Fame «««
PG, 107m. 2009
Cast & Credits: Anna Maria Perez de Tagle (Joy), Kristy Flores (Rosie Martinez), Asher Book (Marco), Paul Iacono (Neil Bacynsky), Paul McGill (Kevin Barrett), Naturi Naughton (Denise Dupree), Debbie Allen (Principal Angela Simms), Charles S. Dutton (Mr. James Dowd), Kelsey Grammer (Mr. Martin Cranston), Bebe Neuwirth (Ms. Lynn Kraft), Megan Mullally (Ms. Fran Rowan), Kherington Payne (Alice Ellerton), Collins Pennie (Malik Washburn), Walter Perez (Victor Tavares), Cody Longo (Andy Matthews), Kay Panabaker (Jenny Garrison). Screeenplay by Allison Burnett. Directed by Kevin Tancheroen.
This remake of the 1980 original directed by Alan Parker is a cross between American Idol and a promising pilot for a new drama/musical series based on the 80’s television show Parker’s film inspired bearing the same name.
Watching prospective students audition for various instructors in the film’s opening moments in hopes they will be accepted into New York’s School of Performing Arts is like watching supposedly talented singers perform in hopes of avoiding a critical drubbing from Simon Cowell or Paula Abdul.
The difference in Fame is the instructors here aren’t nearly as brutal, though they are still truthful. The most hurtful criticism Kevin (Paul McGill) receives from dance instructor Ms. Kraft (Bebe Neuwirth) is a warning if he doesn’t do better in his craft, he may find himself on a plane headed back to his home state of Iowa.
Like the judges on American Idol, we meet a few other helpful faculty instructors who, every time we see them on screen, are always giving students helpful advice, if not needed criticism. Mr. Dowd, (Charles S. Dutton), the theater arts teacher tells one freshman named Jenny (Kay Panabaker) how she needs to learn to be spontaneous. On the other hand, Ms. Rowan (Megan Mullally), the singing instructor tells Jenny how well she did reciting the lines of Someone to Watch Over Me. Trouble is Rowan just didn’t feel any emotion coming from her. She was saying the words but not playing the music.
The one teacher though who doesn’t waste time getting his points across though is the music instructor Mr. Cranston (Kelsey Grammer).
“You have talent,” he tells one undisciplined student. “Now let’s see what we can do with it.”
Grammer says very little in the few scenes he is in. I wouldn’t be surprised if the number of lines and pages of dialogue he was given to say is about as much as Arnold Schwarzenegger said The Terminator (1984), which was 16 lines according to movie trivia on IMDB.com.
Grammer has a unique gift of reciting dialogue that makes an emotional impact here though, even if a lot of them are just throwaway lines.
You will get no argument from me that these characters and their situations reek of familiar clichés, especially the scenes where various parents question their kid’s decisions or don’t approve of them messing up in their studies. The soundtrack is forgettable and unlike the original, you won’t be seeing any of the songs on the list of contenders for Best Musical Score or Best Original Song at next year’s Oscars.
Still, the movie grew on me and I liked the performances by the young cast as much as I enjoyed the brief scenes of student interaction between Dutton, Grammer, Mullally, and Neuwirth.
I don’t watch American Idol but as a result of this remake, I understand why the reality talent show is so popular with fans. I have to wonder in today’s world of entertainment, if there really is a need for a performing arts school. Why should there be? Want-to-be musicians and singers can just take their chances now at being the next Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood by simply performing in front of three judges who, like the instructors in Fame, can decide if they have talent based on what they’ve just seen and heard.
©9/25/09
PG, 107m. 2009
Cast & Credits: Anna Maria Perez de Tagle (Joy), Kristy Flores (Rosie Martinez), Asher Book (Marco), Paul Iacono (Neil Bacynsky), Paul McGill (Kevin Barrett), Naturi Naughton (Denise Dupree), Debbie Allen (Principal Angela Simms), Charles S. Dutton (Mr. James Dowd), Kelsey Grammer (Mr. Martin Cranston), Bebe Neuwirth (Ms. Lynn Kraft), Megan Mullally (Ms. Fran Rowan), Kherington Payne (Alice Ellerton), Collins Pennie (Malik Washburn), Walter Perez (Victor Tavares), Cody Longo (Andy Matthews), Kay Panabaker (Jenny Garrison). Screeenplay by Allison Burnett. Directed by Kevin Tancheroen.
Watching prospective students audition for various instructors in the film’s opening moments in hopes they will be accepted into New York’s School of Performing Arts is like watching supposedly talented singers perform in hopes of avoiding a critical drubbing from Simon Cowell or Paula Abdul.
The difference in Fame is the instructors here aren’t nearly as brutal, though they are still truthful. The most hurtful criticism Kevin (Paul McGill) receives from dance instructor Ms. Kraft (Bebe Neuwirth) is a warning if he doesn’t do better in his craft, he may find himself on a plane headed back to his home state of Iowa.
Like the judges on American Idol, we meet a few other helpful faculty instructors who, every time we see them on screen, are always giving students helpful advice, if not needed criticism. Mr. Dowd, (Charles S. Dutton), the theater arts teacher tells one freshman named Jenny (Kay Panabaker) how she needs to learn to be spontaneous. On the other hand, Ms. Rowan (Megan Mullally), the singing instructor tells Jenny how well she did reciting the lines of Someone to Watch Over Me. Trouble is Rowan just didn’t feel any emotion coming from her. She was saying the words but not playing the music.
The one teacher though who doesn’t waste time getting his points across though is the music instructor Mr. Cranston (Kelsey Grammer).
“You have talent,” he tells one undisciplined student. “Now let’s see what we can do with it.”
Grammer says very little in the few scenes he is in. I wouldn’t be surprised if the number of lines and pages of dialogue he was given to say is about as much as Arnold Schwarzenegger said The Terminator (1984), which was 16 lines according to movie trivia on IMDB.com.
Grammer has a unique gift of reciting dialogue that makes an emotional impact here though, even if a lot of them are just throwaway lines.
Of course, the main focus in Fame is not on the instructors but on the students’ struggles to make a name for themselves and often times troubled relationships. Some of the performances, as well as a few scenes, are repeated caricatures from Parker’s original. Kevin, for example, almost throws himself in front of a subway train after being told he won’t make it in the world of ballet just like in the original. By comparison, the scene where Jenny thinks she is auditioning for a known New York actor where the situation is nothing more than a ploy to get her into bed is similar to a scene in the Parker film where a female student is also fooled into thinking she is auditioning for a role but is instead forced to strip for the camera.Others encounter success like Denise (Naturi Naughton) whose beautiful singing voice could make her their next Beyonce, and the talented dancer (Kherington Payne) who gets picked to go on tour with a dance group and has no qualms about dropping out of school as a result.
You will get no argument from me that these characters and their situations reek of familiar clichés, especially the scenes where various parents question their kid’s decisions or don’t approve of them messing up in their studies. The soundtrack is forgettable and unlike the original, you won’t be seeing any of the songs on the list of contenders for Best Musical Score or Best Original Song at next year’s Oscars.
Still, the movie grew on me and I liked the performances by the young cast as much as I enjoyed the brief scenes of student interaction between Dutton, Grammer, Mullally, and Neuwirth.
I don’t watch American Idol but as a result of this remake, I understand why the reality talent show is so popular with fans. I have to wonder in today’s world of entertainment, if there really is a need for a performing arts school. Why should there be? Want-to-be musicians and singers can just take their chances now at being the next Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood by simply performing in front of three judges who, like the instructors in Fame, can decide if they have talent based on what they’ve just seen and heard.
©9/25/09
No comments:
Post a Comment