Fame [M]

High school is rough for everyone, but for the talented kids of Performing Arts, the next four years are going to be hell. 

The way I came to love this film was completely by accident. I found a really cheap copy and bought it for my mum, only to work out that she had mistaken it for another 80s talent movie. So, we were stuck with this movie that we had never seen before. It was a blessing in disguise. Fame is the ultimate talent movie that’s jam-packed with romance, comedy, and plenty of drama. It’s a classic! 

High school is rough for everyone, but for the talented students of Performing Arts, the next fours years are going to be hell. Seven classes a day and a hot lunch. That’s that New York City’s High School for Performing Arts guarantees. Fame? That’s something that’s up to the talented musicians, dancers, actors, and dreamers that fill the school. 

The brilliant thing about Fame was that it followed the stories of a whole bunch of different characters. Some had a stronger story than others, but each one had their fifteen minutes of fame (come on, I can’t have been expected not to do that). Each individual drama is broken up by the use of music that creates the mood for the previous and upcoming story. I found this really clever as it effectively breaks up the different scenes, but does it using characters rather than blackouts, fadeouts, or any other computer effect. 

The way the story is written is really clever, as it follows certain students over the course of their four years in high school and shows us a healthy balance of dramas that take place both in and out of school. The use of a smattering of original 80s pop songs brilliantly plays against the classical music that is used to break up the scenes and I particularly love the scene where the title track of the film is playing and all the kids just go out and dance in the street. It conveys great passion and free spirit and is great to watch because you could never see that happening in the society of today. 

Starring Irene Cara, Eddie Barth, Lee Curreri, Laura Dean, Antonia Franceschi, Boyd Gaines, Albert Hague, Steve Inwood, Paul McCrane, Anne Meara, Joanna Merlin, Barry Miller, Jim Moody, Gene Anthony Ray, and Maureen Teefy, Fame is a wonderful movie filled with talent, music, drama, romance, and comedy. I absolutely love it! 

Fame! I’m gonna live forever. I’m gonna learn how to fly high! I feel it coming together. People will see me and cry. Fame! I’m gonna make it to Heaven. Light up the sky like a flame. Fame! I’m gonna live forever. Baby, remember my name!