Fame

Here's another movie from my top ten list: Fame. It's a musical, because I'm a nerd, and it's from the 80s because I'm old.  If you haven't seen it yet, shame on you, but luckily I can tell you a little about it (including where to find it.  Here.).  Since it came out in the same year that I did, I feel like I've seen it at every stage in my life, from young childhood when I didn't understand much except broad strokes and that the music and dancing were super fun, to my teen years when all I knew was Leroy, played by Gene Anthony Ray may he rest in peace, to the adult phase of my life when I realized that my mom had wisely shown me the edited-for-TV version when I was a kid, because there is a pretty intense scene with a sexually predatory character that definitely needs a trigger warning.  If all you know of Irene Cara is the songs Fame or What A Feeling from the radio, you can definitely see that she's a hugely talented actress from this movie, particularly that scene. 

I mean...

I may be doing things a little differently this week by detailing SO MANY different characters, but you've got to understand that I've seen this movie so many times that these people are my friends, albeit imaginary friends.  I have hung out with them, sang with them, laughed with them, cried with them and wondered about their futures, their careers and their families.  I love those characters, like you should when writers, actors, directors and the rest of the crew have done their jobs so perfectly.

I'll start with Bruno Martelli, who has somehow always been my favorite character.  With most movies, my favorite character changes every few years as I do.  But Lee Curerri's character always stays my favorite, year in and year out.  He was in the TV series, too, although I remember that I watched it, but I don't actually remember watching it.  I was really young.  I think what I like about Bruno is that he genuinely has the most natural talent of the group.  He works, he learns, he creates... and he's the best.  He lacks in confidence and ambition, which are maybe more important than talent, but his father has the best line in the movie, in my opinion.  Bruno and his father are arguing about Bruno's seeming disinterest in being well-known or winning awards or creating any kind of career.  Bruno says that maybe he'll never get famous until after he's dead and the awards will go to his ghost.  Mr Martelli says, "Does your mama cook and clean and wear old clothes for a ghost? A ghost, Bruno? Elton John's mama's got three mink coats!"  FYI, whenever I want my kids to do something with their lives, like when I tell The Villain to be a doctor, I always think, "Elton John's mama's got three mink coats!"

Maureen Teefy plays Doris Finsecker, and Doris is just so great!  All she wants is to be destined for bigger things.  She lives her life surrounded by people with the right look, the most talent and great connections and she sees how easy it is to mess things up, even in the best of conditions.  I like to think of Doris in her mid-thirties winning Tony awards and living in the kind of comfort that it's hard to come by as an actor.  It's important to me to see her that way.  Her boyfriend, Ralph Garcie was played by Barry Miller.  He is an amazing actor and I've shed plenty of tears over Ralph and his struggles.  I imagine his career going just like River Phoenix's, and his life ending tragically and far too soon as well.  It's not what I want for Ralph Garcie, but it's all too easy to trace his path in that direction.

Lastly, if you're an ER fan from the 90s (I'm not, but I think I'm the only one who was around back then and never saw it), you're already pretty familiar with Paul McCrane, who plays Montgomery McNeil.  He's a sweetheart of a character who mostly lived on his own in New York City because his mother was a famous actress and her plays took her all over the country touring.  His father wasn't around, so as young as a high school Freshman he was basically a 24-hr latchkey kid with nobody to answer to except Dr Golden, his therapist.  It seems like a horrible way to grow up, but often that produces the best art, you know?  And bonus fact, Paul McCrane- the actor, not the character- actually wrote a song for the movie.  It's called Is It Okay If I Call You Mine? and this is a link to it on YouTube.  It's beautiful.  Go listen to it now.  Because I'm done here.  Go.