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Fame
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Metascore
39 out of 100

Generally unfavorable - based on 26 Critics What's this?

User Score
3.9 out of 10

Generally unfavorable- based on 25 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Bebe Neuwirth, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally
  • Summary: 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. (MGM)… Expand
  • Director: Kevin Tancharoen
  • Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Romance, Family, Musical
  • Rating: Not Rated
  • Runtime: 107 min
  • More Details and Credits »

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 26
  3. Negative: 8 out of 26
  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    75
    Much of the movie has a structureless, documentary feeling to it, which is good and should have been pushed further.
  2. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    60
    Whether the young ensemble attains it remains to be seen. The standouts, though, are Naughton, Pennie and Perez De Tagle.
  3. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Reviewed by: Joe Williams
    38
    Offers about as much flava as a Dr. Pepper commercial and about as much drama as a "Sesame Street" rerun.

See all 26 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 5 out of 9
  1. EvanB.
    10
    a great family movie with a little language.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. ChadS.
    4
    An aura of prestige surrounding the High School of the Performing Arts was palpable in the 1980 Alan Parker film, largely due to a crucial scene where an aspiring dancer, who failed her audition, lashes out at the gatekeeper in a profanity-laced tirade. The filmmaker's choice not to show a similar meltdown in this remake of "Fame", sets the wrong tone before "Freshman Year" ever commences. Without tears, without this outward display of vitriolic disappointment over being denied enrollment, the school seems like any other high school, a demythologization furthered by the revelation that its instructors are failed performers, and the period-specific but gravitas-killing prevalence of rap music, especially in the impromptu cafeteria jam session. Since the instructors are stripped of their mystique, and the curriculum seemingly over-tolerant towards popular culture, "Fame", at times, is undistinguishable from John Chu's "Step Up 2 the Streets". Even worse, despite its New York City setting, the film never truly steps up to the streets, never maximizes its urban milieu. Instead of a squalid comedy club where the students cheer on their drug-addled, Freddy Prinze-obsessed classmate, these kids go to a karaoke bar, smoke-free, of course, and no imbibing of alcoholic beverages. Ensemble pieces both, Parker's "Fame", nevertheless, had a heart(Maureen Teeny as Doris) and soul(Paul McCrane as Montgomrey), who've been updated in the remake as whiny lovers. Their spat, when measured up against drug abuse, abortion, homosexuality, and an unplanned excursion into the world of adult films, comes off woefully short as something of dramatic interest.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. grandpajoe6191
    3
    "Fame", the updated version of the 1980's version, has nothing new. It's the same funky dances with dull music with a terrible cast. Most of all, they didn't fix the terrible wrap up the original one suffered. This is a movie where its terrible to the heart.… Expand
    • 2 of 2 users said yes

See all 9 User Reviews

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