Bebe Neuwirth Movie:

				Label: MGM Salesrank:
		MPAA Rating: Media: Theatrical Release

Editorial Review:
Who wants to live forever? One of the catchiest songs from the '80s lives on in spirit in the 2009 remake of Fame, based on the 1980 smash hit of the same name, which shot Irene Cara to stardom, and whose theme song launched a thousand aerobics classes. This Fame is in the same exuberant spirit, of talented young kids eager to burst into the spotlight, with great doses of the High School Musical franchise. The big stars are among the adult contingent, and include Kelsey Grammer, Debbie Allen, Charles S. Dutton, Megan Mullally, and the always amazing Bebe Neuwirth, leggy and an awesome singer (though Frasier fans will be half-expecting a Frasier-Lilith run-in, a fun in-joke).

Among the talented younger cast, one of the breakout stars is Naturi Naughton, who plays aspiring pianist Denise, and seems to be channeling some of the exuberance of Cara's performance in the original (she sings a swell version of the title song, too). Other talented newbies to watch include Collins Pennie, who plays Malik, a bitter youth still dealing with the raw hand he was dealt as a kid; the winsome Kay Pannebaker, as Jenny; and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, who plays the ravishing Joy. "You have talent," bellows Grammer's Mr. Cranston. "Now let's see what you can do with it!" The adults wisely get out of the way to let the kids, especially Denise, shine.

As with the original, the music is a standout, and the soundtrack is well worth appreciating on its own. Some songs from the 1980 Fame are included, and updated just enough to feel fresh, including the title tune, as well as "Out Here on My Own," also sung by Naughton. And the new soundtrack features many new tunes, including Pennie singing "Street Hustlin'" and Mullally's memorable "You Took Advantage of Me." And if this remake (directed by Kevin Tancheroen) doesn't quite eclipse the freshness of the first Fame, it's a more than satisfying companion. See you in the spotlight! --A.T. Hurley

Fame [Theatrical Release] Reviews:
A Different Opinion
2009-11-17 - I don't usually write reviews, and I've never actually written one for a movie before, but I felt I must for I quite liked this movie, and would like to offer a more positive review than others have.
IMPORTANT FACT: DESPITE THIS BEING A REMAKE, IT HAS VERY, VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH THE ORIGINAL MOVIE.
Why is that important? Simply because most of the negative reviewers dislike this movie, comparing it to its inspiration. I will be the first to admit that, as a remake of the 1980 movie, this is a complete failure. By itself, however, it is, in my opinion, a very good movie, depending on your taste and what kind of life you lead. Given that the movie centers on a group of Performing Arts students, any one with artistical ambitions will probably be capable of relating to many of the issues present. Being in the age group the characters are supposed to be is another defining factor to liking this movie or not.
The characterization and "High-School-Musical"ness of this film has been the target of a great ammount of criticism. I would like to explain why, for me at least, this version worked better than the 1980 version:
1- The movies have very different focus points. Most of the main-characters in the original one are, to put it simply, psychologically and emotionally handicapped with problems completely unrelated, with some exceptions, to their desire to achieve fame. The narrative is diffuse, with lots of characters appearing very little, which also happens to a smaller degree in the new version. Between a host of emotionally unstable characters and the new cast with less suffering in their lives, I find the new movie portrays much better the life of the vast majority of young people.
2- I was left dissatisfied with the ending of the original version, and would be more than willing to keep watching the characters develop until they had achieved something. The 1980 Fame, however, leaves most of its characters with more unresolved psychological issues and problems than it starts, showing that people only get more f*****-up as time passes. Maybe that's the truth, but I just don't believe it. The ending of this new version manages to at least tie most of the storyline plots, giving us the sense of completion any work, be it a novel or a movie, that does not want to give a message of hopelessness or tell you life is a mess should have.
3- One of the reviewers seems to criticise the "follow your dreams no matter what" message given by this version of the movie. To that I can only say that, if there's anything this world needs it is people who follow their dreams, instead of letting society's desire for conformity and mediocrity rule their lives, making them nothing but shells filled with anything the media throws at them and wanting nothing more than to buy things they don't need in order to belong to a certain social group and prove, at least in their own eyes, their superiority simply because they have given up their individuality in exchange for money. (Ok, this last sentence was too long and a little hyperbolic, but I believe the meaning is clear).
4- Lastly I would like to mention that the lack of an abnormal degree of suffering in a movie does not, as some of the reviews seem to imply, make it shallow. Some may adore the feeling of shadenfreude brought by that kind of movie, but I know I don't. Other than that, simply exposing suffering without giving any explanation for its existence or possibilities for its demise is meaningless.
I would like to conclude by saying that this is not supposed to be a serious movie, nor a movie for adults, philosophers or other intellectuals only interested in complexity (against whom I have absolutely nothing, appreciating depth, characterization and other complex matters much, which doesn't mean I am unable, as some peple seem to be, to appreciate anything different from that), because this may be considered a cliche movie, with cliche characters and situations, without thereby detracting from the positive message and empathy it brings upon the right age group at which this movie is aimed. Those who were in high-school or entering college at the time the first movie was released may be biased by the fact they are nearly thirty years older and just don't fit in with the targeted audience as they did back in 1980.

