Fame

81%

Tomatometer

36 Reviews

69%

Audience Score

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 hom*osexuality, 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

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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

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.

Jul 17, 2019

Full Review

Bruce McCabe

Boston Globe

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.

Apr 28, 2018

Full Review

Anna Smith

Empire Magazine

The song and dance scenes are hard to beat in terms of sheer energy and atmosphere, but the dramatic storylines leave several loose ends.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 8, 2010

Full Review

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

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...

Rated: 3/4

May 31, 2024

Full Review

Zita Short

InSession Film

This is an unbalanced mess at a lot of points and that stops you from fully enjoying its occasional moments of greatness.

Rated: C-

Feb 7, 2023

Full Review

Maida Tilchen

Gay Community News (Boston)

Not only is the singing and dancing in this movie excellent, it is also done in a spontaneous and natural way, giving it a realistic quality much more exciting and inspiring than the staged musical sequences in most movie musicals.

Aug 19, 2022

Full Review

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Audience Reviews

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Ionela C Absolutely beautiful. Well done Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/20/24 Full Review Allen H Should be watched again after a few years Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/09/23 Full Review Lanfranco C Watching it again after many years it looks like "aged" Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 06/08/23 Full Review Chris C "Fame" is moronic on every level. It contains an assortment unlikeable characters dealing with "real problems" of their own making. Nonetheless, they have time to break into tiresome song-and-dance numbers whenever the mood strikes them. Life is tough. However, as the characters in Fame illustrate, life is tougher when you're stupid. That was 133 minutes of my life that I never got back. Take a pass on Fame. Rated 1/5 Stars • Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Mike P 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. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Joey D numerous bright spots - including the late Irene Cara - brighten this otherwise mediocre film about students at the New York School of Performing Arts. It's worth a viewing even if only for its influential 80s nostalgia. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/26/22 Full Review Read all reviews

Fame

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Cast & Crew

Alan Parker Director Irene Cara Coco Hernandez Eddie Barth Angelo Lee Curreri Bruno Martelli Laura Dean Lisa Monroe Paul McCrane Montgomery MacNeil

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Fame

Fame: Trailer 1

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Fame

Fame (1980)

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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 hom*osexuality, 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
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