---
title: "Fame: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/fame/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/fame"
critics_score: 66
critics_reviews: 7
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Fame (1980): what the critics said

Critics' score 66 from 7 reviews: 2 positive, 5 mixed, 0 negative.

Most critics like Fame without loving it. The reviews lean mixed to positive, and the praise clusters around one thing: the energy. The song-and-dance numbers, the bustle of the New York school setting and a cast of young performers who look as if they are working rather than posing are what people remember. Den of Geek credits the film with rich characters and a willingness to take on difficult subjects without softening them, and Collider picks out Irene Cara’s uncomfortable audition scene as the strongest thing in it.

The reservations are about shape rather than spirit. Empire finds the dramatic storylines left dangling, and Den of Geek calls the film uneven and dated in places. Radio Times rates it thoroughly entertaining but less fun than Alan Parker’s Bugsy Malone. The spread is narrow, with nobody dismissing it and nobody rapturous, though several of the older reviews survive only in fragments, so the picture is thinner than seven reviews suggests.

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 72/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 1980. 

The headline suggests a positive verdict, but the review text is unavailable. It singles out the film’s bubbling vitality; further praise or criticism cannot be verified.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1980/05/16/archives/film-fame-opens-bubbling-with-lifethe-long-long-road.html)

## Empire — Anna Smith

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The review finds the film energetic and engaging, though its dramatic storylines leave loose ends. It particularly praises the song-and-dance scenes for their energy and atmosphere.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/fame-review/)

## RogerEbert.com

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The URL identifies this as a review of the 1980 film, but the page content is blocked. The critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be verified.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fame-1980)

## Time Out — HM

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page identifies itself as a film review, but no critical verdict is visible. The available description only notes the musical’s New York setting and young performers.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/fame-2)

## Radio Times — David Parkinson

Rating 3/5. 

Parkinson calls the film thoroughly entertaining, though less fun than Alan Parker’s Bugsy Malone. He praises its look at life at New York’s High School for the Performing Arts and notes that its score and title song won Oscars.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-5ccge1/fame/)

## Den of Geek — Simon Brew

Rating 3 out of 5. 30 September 2009. 

Brew considers the film still good, though uneven and showing its age. He praises its rich characters and its willingness to handle difficult subject matter without gloss.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/fame-blu-ray-review/)

## Collider — Andre Dellamorte

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 1 February 2010. 

The critic finds the original imperfect but effective, while judging the remake a watered-down and less interesting version. They single out Irene Cara’s uncomfortable audition scene as the original’s strongest moment.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/fame-1980-and-fame-2009-blu-ray-reviews/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/fame.md