Those people over in Tinseltown have been running out of ideas since, well, forever – but with remakes coming ever sooner to the next generation of cinema-goers, how are audiences not expected to go with what’s offered to them? At the time of writing, kids in Australia on school holidays are being offered family-oriented features, as is the norm. While Fame may sit on the edge of this boundary because of a more mature theme, this ‘re-imagining’ of the 1980 cult hit still aims to appeal to a younger audience. It doesn’t have the ‘sex factor’ of Centre Stage, Step Up or even TV’s Glee, which from what we’ve seen is shaping up to be a more comedic (but still intense) look at the desires of performers. While those who’ve seen the original are sure to have different opinions and comparisons to those who haven’t, Fame in its 2009 form doesn’t appear as a remake – but it fails to make a significant mark.

Hollywood has clearly been obsessed with the dance genre this past decade, but can’t seem to revive the original hype of kick-starter Centre Stage (2000) and Save the Last Dance (2001). While like the former in the use of an ensemble cast, Fame’s four-year timeline restricts most character development as a bunch of talented performers (in all fields) are selected to study at New York’s School of Performing Arts. We see immediately that these aren’t your average kids, and they come from all walks of life, etc. etc. but the snippets we get seem too fragmented and at times aren’t enough to make us care. So You Think You Can Dance USA star Kherington Payne does more dancing than talking for one thing – it’s not a disappointment, but it seems pointless to have characters with minimal interaction. However, in the film’s defense most characters are warm enough to keep at least a mild interest; the Denise (Naturi Naughton)-Malik (Collins Pennie)-Victor (Walter Perez) subplot of producing a hip-hop track holds well, while the romance factor comes through Marco (Asher Book, easily a new teen heartthrob) and Jenny (Kay Panabaker, TV’s Summerland). The mostly unknown cast serves the film well too; even cameos from Frasier’s Kelsey Grammer and original Famer Debbie Allen (now a guest SYTYCD USA judge) don’t really place the spotlight on a particular character.

Fame briefly ventures into darker territory for one of its characters, but the seriousness throughout the film brings more sinister expectations that aren’t delivered. It also gives the impression that hardships of African-Americans are more emotional through Malik’s interaction with teacher Mr. Dowd (Charles S. Sutton), which increases his interest but leaves others out in the cold. Director Kevin Tancharoen immediately makes us aware that there are remnants of the original with the theme song opening the new film but the present setting soon kicks in; gangsta rap and hip-hop are heavy influences, along with new media through Neil (Paul Iacono, who brings much needed comic relief). The change-up of scenes between sub-plots at times don’t flow (particularly a party scene which feels like it’s been added to show some dancing), while some viewers are sure to be critical of the actual lack of dancing in the film. There’s not too much of it, but what there is is decently done. The choreography is good enough, while the visuals are colourful and engaging and the music is fun. Fleshing out the characters (and the general story) would’ve been more effective had Tancharoen gone for a longer running time. It’s strange how filmmakers think you can’t stay interested more than 90 minutes – a note to Hollywood: if the film is good enough, they will go. Learn from the mistake.

Verdict

The remake of Fame gets in before the new Footloose, but there’s no Dirty Dancing here. While it holds okay, that’s not good enough for a ‘dance movie’ wanting serious oomph.

Read our exclusive interview with Fame director Kevin Tancharoen here.

 

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