Fame

This review is about the recent movie, Fame, not the 1980 version. Unfortunately, we don't hear the theme song until after the movie is over. Fame -- the musical number, that is -- is a perfect anthem; its lyrics perfectly describe what these kids are feeling, and the music is catchy. "I'm gonna live forever..."

Unfortunately, this movie doesn't live forever. It shouldn't have even been re-done. I never saw the first one, but this second one is rather dismal.

The film follows several students through their 3 years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, what they go through, the fact that many of them don't wait until graduation to enter the hard-knocks school of reality when they perform outside the school environment.

One big reason, in my mind, to see this version was its "adult" stars: Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, Charles Dutton. Unfortunately, the first two only have about six lines. Dutton fares a little better, but not much. And Debbie Allen, star of the original film and its resultant T.V. show, although not in the film all that much, makes an indelible impression.

But the worst part about this film is that its musical pupils don't seem to learn anything from their musical education. And, the second reason not to see the film is that their musical talent doesn't seem transcendant. There should be some really wow! kind of numbers, and there aren't. I can't figure out why each of these student was picked in the first place. In the end, you really don't care about any of these kids, kids who don't seem to have learned anything, and who really don't show whatever their talent is.

Thumb's down to a film that should've stayed in the '80's.