Fame is back. Only this time, will it live forever?
After hitting the big screen in 1980, the original Fame spawned a generation of wannabe dancers and singers. In the wake of its success, the movie inspired a television series spin-off, romanticizing the nitty gritty of what it takes to be a performing artist. For those of us who find ourselves born without a single drop of performance talent, Fame 2009 may convince us to jump on the stage anyway and steal a bit of spotlight, even if only for a moment. As soon as the music passes or the dancing stops, sadly, we’re returned to reality and reminded that we’re only watching a film, and a mediocre one at that.
From audition to graduation day, we follow a talented group of high schoolers as they develop their crafts. You find yourself amidst a collision of the performing arts. They’ve mastered musical instruments. They sing. They dance. They are actors who give powerful monologues, invoking the art of slam poetry. They direct short films. They even rap and create beats, a nice contemporary update to the original movie. The songs are a mixture of classically infused instrumentation layered over thumping bass and electric techno.
Seasoned actors Charles Dutton, Megan Mullally, Kelsey Grammer, and Bebe Neuwirth lend their names to the film of relatively unknowns. Yet their scenes are so minimal they never appear to truly convey the essence of their characters– if there is any. The one exception is Mullally, playing the same typecast funny-girl role she does in every other movie.
Naturi Naughton, arguably the breakout star of the film, has us hooked on her solo performance of the piano ballad Out Here on My Own and the Fame theme song, both originally sung by Irene Cara in 1980. But when you realize that the singing is all she’s got to offer, you find yourself disappointed that Naughton isn’t one of the brilliant actor- singer types you thought she was. Kudos to the fluid cinematography that went into making her newly acquired Bach-skills appear to be those of a piano prodigy.
Debbie Allen reprises her original role as Angela, only this time instead of being a teacher she’s been promoted to the principal of the school. Yeah, she’s in the movie, but then not really. Instead, we spend the entire time watching Kay Panabaker (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigators,” Disney’s “Phil of the Future”), Kherinton Payne (“So You Think You Can Dance?”), Asher Book and Collins Pennie, all incredibly talented– minus the acting skills. The only noteworthy role is Paul Iacono as the off-beat teen film director.
Other than singing or playing instruments, what else are the teens (or in the case of Naughton and Pennie, adults playing teens) doing throughout the movie? In no specific order some of the highlights include a breakup, a dropout, a couple of love stories, another breakup, another dropout, and a suicide attempt. Let’s not forget about the underage drinking or the Pussycat Dolls-esque performance passed off as modern dance. PG, you say? Maybe director Kevin Tancharoen learned a little too much on the set of his previous gig, The Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll.
The kids are gifted alright. Who knows, maybe Fame 2009 would have made it live as a Broadway musical, with fewer breaks for acting and storyline. But as a movie, Fame 2009 just doesn’t make the cut.
The verdict? No. Fame 2009 won’t live forever.