Great Movie for the Whole Family
2009-10-23 - Loved this movie. I especially liked the character Victor (played by Walter Perez), very real, very down to earth. Great performance for a newcomer. I hope to see more of him on the big screen.

Can't Be Remade
2009-10-09 - You can't remake somethings and this is one of them. The original came out when I was still a toddler, freed from the world of bills and responsibilities. So like the protagonists attending the arts high school, I gennuinely believed that I could accomplish anything which I set out to do.

Lots has changed since then. Computers are now a daily part of practically every ones lives. And so are bills. So this film does not seem as magical, even accounting for the 'improved' special effects.

It's naturally lost some of the idealism which made the original a landmark event.

A pleasant and entertaining film but nothing memorable
2009-09-28 - When I think of the movie "Fame", I think of the song that still lingers in my mind from the original 1980 film. All I remember about it though was that it was about teenagers coming of age at the High School of Performing arts in New York City.

Yesterday I saw the 2009 version in a theater. The story was familiar but it seemed rather sanitized. And the only modern touches it had were some slight references to YouTube and texting. The stories of the individual students seemed stereotyped and have been done a million times before. There were a few poignant moments and some of the actors, although excellent, seemed a little old for their roles.

I spent the entire film waiting to hear the song "Fame" which still lingers in my mind after all these years. I had to wait until the very end, during the credits, to hear it though. And even though there were good production numbers throughout, there was nothing else memorable that I would feel like humming. I thought the dancing was wonderful and so was some of the acting, especially that of the actors playing the roles of the teachers.

Basically this was a pleasant and entertaining film. As far as my personal taste goes though, I can only give it a lukewarm recommendation


Really only a tease..
2009-09-28 - I was excited to go see this movie, and really did not know what to expect.
This would have made a much better new TV series than a movie. I would love to see it fleshed out as a TV series and get some real developement in characters and plot.
Unfortuntely it fell into that unsasifactory category where you saw most of the best dancing\singing parts on the theatrical teasers so you are left with virtually no WOW factors sitting and watching it in the theatre.

I was expecting more dancing and singing in the movie as a whole, but found that aspect to be disappointingly skimpy, with few actual "full" musical numbers.

I do not think they fleshed out any defining plot and came across aimless. I do not think they developed any one set of characters enough to hook you into any of the many moments they crammed into one film. They also Cliched too much in this movie. The Characters, the "hardships" the hook-ups most of which felt forced to fit a formula for the movie, the struggles. No one character carried any full personality, they all seemed cliched and safe. Part of that I feel, is because they made it an ensemble cast but made that core ensemble too large to get any real screen time to feel attached to anyone.
I feel like there was soooooo much potential here that was just left undeveloped and instead I was shown an "outline" of what could be a great TV series.
At time I felt confused as to if they were trying to make it feel like the same time as the origional Fame instead of completely updating it to be a modern twist, but caught todays conviences and clothing style..
I LOVED who they picked to be teachers and wanted more from them.. I liked most of the young actors but don't feel like I got to really know any of their characters or felt that many of them actually grew from freshamn year to senior year.