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Movies / Upcoming / Fame
Fame

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Fame (2009)

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Reviews Counted:101

Fresh:28

Rotten:73

Average Rating:4.5/10

Consensus: Fame is ultimately undone by its choppy editing, its incomplete characterizations, and its apparent desire to appeal to the High School Musical generation.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for thematic material including teen drinking, a sexual situation and language.

Genre: Musical & Performing Arts

Theatrical Release:Sep 25, 2009 Wide

Box Office: $22,303,092

Synopsis: A reinvention of the original Oscar®-winning hit film, Fame follows a talented group of dancers, singers, actors, and artists over four years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, a... A reinvention of the original Oscar®-winning hit film, Fame follows a talented group of dancers, singers, actors, and artists over four years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, a diverse, creative powerhouse where students from all walks of life are given a chance to live out their dreams and achieve real and lasting fame...the kind that comes only from talent, dedication, and hard work.

In an incredibly competitive atmosphere, plagued by self-doubt, each student’s passion will be put to the test. In addition to their artistic goals, they have to deal with everything else that goes along with high school, a tumultuous time full of schoolwork, deep friendships, budding romance, and self-discovery.

As each student strives for his or her moment in the spotlight, they’ll discover who among them has the innate talent and necessary discipline to succeed. With the love and support of their friends and fellow artists, they’ll find out who amongst them will achieve Fame …

The cast includes Asher Book as Marco, Kristy Flores as Rosie, Paul Iacono as Neil, Paul McGill as Kevin, Naturi Naughton as Denise, Kay Panabaker as Jenny, Kherington Payne as Alice, Collins Pennie as Malik, Walter Perez as Victor, and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle as Joy. Their instructors include Debbie Allen as Principal Simms, Charles S. Dutton as Alvin Dowd, Kelsey Grammer as Joel Cranston, Megan Mullally as Fran Rowan, and Bebe Neuwirth as Lynn Kraft. --© MGM [More]

Starring: Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, Kay Panabaker, Bebe Neuwirth

Starring: Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, Kay Panabaker, Bebe Neuwirth, Naturi Naughton

Director: Kevin Tancharoen

Director: Kevin Tancharoen
Screenwriter: Aline Brosh McKenna, Allison Burnett
Studio: MGM

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    Trailer
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    Halloween Dance
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  • Caf Jam
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    Here On My Own
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    If You Want Fame
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    Graduation Drums
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  • Hold Your Dream
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    Black and Gold
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    Get on the Floor
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Reviews for Fame

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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The fragmented narrative of high school kids pursuing their dreams (job security) has just barely more feel and understanding of what it's like to be young than 17 Again .

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
11/04/09
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Remember the theme song? "I feel it coming together/People will see me and cry . . . Fame/I'm gonna live forever/Baby, remember my name." Sadly, none of that applies to this hollow, impersonal movie.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
10/31/09
Russ Breimeier
Russ Breimeier
Christianity Today

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
10/22/09
Film Threat
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
10/15/09
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

Its lack of melodrama and shock value make it all the more refreshing. Consider this film a grittier, inner city cousin of HSM and that's no back handed compliment

Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | comment Comment
10/11/09
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

A little too scrubbed and sanitized, with the sharper realities of showbiz sanded down to a PG level.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
10/09/09
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

a totally unoriginal and unnecessary remake that runs far, far away from anything edgy, controversial or interesting.

Full Review Source: The Trend | comment Comment
10/04/09
Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver
The Trend

Thing is, to live forever would mean the eventual re-remake of Fame. And that won't do.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
10/02/09
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

The high school is so sanitized that there are no drugs, cutthroat competition, or—inconceivably for a theatrical milieu—no gay students.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
10/02/09
Andrea Gronvall
Andrea Gronvall
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

... no worse than the original, but that's plenty bad enough.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
10/02/09
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

The script doesn't earn the C average students must maintain for continued enrollment in their performing arts school.

Full Review Source: Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) | comment Comment
10/02/09
John Wirt
John Wirt
Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)

Members of the class of ’80 struggled to stay in school despite homelessness and crime; the greatest crisis in ’09 finds a student’s Sesame Street work schedule affecting her GPA.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
10/01/09
Michelle Orange
Michelle Orange
L.A. Weekly

What "Fame" lacks in originality, it makes up for in heart. And that tips the ledger in my book.

Full Review Source: Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) | comment Comment
09/30/09
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

Oh, MGM: I realize you're staving off bankruptcy, but is remaking past hits the answer?

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
09/30/09
Brett Michel
Brett Michel
Boston Phoenix

I think the term 're-imagining' is code for 'dumbing down.' 'Re-imagining' may sound better, but the results are unchanged.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
09/30/09
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

There are enough hoary soap-operatic plottings for a thousand Gossip Girls (emotionally distant parents, almost-rapes, suicide attempts), yet Tancharoen individualizes each crisis so that no one character comes off as a mock-universal surrogate.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
09/30/09
Keith Uhlich
Keith Uhlich
Time Out New York

'Fame 2009' is the cinematic equivalent of Muzak and will leave many viewers longing for the next episode of TV's 'Glee.'

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
09/29/09
John P. McCarthy
John P. McCarthy
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

It is a revealing reflection of its target audience: kids used to keeping up to date via tweets and Facebook status lines...the entire audience diagnosed with ADD.

Full Review Source: Beliefnet | comment Comment
09/28/09
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Beliefnet

...an engaging remake that doesn't eclipse the original but neither does it turn it into a travesty.

Full Review Source: New England Movies Weekly | comment Comment
09/28/09
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
New England Movies Weekly

I don’t mind the cornball and I don’t mind the clichés, but I just think that the thing has to be executed a little better than this.

Full Review Source: At the Movies | comment Comment
09/28/09
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
At the Movies
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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Latest News for Fame

September 24, 2009: Critics Consensus: Surrogates Is A Passable Thriller
This week at the movies, we've got robot clones (Surrogates, starring Bruce Willis and Radha Mitchell), artistic-minded freshmen (Fame, starring Kelsey Grammer and Megan... More...

September 20, 2009: Five Favorite Films with Fame's Kevin Tancharoen
Though barely into his mid 20s, Kevin Tancharoen is, as the cliché goes, already something of an industry veteran. With a background in both dance and filmmaking, he's moved... More...

June 17, 2009: Trailer Bulletin: Fame Opens in new window
Following up on April's teaser, the "Fame" reboot now has a full-length trailer. Will it live forever? Head over to Yahoo! and see for yourself. More...

April 19, 2009: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

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