IMDb on iPhone and iPod touch Learn more Learn more Download from the App Store
IMDb > Fame (2009)
Fame
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips
Photos (see all 36 | slideshow) Videos (see all 46)
Fame (2009) -- The official Fame music video.
Fame (2009) -- A remake of the 1980s musical centered on the teachers and students at the prestigious New York City High School of Performing Arts.
Fame (2009) -- A clip from the movie Fame.
Fame (2009) -- Movieplayer.it - Italian Featurette (Flash)
Fame (2009) -- Interview: Bebe Neuwirth "On what attracted her to the project"

Overview

User Rating:
4.2/10   2,382 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Allison Burnett (screenplay)
Christopher Gore (1980 motion picture "Fame")
Contact:
View company contact information for Fame on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 September 2009 (USA) more
Tagline:
Dream It - Earn It - Live It more
Plot:
An updated version of the 1980 musical, which centered on the students of the New York Academy of Performing Arts. | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Reviews:
Fame - An Unfortunate Snoozer more (41 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Kay Panabaker ... Jenny Garrison

Naturi Naughton ... Denise Dupree

Kherington Payne ... Alice Ellerton

Megan Mullally ... Ms. Fran Rowan

Bebe Neuwirth ... Ms. Kraft

Debbie Allen ... Ms. Angela Simms

Asher Book ... Marco

Cody Longo ... Andy Matthews

Walter Perez ... Victor Taveras

Charles S. Dutton ... Mr. James Dowd

Kelsey Grammer ... Mr. Martin Cranston

Collins Pennie ... Malik Washburn

Anna Maria Perez de Tagle ... Joy
Paul McGill ... Kevin Barrett

Paul Iacono ... Neil Baczynsky
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG for thematic material including teen drinking, a sexual situation and language.
Runtime:
107 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
A photo is shown of Ms. Kraft (Bebe Neuwirth) with Broadway stage legend, Chita Rivera. Rivera notably played the role of Velma Kelly in the original 1975 Broadway production of "Chicago". Neuwirth also played Velma Kelly when "Chicago" was revived on Broadway in 1996. Both actresses received Tony Award nominations for their portrayals of the same character. Neuwirth went on to win the honor. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Marco is playing the piano at his parent's restaurant, the song he is playing is filled with sustained chords and legato melodies; which would require the foot pedal to be used quite often in order to achieve the sound that is heard. However, when the camera pans back to show underneath the piano, the pedal is not moving. more
Quotes:
Joel Cranston: [from trailer] You have talent. Now let's see what we can do with it. more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

Does anyone from the original movie appear in this remake?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
more
55 out of 71 people found the following review useful.
Fame - An Unfortunate Snoozer, 24 September 2009
3/10
Author: OgyJoe from Nashville, Tennessee

I remember when I was younger I enjoyed the original Fame movie. Although I currently can't remember anything about the movie at all, save for the theme song. Tonight I got the chance to see the sneak peek of the 2009 version. Overall, I wasn't impressed. What was wrong with the movie? 1.) The plot…or lack thereof. There were so many "main" characters, that the scenes just jumped from one to another without any real cohesion. Sometimes there were even two scenes going on at the same time with the camera flashing back and forth between the two.

2.) The timeline. Before each "section" of the movie, you got a title like "Freshman Year", "Sophomore Year", "Junior Year", and "Senior Year". This would have been fine if they spent any time in these years. Instead, they went by so fast that the title just threw off the pace. For example, you get introduced to the characters and see "Freshman Year". Then you get to see their insecurities and character flaws all over the course of one day. The next day is "Sophomore Year" and the characters have made no forward progress since day one of freshman year. The movie could have been vastly improved by simply stripping out these time stamps.

3.) Character development. Tied to the first two problems with this movie is the character development. There is so much going on and time passes so fast that you don't really get to see much development of many of the characters. I understand there is only so much time in the movie, but that could have been resolved by reducing the number of "lead" characters. If you reduced the number of people we had to keep track of, we'd be able to see more how those characters evolve, and care more about them in the end.

4.) Lack of resolution. None of these characters really show any sign of improvement until the last scene in the movie, and then we still get no resolution on how things turned out. The last scene is graduation and we have no idea if any of these people amounted to anything after that. Very few even make mention to what they MIGHT be doing after the movie ends. Heck, I would have even settled for the lame freeze frame with written text explaining what people went on to do (which is a pretty cheesy cheat out of writing a resolution to your story as is).

5.) Predictability and memorable characters/scenes. I am going to lump these two issues together, because they go pretty much hand-in-hand. the movie from beginning to end was pretty predictable. There were absolutely zero surprises within. As a result, there was very little memorable about the movie. In fact, without looking at IMDb, I couldn't name a single character in the movie.

So was there anything good about the movie? I guess for what it was, it was an okay movie. No real surprises, and nothing you are going to remember any length of time from now (which is maybe why I don't remember the first movie). But I did enjoy the gratuitous completely unrealistic cafeteria jam session on day one of Freshman Year. And some of the cast music (which I assume was mostly original…at least nothing I've heard elsewhere) was good. Actually, I would have been okay if it was just one jam session after another, because I kinda dug that cheesy scene. Otherwise I say that if you are really interested in this movie, or perhaps a fan of the previous one, wait for the DVD. There are much better movies you could spend your money watching, especially since tickets are so high these days.

Was the above review useful to you?
more (41 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Fame (2009)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
How intolerant is this movie?! sim_vortex
Remember my name. chesterprynne
'IN' Long Island??? AK-18
How has this movie actually been achieving? harapan_putri
AWESOME BLACK AND GOLD SCENE! lil_alex_8
Dancers who act. rachel111393
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Enchanted High School Musical 3: Senior Year Rent Hello, Dolly! The Muppets Take Manhattan
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Comedy section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.