Lame…

For those who were eagerly awaiting the remake of Fame, um….

When in doubt, Hollywood studios can always fall back on a remake. The strategy doesn’t seem to be working for MGM’s Fame, though, and critics across the board are taking aim at an updated take on the classic 1980 musical about students at a New York City performing arts school. Reviews of the film, which opened this weekend, accuse Fame of being a squeaky-clean and flavorless spin on the original, removing grittier subject matter and skirting around subjects such as homosexuality. The original Oscar-winning score has also been replaced this time around, and critics at Rotten Tomatoes, which compiles reviews, have clocked the movie in at an abysmal 27 percent. In the New York Post, Lou Lumenick called the remake both “desperate and cynical,” claiming that it “dishonors the original,” leading the critic to predict the end of MGM altogether. (New York Post)

The end of MGM? Over a terrible musical? Sadly it might be true. The studio is on the verge of bankruptcy and was using big movies like Fame to try to turn around. This whole thing may actually hurt and/or kill upcoming projects like the untitled James Bond film and The Hobbit. Very sad. That MGM lion may be on its last roar after all.