Review: "Fame"

Alan Parker created one of the most gritty and realistic forays into the musical genre, when he brought the hopes and dreams of a group of New York City performers to the big screen in 1980. Nominated for six Academy Awards, winning two for it's score and for the title song, created a frenzy in theaters, or at least for me, and I was ready to go conquer my dreams of becoming an actor. Unfortunately, I achieved that dream on a much lower scale and so did this reincarnation.

Director Kevin Tancharoen had the daunting task of capturing the drive and ambition of a handful of performing school hopefuls in an updated storyline, though his approach was probably intended to be fresh, this film could easily be filed under the sequel to any dance flick produced in the past ten years. I wont say that it didn't have it's moments, because it did, but they were few and far between and weren't enough to give it buoyancy. The cast, being mostly comprised of unknowns, with the exception of the faculty, had big shoes to fill. However there were two standout performances, Kay Panabaker (Jenny) and Naturi Naughton (Denise). Panabaker, the 'Doris' of the former film, gives a fresh and natural performance as the strict disciplined artist who must learn that fame is not the road to happiness. Panabaker's character was the only one to make the internal impact upon this viewer, in turn, I cared about her failures and achievements. I can't forget nor overlook Naturi Naughton's vocal prowess, but to attempt the vulnerable "Out Here On My Own", made famous by Irene Cara in the original film, and my favorite scene I might add, was just a lukewarm interpretation and easily forgettable.

The lack of energy and background development was the overall problem, not enough character development coupled with the quick-paced and all-over-the-place storyline added to the deterioration. Granted it is a task to cram four years into a two hour time frame, but too many storylines also added to the developmental limitations.

Sadly there have been numerous remakes lately that have just gone awry and this is another reel to add to the heap. As the remake machine churns out their lackluster attempts I am becoming increasingly jaded and less likely to part with the bill at my local cineplex.