Fame (1980)

There are so many television offerings that take the untried and untested talents of this country and showcase them. Sometimes these are people who have never put themselves in front of an appreciable audience; sometimes they are already professional. I'm thinking of the difference between American Idol and The Voice. The latter sometimes has people who have backed up major stars, or already have several record albums. So this is fresh because it gives us the idol makers and the forces that push people to succeed or fail. Most of the criticism has been done by others. I honed in on each character and felt the pain and the energy. Pretty good movie but of a different time.

Fmovies: In New York, a group of freshmen join the High School for the Performing Arts after being well succeeded in their audition. For four years, their dreams, deceptions, success, love and personal dramas are disclosed though the insecure Doris Finsecker (Maureen Teefy), the homosexual Montgomery (Payl McCrane), the aggressive Leroy (Gene Anthony Ray), the hopeful Coco (Irene Cara), the ambitious Ralph Garci (Barry Miller) and their friends until their graduation day.

Twenty-eight years ago, "Fame" was a great success, with the story of teenagers seeking a spot in the show business, and I loved this movie and the soundtrack on CD. I have just watched "Fame" on DVD, and presently I would say that it is a good movie with a great potential only, but with too many flawed subplots. The story follows too many characters and leaves many situations without answer. I do not know whether Alan Parker had edition problems to reduce the running time of this movie, but what happened, for example, with the ballerina that goes to a clinic for abortion? What happened with Leroy and his teacher, did he fail due to his grammar problem? What happened with Coco after undressing her blouse in the apartment of that crook? The musician that plays synthesizer and his proud father are left behind in the subplot. Anyway, "Fame" is still a delightful entertainment and a cult-movie for me. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Fama" ("Fame")

I love so many aspects of this film that I'm surprised it doesn't have a higher average rating. From its very beginning, with a brilliant audition sequence that has director Alan Parker switching between a number of characters and scenes, the film had me. Soon afterwards he hits it with the first of the musical numbers, an impromptu song and dance that breaks out in the lunch room, which captures the power of creative people feeding off one another. How that leads to the quieter girl (Maureen Teefy) escaping the noise to sit with a sensitive young man (Paul McCrane) and start up a friendship is also very nice.

'Fame' was ahead of its time in giving us a diverse cast, and that's in a lot of ways - race, language, body shape, sexual orientation, and economic background. It really captures the spirit of New York, and this is heightened by shots on the streets and in the subway. There are so many items it touches on - homophobia, abuse, violence, sexual harassment, and abortion. It celebrates the beauty of the arts, while at the same time cautioning just how difficult it is to make a career out of them. Its spirit is infectious, and it's filled with poignant moments.

Parker effectively uses an ensemble cast, each of whom contributes, but Barry Miller stands out as Ralph Garci, with a number of fine scenes: his impromptu acting during the audition ("I'm God, see?"), his recounting the pain of finding out Freddie Prinze had died, his telling his friends the real truth about his father, his lashing out a priest after his 5-year-old sister is assaulted ("Since when are you in the thinking business?"), and in bombing at a standup comedy club. It's a brilliant, powerful performance.

Irene Cara sings on a number of the tracks, including the wonderful title song, and also provides a heartbreaking moment when she's lured into posing topless in the apartment of a man posing as an indie film director. There are so many dangers that surround these kids, and the honesty of this predatory scene is a forerunner to the #metoo movement. It's too bad it's offset somewhat by Parker himself giving us two immature voyeuristic scenes of the boys peering into the girls changing room.

McCrane's descriptions of his growing sexual awareness, and the reaction he relates from his therapist ("He said it was probably a life choice"), is also touching. I liked the simple earnestness with which he portrayed this character, and his scene consoling Ralph Garci at the end (where Garci says "How do you know if you're good? Maybe you never know").

Without going through the rest of the big cast, I'll just add that I loved Jim Moody as the drama teacher, and wished his role hadn't tailed off after the sophomore year. That is one of the film's weaknesses - stories are unfinished and characters either disappear or certainly aren't all wrapped up with a big bow as in other movies - but this is also a strength in some ways. It gives the film the sense of how memories from the past are, and the ambiguity leaves it to us to imagine how the characters' lives played out. I think of 'Fame' as a collection of great moments, highlighting the arts, the human spirit, and growing up in a tough world which has so much danger and disappointment. Heartfelt and captivating, it's a great film.

Fame fmovies. Alan Parker's 'Fame' beautifully showcases college-life of eight aspiring artistes. Many seem to have a problem with the open ending and ponder on questions like what happened to Coco after the porn shoot or what happened to Ralph and Doris etc. However, I think this works well as it points to the uncertainty of their future as that's how life is. The point was to show their struggles during the college years and Parker captures that very well making it easy for the viewers to relate to and bringing a nostalgic feel.

'Fame' starts with some audition scenes which are hilarious. Then it shows which candidates are selected and that's when the story starts. Though it is labelled a musical drama, it doesn't follow the traditional musical genre. The songs do not appear out of nowhere. They are well situated within the context of the film and quite nice to listen to. 'Fame' also has that wild 70's feel. If this movie is the last of the 70s then it 'rounds' up the decade well.

The actors, most of them in their 20s, do a fine job. There are those who are shy, naive and afraid, those who are wacky, wild and a little reckless and those who put a front but all these characters are striving for their dream which is to become an artiste. The actors brilliantly demonstrate this. I particularly liked Barry Miller, Paul McCrane and Maureen Teefy who play the three close friends and Irene Cara who as the vulnerable singer Coco.

I had heard a lot about 'Fame' but I was under the impression that it would be a flimsy musical. I got a chance to watch it last night and I was certainly under the wrong impression. Even though many won't appreciate it, To me it is great.

This movie showcases a LOT of incredible talent. Fantastic performances throughout. The movie also is a great story about potential and how people use, abuse or ignore it in themselves. This is a story about students who look like they are all headed for fame and fortune. It shows the pitfalls along the way. We learn that talent is not enough. We also learn that many fall short and give up along the way. As an adult who was a teenager back when this movie first came out, it is a very bittersweet look at potential in us all and has us examine what we did with it in our lives, are we where we thought we would be? Yes, this movie is dated, it is over 20 years old, it HAS to be in some regard. But the story is timeless and will rank among classics of teenage movies and also always have a warm spot in the hearts of adults who grew up in the era. Highly recommended. Would make a great double feature with "Gold Diggers of 1933" just to show contrast and to see how Broadway has changed over the years.

I truly hate musicals because music numbers just start out of the sudden and usually spoil scenes, but this one is completely different - it's simply brilliant. Plot perhaps isn't any challenge for the viewers, but the simplicity of people life stories makes this movie great.

I've seen it at least dozen times and still I'm not tired with the plot, characters or music (I just love the soundtrack - it's the only soundtrack that I've really wanted to have and most probably will remain the only one that I owe).

For me it's a must-seen kind of movie, great characters compiled with entertaining songs and a lot of things to think about after the movie end.