 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Fame (2009)
- Review Date: September 23, 2009
- PG
- Genre: Musical
- 2009
Common Sense Media says
Teen musical remake has edgy content for a PG movie.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this remake of the 1980 movie musical Fame
has been heavily marketed to tweens and teens on television and online.
Although it's rated PG (unlike the original, which was rated R), it feels more like a PG-13 movie, especially in regard to underage drinking (the high schoolers are shown drinking several times, and in one scene a girl gets so drunk that she throws up) and language, which includes more than a few uses of "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," and the like. The sexuality is also more obvious than in most PG movies, with several kisses and one video-taped "casting couch" make-out session. On the bright side, there's considerably less consumerism than in comparable teen-focused movies, the cast is incredibly diverse, and the underlying messages about working hard and fighting for your dreams are definitely worthwhile.
What's the story?
The new FAME, like the 1980 original, follows a diverse crop of students through their years at New York City's prestigious High School for the Performing Arts, where every lunch hour turns into an impromptu jam session and every teen yearns for fame and fortune. The large ensemble includes wealthy dance queen Alice (Kherington Payne); Malik (Collins Pennie), a Harlem-bred tough who dreams of a stage career; Denise (Naturi Naughton), a classical pianist who'd rather sing hip-hop; budding music producer Victor (Walter Perez); Kevin (Paul McGill), an Iowa boy seeking ballet stardom; Joy (Anna Maria Perez de Tagle), who lands a job on Sesame Street junior year; Jenny (Kay Panabaker), a slightly uptight actress, and Marco (Asher Book), the sweet-as-pie singer who wants her to loosen up. Do they have what it takes? Some seem to, but not all of them are destined to "light up the sky like a flame."
Is it any good?
After seeing the updated Fame, anyone old enough to remember (remember... remember...) the original will want to listen to Irene Cara's rendition of the theme song and wax nostalgic about how that high-school musical became a cultural touchstone of the early 1980s. Sure, the 2009 version has the same premise, an equally diverse cast of newcomers, and even a supporting role by Debbie Allen -- whose famous quote from the first movie -- "You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying, in sweat" -- is played over the opening credits. The problem is, unlike the original cast of memorable misfits and prodigies, the new generation of performing students is quite bland. Yes, they're cute, and a couple seem poised for Disney flicks, primetime teen soaps, or musical careers, but it's hard to really care about any of them.
As the school's teachers, the always-excellent Kelsey Grammer (music), Bebe Neuwirth (dance), Megan
Mullally (musical theater), and Charles S. Dutton (drama) are all much, much more interesting than any of the students. You almost starts hoping for an extended sequence in the faculty lounge, a la Glee. Parents and Gen-Xers hoping to hear the songs from the original film will be mostly disappointed (sorry, no "I Sing the Body Electric"), although Naughton does a lovely job with "Out Here On My Own," and Book capably delivers short covers of "Ordinary People" and "Someone to Watch Over Me." But despite a few entertaining numbers, it's hard to believe that this Fame will have anything close to the cultural impact on teens that the original did in the age of leg warmers and off-the-shoulder sweatshirts.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how "fame" is different now than in the '80s. With so many media
outlets for getting your name "out there," is it even necessary to go through lots of special training to be discovered?The teens drink pretty openly at parties and clubs. Is this common behavior for teens?
Are the parent-child relationships in the movie realistic? What about the choices that some of the characters have to make about work vs. school?
If you've seen the original, you may want to compare the two movies. How is the music different? Which version has stronger characters?
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- Teens & kids
Kid, 11 years old
March 22, 2010
AGE
Bad for tweens but good for older people
I have watched the movie (Even if i was 8 yrs old) and i think this is a good movie but the language,drinking and behavior isn't good. I watched it by my self. I would love the movie if there wasn't any bad language,drinking and behavior.
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Kid, 11 years old
May 22, 2011
AGE
for tweens but maby not for youngsters
if concider edgy words bad this is not for you. and some drug drinking in one sence and in another secne mildy fliting is int it
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AGE
lots of sexual contekidsnt launguage and drinking to excess not for young tweens and little kids but awesome movie
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Kid, 11 years old
March 20, 2010
AGE
Bad for everyone
This for me I really hated it. I was very mad it was very bad . One guy tried to commet sueisid.Moms and dads do u want you're kids to see that din't think so.
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AGE
good movie it had a great message to never give up. i liked it
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AGE
a bit boring for me
I found this movie a bit boring to be honest. I would of expected more excitement...but no. This singing and dancing was so good though!
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AGE
Dance and Musical Numbers Were Good, The Rest Wasn't
Our family enjoys musical performance of just about any type, but especially singing and dancing. So we were pretty excited about the new Fame coming out.
Unfortunately, it didn't live up to our expectations. The dance, music, and acting class performance scenes were well done. However, there was an excessive amount of cursing for a PG film. Kissing was mostly appropriate (mostly between high school aged characters) and not excessively gratuitous except for one scene in which it looked like it was going to proceed to the next step. There was also a scene where an underage girl drank until intoxicated.
While most movies with this level of questionable material wouldn't normally deter me from allowing my kids to see it, when it's a bad movie there really isn't a need for the exposure to it. The movie lacks a strong plot line, character development, and acting by a number of the younger actors. It almost appears as though they had to edit out SOOO much material that what they had left just couldn't hang together as a story.
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Kid, 12 years old
May 21, 2011
AGE
One Of My Favorite Movies Of ALL Time!!!
i watched this movie when i was 8 and like it very much but i watched it again now and i LOVE IT!!
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| Topics: | arts and dance, high school, music and sing-along |
| Studio: | MGM/UA |
| Director: | Kevin Tancharoen |
| Cast: | Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, Kay Panabaker, Naturi Naughton |
| Genre: | Musical |
| Run time: | 105 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | September 25, 2009 |
| DVD release date: | January 12, 2010 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | thematic material including teen drinking, a sexual situation and language |
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