'Fame' movies share a name, but differ dramatically

For viewers who want to get a sense of the difference between the newly released "Fame" remake and the original 1980 film, all that is needed is a look at the work of the directors. Kevin Tancharoen directed "The Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll," "Dancelife" and Britney Spears Live from Miami. Alan Parker, who directed the original, on the other hand, went on to direct such heavy fare as "Mississippi Burning," "Come See the Paradise," "The Commitments" and "Angela's Ashes."

Though the movies are both based on a story by Christopher Gore, who wrote the screenplay for the original, the two films are quite different in their content and feel.

Some of the scenes and storylines in the new film are taken straight out of the original film, but even so they lack the impact of the original. "Fame," 2009, is at its best when it looks like a music video - and in fact, there are several scenes in the film that do little else but let us watch the large cast sing, dance and play musical instruments. The dance scenes are the best part of the movie, and probably what will draw viewers to the theater. But don't expect much more out of the 2009 version of the film.

Both films have a large cast and follow a dozen or so students through four years at the High School for the Performing Arts in New York City. The original film comes in with a two hour, 14 minute running time, and perhaps that extra half hour gave the storytellers just enough time to go into more depth with the characters. There is more interaction between the students, their families and the teachers so that by the end of the movie it feels like the characters are real people with real problems. Viewers watch as one character reveals his homosexuality; another reveals how his father abused him as a child; and we discover one of the most talented dancers in the school can't really read.

The original is stacked with curse words, a few topless scenes, and it deals with the issues of homosexuality, abortion, drug abuse and racism, all in the context of students who want to become famous performers.

All of that is missing from the new remake, as it has been toned down for a younger audience. The new movie is aimed at the viewers of "So You Think You Can Dance" and the "Step Up" movies - the 'tween and teen set.

Some of the characters in the new film are similar to those in the original, but screenwriter Allison Burnett and Tancharoen, in toning down the rougher edges of the film also toned down the characters so much that it is hard to care about them.

As with the original film, the 2009 movie starts out with the students at auditions before freshman year. The scenes are cut almost like a music video, in that it goes back and forth between departments and characters.

It is easy to pick out which students will be admitted to the school since those are the ones given the most time on screen. The characters viewers can expect to get to know include Jenny Garrison (Kay Panabaker,) a shy actress, Victor Taveras (Walter Perez), a talented musician who is more interested in producing than learning classical music, Alice Ellerton (Kherington Payne), a dancer who thinks she is the most talented student in the class, and plenty more. There is an actor/rapper who is filled with a rage, a ballet dancer who might not make the cut and a classic pianist who wants to be more.

The teachers at the school are played by well-versed actors such as Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, Charles S. Dutton and Megan Mullally, but their talents are not used here since their lines are few and far between.

With so many characters and the need to cram in four years of high school in an hour and 45 minute movie, few of the characters get much screen time. The characters come across as flat compared to the ones in the original. All of the emotion has been removed from the remake and been replaced by flashy dance scenes and stage performances.

The adult set should leave the remake to the youngsters and see the original, which is much harder hitting while still offering some entertaining dance and music scenes - including dancing in the streets scene to the movie's theme song "Fame."