Review: Fame (lackluster remake)

The original 1980 movie “Fame” was rated R, and while I understand the desire to make this one PG (to appeal to the “High School Musical” crowd), it loses a lot in translation.

This modern version could have benefitted from a PG-13 rating; then they could have included more intense material, without trying to dilute it for the younger crowd. As it is, the movie is a little boring and the characters really aren’t fleshed out that well. It’s like “High School Musical,” only with more intense scenes (too intense, really, for a PG rating).

As with the original, this movie follows the lives of several students at the New York Academy of Performing Arts. The original has a famous line from Debbie Allen (who played a dance teacher in that movie and plays the principal in this movie; different character, though): “You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying … in sweat…” That line is said over the opening credits in the new movie.

The only problem is, we don’t really see a whole lot of sweat. We see a kid who doesn’t seem to have much talent in any of the arts (Kay Panabaker’s character), a not-very-good dancer from Iowa who manages to make it past the audition process, and various other talented and non-talented kids. This IS a pretty prestigious school, after all. You’d think most of the non-talented kids would be weeded out in auditions.

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The kids include Alice (Kherington Payne), a dancer from a rich family; Malik (Collins Pennie), a Harlem kid who dreams of a career on the stage; Denise (Naturi Naughton), a classical pianist whose real talent is hip-hop singing (despite the objections of her parents); Victor (Walter Perez), a budding music producer; Kevin (Paul McGill), the aforementioned dancer from Iowa; Joy (Anna Maria Perez de Tagle), an entertainer who scores a gig on “Sesame Street” in her junior year; Jenny (Kay Panabaker), an uptight actress who needs to loosen up; and Marco (Asher Book), a sweet boy who attempts to loosen her up (but in a good way).

The standouts are Book and Naughton, both of whom have beautiful voices and are a pleasure to listen to, even through the movie screen. The teachers include Kelsey Grammer (music), Bebe Neuwirth (dance, and yes, Frasier and his wife!); Megan Mullally (musical theater); and Charles S. Dutton (drama). They all have their moments of tough-love, pep talks and drama.

Despite the promising premise, this movie falls flat in just about every way – even the obligatory lunchroom number which we’re expected to believe is spontaneous (I didn’t believe that with the original movie either). Still, if you want to see something that changed pop culture, see the original 1980 movie. Since it’s rated R, kids can check out the more family-friendly TV series; seasons one and two were just released on DVD.

NOTE TO PARENTS: Some of the dances are sensuous, and there are several kisses between major characters. In one scene, an actor tries to take advantage of a female teen by pretending to film an audition scene in his trailer. (I couldn’t help but think she should have known; even the girl in front of me at the theater said, “Even my grandmother could have seen that guy coming.”)

Violence includes references to a character’s violent past, including his little sister being hit by stray gang-related bullets. A depressed character seems like he’s going to jump in front of a subway, but is stopped in the nick of time. There’s a lot of profanity for a PG movie, including “sh*t,” “a**hole,” “hell,” “goddamn,” and bullsh*t.”

Images: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer