Product Details

• Actors: Kay Panabaker, Naturi Naughton
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• DVD Release Date: January 12, 2010
• Run Time: 107 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002XTXG8O
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,651 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Fame" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Who wants to live forever? One of the catchiest songs from the '80s lives on in spirit in the 2009 remake of Fame, based on the 1980 smash hit of the same name, which shot Irene Cara to stardom, and whose theme song launched a thousand aerobics classes. This Fame is in the same exuberant spirit, of talented young kids eager to burst into the spotlight, with great doses of the High School Musical franchise. The big stars are among the adult contingent, and include Kelsey Grammer, Debbie Allen, Charles S. Dutton, Megan Mullally, and the always amazing Bebe Neuwirth, leggy and an awesome singer (though Frasier fans will be half-expecting a Frasier-Lilith run-in, a fun in-joke).

Among the talented younger cast, one of the breakout stars is Naturi Naughton, who plays aspiring pianist Denise, and seems to be channeling some of the exuberance of Cara's performance in the original (she sings a swell version of the title song, too). Other talented newbies to watch include Collins Pennie, who plays Malik, a bitter youth still dealing with the raw hand he was dealt as a kid; the winsome Kay Pannebaker, as Jenny; and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, who plays the ravishing Joy. "You have talent," bellows Grammer's Mr. Cranston. "Now let's see what you can do with it!" The adults wisely get out of the way to let the kids, especially Denise, shine.

As with the original, the music is a standout, and the soundtrack is well worth appreciating on its own. Some songs from the 1980 Fame are included, and updated just enough to feel fresh, including the title tune, as well as "Out Here on My Own," also sung by Naughton. And the new soundtrack features many new tunes, including Pennie singing "Street Hustlin'" and Mullally's memorable "You Took Advantage of Me." And if this remake (directed by Kevin Tancheroen) doesn't quite eclipse the freshness of the first Fame, it's a more than satisfying companion. See you in the spotlight! --A.T. Hurley

Product Description

Fame soars even higher with the EXTENDED DANCE EDITION of the film, featuring over 15 minutes of thrilling dance footage you couldn't see in theaters!

Passions will be tested. Hearts will be broken. Talent, dedication and hard work will triumph! Fame is the inspiring story of a group of dancers, singers, musicians and actors at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, and their spirited drive to live out their dreams of stardom. In an incredibly competitive atmosphere, each student must shine amidst the tumult of school work, deep friendships, budding romance and self-discovery. Debbie Allen, Charles S. Dutton, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally and Bebe Neuwirth co-star along side a group of gifted young performers in This soaring reinvention of the Oscar®-Winning hit film*.

• Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby Digital / Spanish & French: Dolby Surround
• Language: Dubbed & Subtitled: English, French & Spanish
• Theatrical Aspect Ratio: Widescreen: 2.35:1

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Really only a tease.., September 28, 2009

By 

T. Distaso (North of Boston) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

I was excited to go see this movie, and really did not know what to expect.
This would have made a much better new TV series than a movie. I would love to see it fleshed out as a TV series and get some real developement in characters and plot.
Unfortuntely it fell into that unsasifactory category where you saw most of the best dancing\singing parts on the theatrical teasers so you are left with virtually no WOW factors sitting and watching it in the theatre.

I was expecting more dancing and singing in the movie as a whole, but found that aspect to be disappointingly skimpy, with few actual "full" musical numbers.

I do not think they fleshed out any defining plot and came across aimless. I do not think they developed any one set of characters enough to hook you into any of the many moments they crammed into one film. They also Cliched too much in this movie. The Characters, the "hardships" the hook-ups most of which felt forced to fit a formula for the movie, the struggles. No one character carried any full personality, they all seemed cliched and safe. Part of that I feel, is because they made it an ensemble cast but made that core ensemble too large to get any real screen time to feel attached to anyone.
I feel like there was soooooo much potential here that was just left undeveloped and instead I was shown an "outline" of what could be a great TV series.
At time I felt confused as to if they were trying to make it feel like the same time as the origional Fame instead of completely updating it to be a modern twist, but caught todays conviences and clothing style..
I LOVED who they picked to be teachers and wanted more from them.. I liked most of the young actors but don't feel like I got to really know any of their characters or felt that many of them actually grew from freshamn year to senior year.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant and entertaining film but nothing memorable, September 28, 2009

By 

Linda Linguvic (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

When I think of the movie "Fame", I think of the song that still lingers in my mind from the original 1980 film. All I remember about it though was that it was about teenagers coming of age at the High School of Performing arts in New York City.

Yesterday I saw the 2009 version in a theater. The story was familiar but it seemed rather sanitized. And the only modern touches it had were some slight references to YouTube and texting. The stories of the individual students seemed stereotyped and have been done a million times before. There were a few poignant moments and some of the actors, although excellent, seemed a little old for their roles.

I spent the entire film waiting to hear the song "Fame" which still lingers in my mind after all these years. I had to wait until the very end, during the credits, to hear it though. And even though there were good production numbers throughout, there was nothing else memorable that I would feel like humming. I thought the dancing was wonderful and so was some of the acting, especially that of the actors playing the roles of the teachers.

Basically this was a pleasant and entertaining film. As far as my personal taste goes though, I can only give it a lukewarm recommendation

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good But Not As Good As The Original, December 15, 2009

By 

Movie Lover "Movie Lover" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fame (DVD)

The remake was good but I didn't enjoy it as much as the original movie. I cared about Coco, Leroy, Doris, Bruno and the other characters in the first movie. I also bought the soundtrack. But I didn't get so caught up in the new characters lives while trying to become famous. I didn't even buy the new soundtrack.

However, it was worth seeing just to see/hear Megan Mullally sing. She is very talented, not only as an actor but a singer. It was good to see Debbie Allen again. She was in the original movie and TV series.

There were some great actors to watch, Charles S. Dutton, Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth, who outshone the young cast. I found myself wanting to know more about them than the students.

The dancing was fun to watch and the music was good but I just didn't enjoy it as much as I did the original. Sometimes, a remake just isn't as good.