Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Think of this as a very entertaining period piece and in the tradition of Rocky I, Saturday Nite Fever, Chorus Line, and...probably 7-8 I can't recall right now. It's got a real zest to it, enthused performances, compared to DANCING WITH THE STARS winners, decent dancing, and a fabulous soundtrack. Speaking of the soundtrack, it's so cool that a '60s icon, Lesley Gore, along with her Brother, composed a true classic, in full modern style, "Out Here On My Own". (although, sad to realize that if Lesley had it out on a single/album, it might have had a cup of coffee on the Top 100, only).Buy this DVD used or go to the Library. Or buy it "new".I did see this flick in the movies!

In the movie, I have to say that I found way too many problems (girl getting pregnant, coco becoming a porn star, Doris smoking, Leroy not graduating, and many more) that it took away from the light spirit of the movie and made me quite uncomfortable watching it and laughing at some jokes that were revolved around these problems. Even though people make jokes about these things, this film made me realize how bad these things can be. The musical was much better because it focused on one main problem- Carmen going into drugs. Even though there were smaller problems, they did not take away from the main problem. The musical had funnier jokes and the characters all seemed well built. It also had a great and very useful message saying that if you want to get somewhere in life, you need to work hard for it and not get distracted and fall into drugs for example. Again, the movie had just as much wonderful potential as the musical had but it was taken away because the writer over did it with the problems thinking it would enhance the movie.

I only watched this movie because I wanted to see it before I'm going to watch the new version.'Fame' is from the early eighties and one can clearly see and hear the stereotypical eighties' fashion style and music style. This gives me a somewhat nostalgic feeling of that period.The movie follows some students as they strive to become successful performing artists. They all go to school in New York and they all have so many hopes for their future.You really get to feel the eighties' spirit when you watch this movie and the movie has probably been spectacular at the time it premiered but I think that the eighties are very weird and entertaining. This movie is a classic of its time and I'm now looking forward to seeing the new up-to-date version of this same story.

Watching films and wondering about the experience is made that much richer by comparing the films and comparing the wonder.It is a bit more fun when the films are similar, like sequels or remakes. I've recently watched the 2009 remake and liked it a lot. That is because the camera was given the energy, the hunger, the risky curiosity of the kids. The investment was made in the capture of the thing. So instead of watching some kids with juice, we became them.This is an entirely different film, about as different as you can get. The camera and all the cinematic art is hidden. Your place in it is the same as if you were watching a documentary, like "Mad Hot Ballroom," which has some of the same components.All of the investment here is in the kids, their characters. There are engaging songs, designed not to engage you in the song directly, but the characters you see associated with the songs. The actors have juice, unlike in the remake. These kids put everything on the line. They are not mature powerhouses, but there is an appeal to getting honesty instead of craft.None of these kids had a meaningful career. But they did make something that matters, and once should be enough.Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.