Fame

3 Stars

Dream it, earn it, live it, watch it!

Rating: PG
Stars: Naturi Naughton, Collins Pennie, Kay Panabaker, Kelsey Grammer, Debbie Allen

What’s the story?
For those expecting Fame to be an updated version of its successful 1980 and Broadway counterparts, be forewarned. This Fame introduces a completely new group of teenagers, each attempting to navigate the prestigious New York Academy of Performing Arts, and ultimately find their way to stardom. Along the route, they are faced with loss, love, friendship, lies, impossible dreams and a healthy dose of musical interludes.

Why see it?
As is to be expected, Fame delivers a foot-tapping line up of elaborate musical acts and colourful costumes. It covers the standard teen-movie issues – first love, financing dreams and facing failures – but adds the adventure of New York and glam of show business. With 10 diverse characters to identify with, Fame attracts a wide range of viewers, especially high-school students. Most importantly, the honest determination of each student appeals to anybody who’s ever struggled in pursuit of a dream.

Problems?
It’s nearly impossible to squeeze four years and 10 characters’ plotlines into a two-hour movie – and Fame is only 107 minutes! The result is a jumble of brief scenes, skipping between stories and years, resulting in a lack of significant character development and an unclear timeline. Another problem getting in the way of Fame’s success is the predictability of the plotlines. Many of them are wrought with clichés and far too reminiscent of other dance flicks like Step Up, for example.

All in all:
Fame won’t live forever, but it earns its 15 minutes.