Fame

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This may be a remake, but it feels like a breath of fresh air and is much better than the current trend of dance movies about folk from the "wrong side of the tracks" who triumph over adversity, bag the upper class guy/girl and then dance off into the sunset/rain. Sure, we've got the same ragtag collection of clichéd high-schoolers - the angry one, the egotistical one, the shy one - but Fame has a cast with genuine talent, and is executed with a giddy and infectious style by first-time helmer Kevin Tancharoen.

The New York School Of Performing Arts, or "PA" as the students call it, receives ten thousand applicants every year. That figure is then whittled down to a smaller number for auditions, but it's only two hundred of the lucky few who actually make it into the school. Once there, the students are informed that their time at PA will not be an easy ride, and that they will have all their normal academic classes on top of all the arts ones. Whoever said it wasn't easy at the top had obviously taken a shortcut on the way there. The film deals with the lives of a group of students as they get through the four years of school, make relationships, go out to the big bad world and get work, as well as being told just that they're not good enough. Hey, it's tough at the bottom.

Obviously the fact that Fame is based on another film means that originality isn't going to be rampant here - you've seen pretty much every one of these characters before. What you haven't seen are similar characters performed so well, as this bunch sing, dance, rap and act with genuine conviction and passion. The documentary-like handheld camera also makes you feel like part of the class, just watching these guys go through the motions. Sure, there is one scene where the gang burst into a sporadic sing and dance number in the canteen (in an obvious nod to the original), but for the most part, this is sans cheese. Too many characters can make it difficult to focus, as only one or two are explored with any depth, but it's a testament to the performances on show that you buy into their respective predicaments, regardless.

It doesn't always work - but when these kids are flexing their performance muscles on stage and in class, Fame is a joy to watch.