Fame parents guide

Fame Parent Guide

The audience I screened this production with (consisting of dancers, their parents and the staff of an elite athletic school) seemed to buy right into the story.

Overall B

If fame is as fickle as winning a lottery, then maybe the best ticket to the top is acceptance into the New York City High School of Performing Arts. Yet even the group of talented music and dance students lucky enough to have earned that prestigious honor are only beginning to pay the price associated with their lofty goals. This remake of the highly successful 1980's film follows a new generation of dreamers.

Release date September 25, 2009

Violence B
Sexual Content B
Profanity C+
Substance Use C

Why is Fame rated PG? The MPAA rated Fame PG for thematic material including teen drinking, a sexual situation and language.

Run Time: 107 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Fame—that illusive moment in the spotlight—doesn’t come easy. And that is exactly what the teachers and principal (Debbie Allen) at New York’s Performing Arts High School want their students to know. Discipline, practice, attention to the details of their craft and hard work help, but they can’t guarantee success.

Nearly 30 years after the original Fame movie released, there is a whole new generation of students auditioning in the rundown classrooms at the city’s prestigious public institution. They arrive on the big day, nervous and excited to prove they have the right stuff. Of 10,000 applicants, 200 make the cut as freshmen.

From there the film rushes through four years of high school with a cast so large it is difficult to really get to know any of the kids. Alice (Kherington Payne) is a dancer whose parents have been paving the way for her career from the time she was four or five years old. Her confidence and expectations are evident. Luckily she seems to have the talent to make it happen. Unfortunately things aren’t so rosy for the male dancer (Paul McGill) from Iowa who has to work doubly hard to keep up.

Meanwhile, Denise (Naturi Naughton) is locked away in a classroom practicing her musical pieces to fulfill her father’s dream for her, to become a classical pianist. Neil’s (Paul Iacono) desire to be a filmmaker has him begging his hard-working dad (Howard Gutman) for production money.

Down the hall in theatrical arts, a timid student (Kay Panabaker) stands at the front of the room and performs a faltering rendition of a love song. Then another classmate (Collins Pennie), who is attending the school without his mother’s knowledge, lets his anger spill out in a rap song. Their friend, Marco (Asher Book), who sings in his family’s restaurant, is just happy to show up at school everyday.

Each passing semester sees some students soar while others stumble as they face new experiences. Their abilities are tested when one teacher (Megan Mullally) takes them out of the safety of the high school and pushes them to perform in front of a real audience at a nightclub. Other teenagers learn life lessons after getting drunk, facing unwanted sexual advances, and being repeatedly rejected at cast calls. One performer even contemplates suicide when his dreams for a future career disappear.

The audience I screened this production with (consisting of dancers, their parents and the staff of an elite athletic school) seemed to buy right into the story. I’m sure most of those aspiring young athletes see themselves shining on the stage one day. With a bit of luck and hard work some of them might even succeed. In the meantime, I hope the warning about pushing your children to satisfy parental dreams wasn’t lost on the adults.

Starring Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, Megan Mullally. Running time: 107 minutes. Theatrical release September 25, 2009. Updated

Fame
Rating & Content Info

Why is Fame rated PG? Fame is rated PG by the MPAA for thematic material including teen drinking, a sexual situation and language.

Students experience anxiety and nervousness as they prepare to audition for entry into this prestigious school. Parents are often portrayed as demanding, unsupportive or uninformed. After a girl gets drunk and throws up, a teacher reprimands her actions. Teens are seen performing in nightclubs and bars but presumably do not drink alcoholic beverages there or at a social gathering. A female student rebuffs the actions of a young adult male who makes sexual advances toward her. Several students exchange kisses. Performers are seen in skimpy dance costumes and execute moves that include crotch-grabbing and pelvic gyrations. A student seriously contemplates suicide after facing a disappointment. A student has his money stolen by a con artist. The script includes mild and moderate profanities, vulgarities, slurs and slang terms.

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Fame Parents' Guide

At the CarnEvil party, Denise wears an angel costume. What does this choice say about her character? Why is it difficult for her to stand up to her father? What does she discover about her mother?

The music teacher (Kelsey Grammer) tells his students that study, drills and practicing technique frees talent rather than stifles it. What do you think he means? Why is it important to master the basics of any discipline?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Fame movie is January 12, 2010. Here are some details…

Release Date: 12 January 2010

Fame takes the stage on Blu-ray with the following bonus extras:

- Original Theatrical Version of the Film

- Extended Cut (with 15 additional minutes of footage)

- Deleted Scenes

- Fame Music Video

- Remember My Name - Character Profiles

- Fame National Talent Search Finalist

-The Dances of Fame

- Digital Copy of the movie

Fame is also releasing as a Single Disc DVD. This edition includes:

- Original Theatrical Version of the Film

- Extended Cut (with 15 additional minutes of footage)

- Deleted Scenes

- Fame Music Video

- Remember My Name - Character Profiles

- Fame National Talent Search Finalist

-The Dances of Fame

Related home video titles:

Kay Panabaker also stars as a young rider who dreams of competing in an upcoming horse jumping event against some very driven athletes in Moondance Alexander. The father of another talented youngster pushes his son to succeed in Searching For Bobby Fischer.

Other dancers looking for fame strut their stuff in the movies Step Up and Honey. The documentary Mad Hot Ballroom explores the virtue of dance classes as part of the curriculum for fifth graders in the New York City School District.