Fame (2009)

heart seems to be in the right place, but bland and uninvolving in dramatic terms

never gets any narrative traction

auditions

splashy song and dance numbers

Fame wants to live forever, so it’s back in what I suppose is more of an informal sequel than it is a remake. Four years in the life of New York’s Performing Arts High School provide a collage of attitudes about a life in the arts. It all starts with auditions, some comically inept a la American Idol. The characters include Marco, a relaxed, happy singer; Jenny, the neurotic actress who creates romantic travails for Marco; Denise, a secret singer whose father wants her learning classical piano; a keyboardist-composer; a Midwestern dance student; an urban actor-rapper; and so on. At first, Fame seems poised to offer an intriguing look at the formation of skill from talent, with Bebe Neuwirth, Kelsey Grammer, Charles S. Dutton, and Megan Mullally as the instructors. But the further the film drifts from classroom and performance and towards standard-issue soap opera, the less interesting it becomes. It’s a hit and miss affair: not a good film, but with some fine moments in it, including routines choreographed by Marguerite Derricks.