Fame is, at least to me, not a flawless film and it is easy to see why people wouldn't like or connect with it, but I found it to be a good, entertaining film. It is true that Ralph is given too much prominence and he is never really likable while some of the other characters are barely fleshed out and that the ending is far too abrupt and riddled with loose ends that were crying out to be tied up. Some of the dialogue is also a little rambling in places and with a structure that could have been tighter than it was. Fame, while very of the time, is very competently made with the style of filming appropriate for the type of film and what themes are explored, that some of the song and dance numbers are shot like a music video didn't come across as that much of a problem personally. The songs are terrific, the timeless title song, the infectiously catchy Hot Lunch Jam and the poignant Out Here on My Own are the highlights though the ending number I Sing the Body Electric is fun enough too. The score also won an Oscar along with the title song and deserved it thoroughly. The choreography is toe-tapping and spirited, especially in I Sing the Body Electric. The story captures the high school performing arts atmosphere really well, how fulfilling and fun yet punishing and competitive it is and has themes that anyone would relate to, ones that were relevant then and while not as much reasonably relevant now. While the characterisation is not perfect, there are a few good characters like Leroy and Coco. The performances show the actors very into their roles and enjoying them, Barry Miller does overact but if there was a favourite in the cast it would be Irene Cara, who had the best singing voice of the cast and the one with the best songs. In conclusion, has some imperfections in the writing department but musically especially the film while an acquired taste was personally entertaining. 7/10 Bethany Cox

New kids come to audition for New York City High School of Performing Arts. Leroy Johnson is a tough kid dragged to help a girl audition but he gets picked instead. Bruno Martelli is more interested in modern music. Doris Finsecker is shy pushed by her mother. Lisa Monroe is a dancer since childhood but finds herself falling behind. Coco Hernandez (Irene Cara) is confident at everything. Montgomery MacNeil is gay. The movie follows these kids and their teachers over the next 4 years.

The beauty of this are the various unknown actors. The drawback is also the same thing which suffers from a lack of focus on a specific character. The numbers of characters are so many and the time spent is so vast. It becomes a series of disjointed vignettes. It does get into the foreign world of the performing arts and some pretty interesting dramatic aspects. Gene Anthony Ray is electric in his audition scene. There are some great memorable big energetic dance sequences like the cafeteria and on the street. They have 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'. Some characters are inevitably more interesting than others which is different for every viewer. It is simply a bit too scattered.

There are so many television offerings that take the untried and untested talents of this country and showcase them. Sometimes these are people who have never put themselves in front of an appreciable audience; sometimes they are already professional. I'm thinking of the difference between American Idol and The Voice. The latter sometimes has people who have backed up major stars, or already have several record albums. So this is fresh because it gives us the idol makers and the forces that push people to succeed or fail. Most of the criticism has been done by others. I honed in on each character and felt the pain and the energy. Pretty good movie but of a different time.