the people who saw the original movie. With every single scene, I whispered to my friend, “this is exactly like the first”. In some scenes, I even knew what was going to happen. Many people that are fans of shows like Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance? will be a bit upset to know that Fame is mostly character driven and there are only 1 or 2 dance sequences. I will be honest and say I can be more entertained with a dancing scene then a scene with two people speaking cheesy dialogue…But do dance sequences make a better film? Unfortunately, no they do not. I am happy this movie doesn’t try and distract us with amazing dance performances to overcompensate for what could have been a weaker script. One more thing about the dancing is that it is great when you watch it but then these characters open their mouths and you think ‘please don’t talk because you don’t know how to act’. I am specifically referring to Kherington Payne, who thankfully only had about 2 lines. I can think of multiple annoyances I had throughout this film – and trust me, there were a lot -, but none of them ruined the film for me luckily, and I didn’t spend the whole two hours thinking about the irritations. Personally, I loved this film. But many people – including the baby-boomers who will pan this movie – will disagree. The technical style of filming for this film was very well done, and the lighting and special effects definitely paid off in the final performance. So is the idea of these kids chasing their dreams really cheesy? Yes. Are many of these dancers pretty bad actors? Yes. Does it have as much integrity and originality as the original movie? Hell, no. But is it pretty enjoyable and fun to watch? Absolutely. If you have an open mind, and you like these kind of movies, go see it. This movie wont “live forever”, but 2 hours invested in this movie are worth it.
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