Fame (2009)

This remake was doomed from the start. The original film is iconic- even those who haven't seen the film know the theme tune. How can you compete with Irene Cara's original version? The r'n'b remix that this new film uses is terrible. But it's not just the title song that this remake has to compete with. The remake cannot free itself from the shadow of the original.Remaking Fame was not an entirely ridiculous idea. The original was thirty years ago and with the advent of Facebook, YouTube, and all those X-factor type shows, shortcutting your way to fame seems like a real possibility. And the cast actually look like they could be at high school, instead of the original cast that looked like they could have children who were at high school. There was a lot of potential for the director and writer to make a film that didn't try to compete with the original, but was an alternative that could be equally enjoyable.This film focuses more on dance and music than it does acting (perhaps because the actors can't really act). We get the same types of characters that we got for the original, however in the original these characters didn't come off as stereotypes. They were fleshed out and I was gripped by their problems, which were far darker than this film. As a viewer you actually wanted to make an effort to follow all these different characters in the original. However in this film the characters are so cardboard and the situations so clichéd that it's easy to forget who they are. It makes the lyric in the title song: "baby, remember my name", amusingly ironic. For the time that the characters are on screen, most of them are annoying. The naive/stupid 'plain' girl and her wet boy-band reject love interest are particular standouts in that department.As in the original, the film marks each year of the characters' time at the school, starting from auditions to graduation, however the time gaps seem to be massive. Random characters and relationships will just come out of nowhere, and so the characters never really progress. Instead it's like amnesia occurs at the end of each year.You can tell which of the songs are from the original film because the other ones are so bland. There is a nice version of Out Here on My Own, although it doesn't compare with Irene Cara's version either in the musical or dramatic sense. Cara's character (Coco) was the showoff star who was actually more vulnerable than she appeared to be. In the new version, she's a bit of a loner- the equivalent of Bruno in the original.But what about those who haven't seen the original? You'll probably be even more lost than the ones who've seen the original and know what to expect. Because the film is character-driven, the lack of interesting characters will make the film seem infinitely long. It attempts to be gritty by adding in a few swear words and 'serious' issues but this just makes it worse. If it was really cheesy at least it might have been entertaining.In short, this film has nothing to say about fame, current or otherwise.

So I was down at my local video store buying some second hand bluray discs and there I found Fame for $5. I thought to myself how bad could it be. It may be a little bit of a nostalgic trip down memory lane.I was never into the original film but I distinctly remember liking the television series of the same name.What's right with it: Kelsey Grammar gives a really nice (but typically grouchy) performance as a piano teacher.Some flashy camera work.What's wrong with it: Flat uninspired staging, bland performances, irritating lighting, terrible dialogue and just an overwhelming feeling that no one involved in this film really put much thought into making this a fresh take on an old story.Where to find it: Probably the bargain bin at your local video store.

If any of you are wondering, this is not like High School Musical. Shockingly, this is a very good remake (well, I wouldn't say it's a remake but an updated version but many people call it a remake). The students are very likable and the acting is so-so, the actress who stuck out with her fantastic singing voice was Naturi Naughton and her version of the songs "Out Here On My Own" and "Fame" were brilliant. The dance sequences were phenomenal and actually made you want to get off your seat and join them. The storyline was good and it sent the usual message this type of movie sends and delivers the whole 'you can make it if you believe in you' message which worked as it would in this movie.I'm genuinely surprised as this was better than I expected it to be but it's not better than the original. My criticisms are that one or two of the actors had their moments of great acting and then it went to poor however this wouldn't put you off the movie as the singing and dancing triumphs. Another criticism is that there wasn't enough Naturi Naughton for me, I wanted to hear her sing more, her voice is phenomenal! For me, I thought it was fantastic and I'm shocked at how much I liked it. If you're a fan of the 80's Fame, then you'll love this! This is two hours of feel-good fun.Read more reviews at: www.dudedazzmoviereviews.wordpress.com

Now this movie was pretty terrible, now I can see why some girls would actually like this movie somewhat though. Mainly because of the characters performances when they take the stage, which is the only positive thing going for this movie. Everything else just sucks, plain and simple. The plot is one of the worst I seen in theaters, mainly revolves around bunch of students trying to reach fame. And the students that doesn't deserve it doesn't make it and the ones that does makes it. The thing is when it comes to most of the characters, I did not care what so ever if they succeed or not, especially the one that wants to become a director, the kid is just a dreamer nothing more and was hoping he doesn't make it so he won't end up making a crappy movie like this one. I especially hated the constantly singing dude, he just seemed like a douchenozzle and a fake the girl he was with is annoying as hell and freaking stupid. So yeah the plot of this movie was just irritating to watch, only positive thing about this mess was the performance when the characters take the stage that is all.3.5/10