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HI MOVIE BUFFS...WE ALL REMEMBER FAME AND THE NAME IRENE CARA FROM THE 1980 MUSICAL...BUT THE NEW UPDATED FAME? I'M NOT QUITE SURE IF THE CAST IS GOING TO LIVE FOREVER...

THEY SING...

THEY DANCE...

BUT THIS PG VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL R-RATED FILM IS SO SQUEAKY CLEAN...YOU MAY THINK YOU'RE WATCHING HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 4...FAME!

THE FILM'S NARRATIVE STRUCTURE IS THE SAME AS THE ORIGINAL...WE MEET TEN MAIN CHARACTERS ON AUDITION DAY...THEY ALL WANT TO GET INTO THE PRESTIGIOUS NEW YORK'S HIGH SCHOL OF PERFORMING ARTS...THEY'RE FRESH...NAIVE...BUT SUPER AMBITIOUS...

WE FOLLOW THEM THROUGH THEIR UPS AND DOWNS...FALLING IN AND OUT OF LOVE...LOSING THEIR DREAMS...FOUR YEARS LATER...THEY ALL GRADUATE AND THE FILM CULMINATES INTO A CELEBRATION OF SOME SORTS...

THE ORIGINAL...DIRECTED BY ALAN PARKER WAS A TRAILBLAZER...IT WAS NOMINATED FOR SIX OSCARS...AND IT CAPTURED ITS ERA...IT EVEN EXPLORED SOME DARK, VERY ADULT THEMES...

THE REMAKE IS SOFT...BORING...BUT THE PERFORMANCES, AS EXPECTED, ARE TOPNOTCH...

MUSIC VIDEO VETERAN...KEVIN TENCHAROEN...MAKES HIS FEATURE FILM DEBUT...AND YOU GET THE SENSE THAT HE'S TRYING TO RUSH THROUGH THE PLOT...SO HE CAN SHOW OFF HIS MUSICAL NUMBERS...

THE PRODUCTION NUMBERS ARE SUPERB...WHILE THE CHARACTER AND PLOT DEVELOPMENTS ARE OFF-KEY...

THE MUCH NEEDED ACTING SKILLS ARE DELIVERED BY THE VETERANS SUCH AS KELSEY GRAMMER...CHARLES S. DUTTON...BEBE NEUWIRTH...EVEN DEBBIE ALLEN SHOWS UP...SHE'S THE LINK BETWEEN THE ORIGINAL MOVIE AND THE REBOOT...IN THE ORIGINAL...SHE'S ONE OF THE STUDENTS...IN THE REMAKE...SHE'S THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL...
A GOOD MUSICAL MUST HAVE A GOOD STORY TO BACK IT UP...AND WE MUST CARE FOR THE CHARACTERS...FAME GIVES US THE MUSICAL NUMBERS WE WANT...BUT THE FILM LACKS SOUL...I DID ENJOY NATURI NAUGHTON THOUGH...OF ALL THE CAST MEMBERS? SHE'S THE ONE WE'LL REMEMBER THE NAME..

AND FOR THAT...FAME GETS 2 I'M GONNA LEARN HOW TO FLY KISSES...

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT MOVIE BUFFS...IF YOU LIKE LARGER-THAN-LIFE PRODUCTION NUMBERS...THEN FAME IS FOR YOU...I'M MANNY THE MOVIE GUY...REMEMBER THEIR NAMES...