BEFORE: Today was recycling day, or rather e-cycling day, since we drove a bunch of old electronics to Brooklyn for proper disposal. I got rid of my old computer, its bulky monitor, a broken DVD recorder, an old VCR, and my bedroom TV, which hasn't displayed the color blue in over a year. I'll sleep better tonight knowing that they won't be breaking down in a landfill somewhere.
Speaking of recycling, here's a recycled movie plot. Sorry, the DVD case clearly states this is a "re-invention" of the 1980 film, not a sequel or a remake. And Birthday SHOUT-out #4 goes to Debbie Allen, born 1/16/50. I almost miss her choreographed dance routines that would spoil the Oscar telecast every year - the key word being "almost". I do miss making fun of them, though.
THE PLOT: An updated version of the 1980 musical, which centered on the students of the New York Academy of Performing Arts.
AFTER: The film starts with the now-traditional auditions (similar scenes earlier this month were in "The Fabulous Baker Boys" and "Zack and Miri Make a Porno"), which are extra-relevant with American Idol starting up again this week. But do acting students still audition with De Niro's "Are you talkin' to ME?" routine? Seems kind of dated... That sort of made the whole process seem like a parody of itself.
They left in the famous "spontaneous" cafeteria jam scene, but this time it included a rap battle. Is that supposed to be an improvement? I don't listen to the hip-hop, so I don't think so. And they left OUT the song "I Sing the Body Electric" from the finale - good, I never liked that song anyway. Too corny - "I'll burn with the fire of ten MILLION suns!" Good luck with that - go hug a rainbow, you hippie.
Most of the students in this year's class seemed kind of lackluster - I didn't really see the point in learning the students' names, and I wonder if the teachers sort of felt the same way. There was no Leroy or Coco here, though one girl learns a lesson sort of like Coco did. I found the teachers to be much more interesting than the students - the teachers kept trying to explain that acting is more than just reading lines, and singing is more than just saying the words, but it didn't feel like the message got through to the main characters. Debbie Allen (this time playing the principal, not the dance teacher) still got to do a version of her "Fame costs" speech, but in a different context, and without the same impact.
I went to film school, and after 2 years I sort of learned I didn't have what it took to be a director (ego, bossiness, and original ideas), which was a costly but valuable lesson. I had time to diversify and take courses on things like animation and producing. But still, I probably learned more from a year in the trenches working on music videos than I did from three years at NYU.
So I'm a little confused by the implication that success in the entertainment world is pass/fail. The dance student who can't cut it is encouraged to become a dance teacher - together with the story of the music teacher who couldn't get a callback, this implies that the best alternative to fame is teaching. Why, so other kids can learn to become bad dancers?
I wish that creative schools (both on- and off-screen) would acknowledge the importance of teaching classes like fund-raising, publicity, and merchandising. There are hundreds of jobs connected to the entertainment industry that don't involve being on-stage or on-camera, and most of them probably pay better than teaching does. (Teachers should be paid more, I agree, but often they're not.) What's longer on any film, the cast list or the crew list? Usually it's the crew, and none of those people should be considered failures.
Also starring Charles S. Dutton (last seen in "Rudy"), Bebe Neuwirth (last seen in "Say Anything"), Kelsey Grammer (hey, cool trivia question - what film starred the actors who played Frasier Crane AND Lilith?) and Megan Mullally.
RATING: 4 out of 10 dropouts
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