“FAME”
Starring Kay Panabaker, Naturi Naughton, Asher Book
Released: Sept. 25, 2009

WATCH THE TRAILER

Poor acting and choppy editing combine to make a disappointing movie.

MANY HIGH SCHOOLERS would love to go to a school where they could hone their talents, rather than spend seven hours only on academics.

There is an allure in spending four hours a day on dance or music or acting, though perhaps not in working "twice as hard as everyone else," as the students in the movie "Fame" do.

"Fame," a remake of the well-received 1980 film of the same name, follows the stories of 10 students at the New York City High School for Performing Arts, known as P.A.

This new version, however, will not receive the acclaim P.A.'s students strive for. The storyline is choppy, the characters are underdeveloped, and the acting in most cases is average.

The movie tries to cover the lives of 10 people for four years in 107 minutes but fails to give them depth or consequence. The many short scenes are unrelated as the film attempts to keep us updated on all the characters.

The drama skills of most of these performers are subpar. Some can't sing; it is painful to watch teacher Fran Rowan's (Megan Mullally) students praise her duck-like voice, and Jenny's (Kay Panabaker) singing is feeble.

Jenny, an uptight and perfectionist drama student, is also an unoriginal character. The other students don't provide much variety in dispositions. Viktor (Walter Perez), a hip-hop composer and spurned boyfriend, has no personality at all — perhaps because the movie has many others to feature.

"Fame" is frustrating because the stories of these students could be very interesting if they were expanded. For instance, Alice (Kherington Payne) is a wealthy modern dancer who dates lower-class Viktor, but she does nothing apart from leading some fun dance numbers.

Her barely developed story doesn't fit in with the two larger subplots. It doesn't connect to the relationship between Jenny and Marco (Asher Book), a talented singer, which the movie focuses on. Neither does it relate to Malik's (Collins Pennie) attempt to get a record deal on a hip-hop album he created with Viktor and Denise (Naturi Naughton).

Denise is one of the most interesting and complex students in the film. She is a classical pianist with controlling parents who discovers a passion for singing at school. Denise’s character is as clichéd as all the other students, but Naughton sings well and gives Denise more life than her peers.

Her frequent clashes with her parents contrast with Alice's relationship with hers. They appear in one brief scene where Alice calls them "boring," but that scene just causes the viewer to long for more detail. Why does Alice think her parents are boring? Do they fight as well?

It is easy to accept the lack of detail about the teachers. With the exception of Mullally's singing debacle, they are simply more sophisticated actors whose brief appearances are a pleasure to watch. For instance, Charles Dutton, who plays the earnest drama teacher, provides bits of wisdom among the teen spectacle.

But teen drama takes center stage as "Fame" continues, with break-ups, a failed record deal, and an overused ending.

These subplots show up for free on television, but the dancing and singing in "Fame" are good — good enough that the $10 spent on a movie ticket won’t be wasted, but only if you're a "So You Think You Can Dance" junkie.

"Fame" is playing at the Goodrich Savoy 16, 232 W. Burwash, Savoy, and the Carmike Beverly 18, 910 Meijer Drive, Champaign

"Fame" AT A GLANCE

• Starring: Kay Panabaker (Jenny Garrison), Naturi Naughton (Denise Dupree), Kherington Payne (Alice Ellerton), Asher Book (Marco), Walter Perez (Victor Taveras), Collins Pennie (Malik Washburn), Megan Mullally (Fran Rowan), Charles S. Dutton (James Dowd)
• Directed by: Kevin Tancharoen
• Written by: Allison Burnett (screenplay), Christopher Gore (1980 motion picture "Fame")
• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family, Musical
• Rated: PG
• Runtime: 107 min.
• Release date: Sept. 25, 2009
• Summary (from IMDb): An updated version of the 1980 film, which centered on the students of the New York City High School for Performing Arts.