A reinvention of the original Oscar®-winning hit film, Fame follows a talented group of dancers, singers, actors, and artists over four years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, a diverse, creative powerhouse where students from all walks of life are given a chance to live out their dreams and achieve real and lasting fame…the kind that comes only from talent, dedication, and hard work.

The cast includes Asher Book as Marco, Kristy Flores as Rosie, Paul Iacono as Neil, Paul McGill as Kevin, Naturi Naughton as Denise, Kay Panabaker as Jenny, Kherington Payne as Alice, Collins Pennie as Malik, Walter Perez as Victor, and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle as Joy. Their instructors include Debbie Allen as Principal Angela Simms, Charles S. Dutton as Alvin Dowd, Kelsey Grammer as Joel Cranston, Megan Mullally as Fran Rowan, and Bebe Neuwirth as Lynn Kraft.

I had the pleasure of attending a screening of Fame last night, the new film by director, dancer and choreographer Kevin Tanchareon.  This is a reinvention of the original 1980 musical of the same name, and it was brilliant. This PG movie is a perfect family movie that any young boy or girl can enjoy – and one that adults can enjoy as well!

One of the things I appreciated most about Fame was that it wasn’t an overly stylized movie.  Wasn’t glossy, pretty, and bright (like the High School Musicals). It was gritty and felt real, and each scene captivates you. I like that for the most part, the cast was full of young actors you wouldn’t recognize.  It gives the film a very real – documentary feeling.  The acting was great, the dancing, singing and music was even better. As I was leaving the theater I heard a lot of “the music was awesome!” and it was! The music kept the movie flowing at a wonderful pace. You wanted to tap your toe in one scene, and cry in the next.  The emotions seemed so real, and so raw, you felt part of the story.

I would have really liked to see  more back story on the characters, if anything – that’s where the movie fell short. There was a lot of singing, dancing and music – and not enough character development. But I liked the movie a lot – this would have just made the movie better. Many of the characters were so interesting, I just wanted more!

I usually shy away from remakes, but this remake was worth the 107 minutes.  I really enjoyed it – and I would highly recommend it for families with children interested in the arts. I would definitely watch this again with my kids – to be honest, I’d probably watch it again on my own.

I give it two thumbs up!