First - Fame didn't need to be remade. Fame is fine just the way it is - there's always a degree to which good stories about teenagers will remain fundamentally true in the emotions and situations they depict, even if the fashions or music are dated. Fame, in my opinion, is one such story. I was probably about eleven or twelve when I saw it for the first time (on PBS, weirdly) - it's the first 'R' that sticks in my mind as one that I loved.
Second - That remix/update of "Fame" towards the end, whatever that is, demonstrates yet another thing that didn't need to be messed with. The original song won an Oscar, for Christ's sake. Leave it alone!
Third - It's hard to tell from a trailer, but this movie seems awfully...upbeat.
Like, the director talking about hard work showcasing talent? Sure, that's an element of the movie, but that's not what I love about Fame. My favorite thing (okay, maybe second favorite, see #4) about the movie is the "Senior Year" section, when most of the characters get slapped in the face by reality. When I first saw Hillary's monologue about her abortion, I remember the feeling of having never seen something like it before, and even though it's been nearly thirty years since Fame came out, the topic is still rarely addressed with that kind of candor in popular culture. If they end this movie with some sort of "Kid A went to Hollywood...Kid B is dancing on Broadway" epilogue instead of the original's disconcertingly ambiguous ending, I am going to be so disappointed and rant about it so hardcore...
Fourth - Originally, I said that "Senior Year" was my favorite part, and then I realized that my most favorite thing about Fame is "Out Here on My Own," probably one of my favorite movie scenes, like, of all time. Now, I have no complaints with the way it's sung in the trailer - it sounds nice, the song is recognizable. The song, though, is only half of why I love this scene.
The way Lee Curreri gazes at Irene Cara while she's singing this song makes me swoon more than anything, like, ever. Back in the pre-YouTube days, sometimes I would fast-forward my VHS (!) just to watch this scene, for real.
Okay. So I'm totally pre-judging. Sigh. Why not make a "teens in the performing arts" movie and just NOT CALL IT FAME?!?! Must the name of a perfectly good film be tarnished?
2 comments:
I definitely read "travesties" as "transvestites" for a second. It was a very confused second. Good job Hanna.
I don't think there have been any posts regarding pop culture transvestites yet. I'll remember the tag for when there are, though.
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