"Fame" proves the truth of the old adage that you can't ever, ever go wrong underestimating the taste of the American public. Incredibly bad acting, predictable plot, and the whitest couple to hit the screen since Brad and Janet. What a waste of time and money. I'm sure 11year old girls everywhere thought it was terrific. Hollywood truly has no shame.

Great movie if you like dancing, singing, and all other arts.

Original has heart where this one makes you not care about anyone. None of the actors are convincing, except maybe Megan Mulally when she reveals she teaches because she couldn't make it on Broadway.

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

a great family movie with a little language.

Stick to the original film. There are very few redeeming qualities in this film. It seems that the producers hastily slapped together an incoherent film with characters that are unappealing and very forgettable.

BORING. If these people are talented, it's actually very hard to tell. The original Fame movie was awesome. This movie is pathetic. It's that simple. Yes, they can be compared. If you're going to remake a cult classic, you should have a clue. If you can't improve on it, leave it alone. These days there are many performing art schools and they don't all do hip-hop (shock horror!). In fact you may find that most artists are interested in diversifying rather than recreating the same-old same-old. My advice - Ignore this movie was ever made because it shouldn't have been.… Expand

"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.