“Fame,” or perhaps a better fitting, “Lame,” is one of those movie musicals that appeared to have promises: a talented, good-looking cast, a well-known theme song and a feast of breakout pop performances that make any “American Idol,” “High School Musical,” Broadway fan giddy with anticipation.
The main problem with this film is while the original movie and television show made you feel like those attending the New York School of Performing Arts were going to live forever, the 2009 class is in need of some serious anti-depressants.
Instead of showcasing talent, which is what everyone wants to see with such a film, director Kevin Tancharoen fast forwards the characters four years at the esteemed school to show the trials each one faces.
The sole bright spots lie within former 3 Little Women band member Naturi Naughton, who has more talent in her pinky toe nail than newcomer Asher Book and most of her fellow cast members.
Book, a possible candidate to be the next Zac Efron, makes the film bearable when he performs but then gets tied down with love interest Jenny, who lacks personality and shows no reason why she belongs in the elite school.
Jenny, played by Kay Panabaker, adds little to the film except for constant whining.
She becomes so unbearable by the film’s end you begin to question Book’s characters’ mental status.
Of course some have more talent than others, but we are led to believe little to no jealously exists. Maybe I love “Mean Girls” a little too much, but I would dare to think some humor could be found from students wanting to backstab one another. Not here – apparently comedy is not taught at this particular performing arts school.
The professors, played by Kelsey Grammer, BeBe Neuwirth and Megan Mullally, are all under-utilized in the film.
Only Mullaly gets to show the kids how it’s done but then offers her sad tale of how even the most talented are not likely to make it.
Just what this movie needed, another grim dose of reality.
What about the joy their professors say they should exude because they are performing what they love? No one appears all that happy to be at the school.
Besides Book, everyone is either trying to find ways to drop out to achieve success or they are one step away from leaping off a subway platform. Which by the way happens until Jenny saves the day and then goes into an odd mental breakdown which is never again discussed.
Perhaps we all have been desensitized to think by the end of every movie there should be a huge success story or at least some closure to the characters you’ve paid money to see.
Sadly, the biggest success for any of the characters is a small role on “Sesame Street.”
Call me optimistic, but this was the best anyone could do? Even playing an extra on an infomercial would pay more.
One reason this film fails to translate 20 years later may be because of its recent musical predecessors. When you attend musical cinema, you want big show stopping performances and everyone breaking out in song at random moments; this happens just once in the school cafeteria, and I think the kids in “High School Musical” would even laugh at it.
What made “Moulin Rouge,” “Chicago,” “Mama Mia!” and “Hairspray” successful flicks was audiences could forego any sense of reality and just sit back for the ride. The songs and choreography play a vital role in the storytelling process in such films but here they take a backseat.
If you want to sing along every three minutes and be blown away with mind-boggling visuals, don’t waste your money.
The only major number comes at the very end of the hour and 45 minute flick, and it is a sappy graduation song you would hear the winner of “American Idol” be forced to sing.
Oh, and the infectious title-track even more famous then the movie doesn’t even appear in the film until the credits roll.
Finally, for this to be a school of the performing arts, where is the gay population?
I know the movie is PG-rated, but I am pretty sure anyone with two eyes would wonder what happened to all the homosexuals; this is a performing arts school, right?
Maybe that’s why this film lacks; it needs to be a little more “gay”, or maybe just “happy.”
One and a half out of four stars