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Fame

Play trailer 2:36 Poster for Fame R 1980 2h 14m Musical Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
81% Tomatometer 37 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Young men and women audition for coveted spots at the New York High School of Performing Arts. Those who make the cut discover that it takes a lot of hard work to become a star and sometimes difficult decisions have to be made. The youngsters grapple with heavy issues such as homosexuality, abortion, attempted suicide and illiteracy. On top of their unique struggles, the students must deal with the mundane pressures of adolescence like homework, heartbreak and rejection.
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Fame

Fame

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Critics Consensus

Just because Fame is a well-acted musical doesn't mean it flinches against its surprisingly heavy topics.

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Critics Reviews

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Yardena Arar Associated Press 07/17/2019
Numerous performance scenes are expertly woven into Christopher Gore's screenplay following the audition-to-graduation fortunes of a handful of students, and the result is a joyful celebration of youth, hope and talent. Go to Full Review
Bruce McCabe Boston Globe 04/28/2018
Fame isn't only the best musical of the summer, it's one of the best films of any genre -- a fresh and funky, sassy and brassy, gutty and gritty, slick and smart piece of work. Go to Full Review
Anna Smith Empire Magazine 09/08/2010
3/5
The song and dance scenes are hard to beat in terms of sheer energy and atmosphere, but the dramatic storylines leave several loose ends. Go to Full Review
Mike Massie Gone With The Twins 07/20/2024
7/10
A lively, momentous demonstration of craft. Go to Full Review
James Berardinelli ReelViews 05/31/2024
3/4
Cliched dramatic stories aside, the movie has a gritty charm and overall likeability that makes it worth revisiting for an understanding of how both the genre and society’s perceptions have evolved... Go to Full Review
Zita Short InSession Film 02/07/2023
C-
This is an unbalanced mess at a lot of points and that stops you from fully enjoying its occasional moments of greatness. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Adam S Mar 29 This over-ambitious film is more like an extended trailer for the forthcoming television series (which I admittedly haven't watched, yet). I tries to cram so much material that it doesn't give characters a natural opportunity to develop or bring storylines to actual resolutions. The music, choreography, and acting are all good, but I found the end result less than satisfying. See more Caleb D 10/21/2024 A very realist and disarmingly relatable movie, in spite of a few cringe moments. See more Shari F 07/26/2024 As 100% card carrying stuck in the 80s gen Xer it should be no surprise that I adore this film! I was just 10 when it came out but I remember desperately wanting to see it in the theater. I was an indulged only child who saw a lot of movies I should not have, alas this was not one had to wait till I was about 13 to finally get my hands upon it on VHS. Let's start with the unbe-freakin-lievable soundtrack which is the main reason I wanted to see it in the theater so much. The title song was just one monster hit that had me dancing in my bedroom. Irene Cara sings the H E double hockey sticks out of the aforementioned theme song. She also bings complexity and relatability to her character Coco. She Is a aspiring young dancer/actor who makes numerous sacrifices to get into an make it through 4 years at a extremely competitive New York Performing Arts High School. The movie follows Coco and several other students through their audition at the school all the way through graduation. The students were all played by virtual unknowns at the time including Cara ( who went on a few years later to record What A Feeling a huge hit from another 80s classic FlashDance) All of them shine but the other absolute scene stealer is Gene Anthony Ray as Leroy an incredible dancer who through sheer talent and dumb luck breezes his way through auditions an into the school. Ray is one of the most amazing dancers I have ever seen on any stage or screen just his dance scenes all are worth watching this movie. The writing, the choreography, and seamless blend of drama and musical make this a can't miss watch. Especially for 80s and teen See more Ionela C 04/20/2024 Absolutely beautiful. Well done See more Lanfranco C @Lanfrancobz 06/08/2023 Watching it again after many years it looks like "aged" See more Mike P 02/02/2023 Awesome musical movie from the 70s (filmed in 79, released in 80). I really love this movie. It's a dark, gritty movie that really goes there; into the ugly underside of becoming famous. It's very daring for it's time. We see 8 Hollywood Hopefuls going through the rigors of training at the famed Fiorello H LaGuardia High School for Performing Arts in New York. We see all the hurdles they have to cross; all the humiliations; until the final triumphant number when they all graduate and unify; and sing the startling "I Sing The Body Electric" number, a paean to hope and survival. It's very moving and inspiring. It also serves up alot of awesome musical numbers like the title number, (which was a top ten hit on the radio and won the Academy Award for Best Song), also "Red Light", "Out Here On My Own" and the aforementioned "Body Electric", which is quite stunning and will have you cheering. This movie is a must for movie-musical nerds! Highly recommended. See more Read all reviews
Fame

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Movie Info

Synopsis Young men and women audition for coveted spots at the New York High School of Performing Arts. Those who make the cut discover that it takes a lot of hard work to become a star and sometimes difficult decisions have to be made. The youngsters grapple with heavy issues such as homosexuality, abortion, attempted suicide and illiteracy. On top of their unique struggles, the students must deal with the mundane pressures of adolescence like homework, heartbreak and rejection.
Director
Alan Parker
Producer
David De Silva, Alan Marshall
Screenwriter
Christopher Gore
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Rating
R
Genre
Musical
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 16, 1980, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2008
Runtime
2h 14m
Sound Mix
Surround
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