Ryan McNeil
When forming my overall opinions of the movies I watch, I try to disregard outside influences swaying my reaction. For example, I routinely disassociate movies from the books they are based on. I think such biases can ruin what is otherwise a well made film.
Unfortunately, when I have to disregard moments of my own life, it makes it a little harder to be objective. Such was the fate for FAME.
Like the original film in 1980, and the television show it spawned, FAME is a movie about the lives of students at The High School of The Performing Arts in New York City. Every year, thousands audition for a few hundred spots. For the young actors, vocalists, dancers, and musicians, making the cut is just the beginning of the hard road ahead. Once accepted, they face four years of balancing their full academic course load with an intense artistic incubator. It’s a dream come true, and a nightmare all in one go.
That, essentially, is the plot. I could get into specifics about which student drops out to make a go of being a professional performer, or detail which student narrowly avoids being the subject of a sex tape…but in this incarnation of FAME, none of those kids matter. That is what holds the movie back for me…because, well, I was one of those kids.
I went to a high school for the arts, and there are a lot of moments in FAME that brought back memories. I watched talented classmates get kicked out because they couldn’t hack it academically. I know what it’s like to feel like you aren’t as talented as the person sitting to your right. And yes, on more than one occasion, I saw kids dance on cafeteria tables…I might have even done so myself once.
FAME isn’t interested in giving us more than a glimmer of these students, nor the road they will travel. Had the movie focused on six students, we could get deeper into their individual journeys through four years. As it stands, the movie widens the field to twelve, and pays them such lip service, that I barely remembered one of them when she did her closing credits curtain call. Going to a school for the performing arts isn’t easy. I apologize for the cliche, but before the four years is over, every student there will have shed a lot of blood, sweat, a tears. However, where this movie is concerned, precious few so much as frown.
I was especially saddened to see the dancers get the short end of the stick, since the dancers I grew up with seemed to have the toughest go of all. They deal with body issues, physical demands, and enough drama to put the theatre department to shame. In the film, only two dancers have lines, and they both get largely ignored until the final year. This is a pity, since these characters likely had to deal with everything I just outlined. Not only that, but the dancers in this film are very talented. So much so, that the dance sequences are one of the best things about this film.
While it isn’t as bad as the TV series, it’s nowhere near as good as the original film. That’s unfortunate, because what the original had going for it was the darkness of what the students had to deal with in their lives outside of school. I’m over ten years gone from my art school days, but I’d wager that what students have to work through now is every bit as difficult as those back in 1980…maybe even worse.
During the opening moments of FAME, the lyric “Remember” is repeated over and over. I might indeed remember this movie…but sadly I doubt I’ll remember any one character in it. Singing and dancing might seem like a great thing to stock a film full of, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of characters. I couldn’t possibly tell you about every song I sang or dance I did twelve years ago…but I could go on for ages about the people I knew.
Wow. Great review, Hatter. I haven't seen the film yet, but I'm already wishing you'd written the screenplay.
Aw I'm sorry this didn't have much substance, especially considering your personal connection to the subject matter. You have just motivated me to finally see the original though- it's been sitting in my Netflix queue forever!
Hopefully, it's not a downer like the original. Alas, Coco! Alas, Leroy!
Anyway, this is a fantastic review. Excellent reflection. Keep it up!
@ Franny… I can't take too much credit, this one was just right in my wheelhouse.
@ Alex… Give the original a look. It's a wee bit dated but the best incarnation of the story so far. It'll make you want to find a car to stand on and dance.
@ 24… Nowhere near the downer the original was, but it could have done with a little bit of darkness. Thanks for reading!
I very much enjoyed reading your review, especially as you have experienced going to an arts school.
But yes as you no in my review, I agree so much with not having enough insight into the character's lives.
I definetly have to watch the 1980, film again.
A very insightful review. For me the problem with the film was a lack of character development. You point out that only two dancers have speaking parts. They are both really badly handled. The one who is told in his audition he probably isn’t good enough to make it ultimately doesn’t make it. The one who is described as possibly the most talented student at the school does make it. The girl who is kicked out for failing grades is only failing because she has a job and can’t keep up with the workload. It would have been far better if we had a character who was struggling academically but very talented performer along side a someone academically gifted who is struggling to find themselves creatively. The only way to do this in two hours would be to reduce the number of characters and set it over a shorter time. I don’t remember the original film very well; it must be over twenty years since I have seen it, maybe I should check it out again!