Take a bunch of aspiring teenagers looking for stardom and throw them into one high school. What do you get? Well, aside from an abundant number of huge egos, we get a peek into the stressful lives of students who have to tackle not just the hardships of high school, but those of trying to achieve a dream. A distinct dream in which they see their name in lights and reach the ultimate goal, fame.

“Fame,” a loose remake of the classic 1980 film, follows the lives of students attending a prestigious preforming arts high school in New York City. As the feature debut of choreographer and video director Kevin Tancharoen, he offers a talent- and pizazz-filled, albeit slightly unsatisfying, look into their lives. While he does a commendable job in portraying the power, strength and determination that young performers require in order to make it in this tough industry, his film lacks a true plot and the ability to attain a sincere connection to its characters.

Unlike the original, which melded talent-filled scenes of music and dance with real life issues such as stage mothers, coming out of the closet, racial competition, teenage pregnancy and demands for on-screen nudity, the remake fails in comparison. It does little but string together multiple scenes of dance, musical numbers and acting through rough transitions and little dialogue. The plot offers little insight into the characters’ personal lives beyond their careers, which made it difficult to really feel for them.

On a positive note, however, the actors chosen for the film are extremely talented and fortunate to be given the chance to showcase their talent on the big screen. Naturi Naughton plays Denise Dupree, a classical pianist who secretly has pop-singing aspirations. She has a phenomenal scene in which she sits in an empty theater playing piano and belting the words to “Out Here on My Own.” Kherington Payne, who plays dancer Alice Ellerton, has an intense scene in which she dances her heart out to the song “Black and Gold.”

While there are some bumps along the way, “Fame” stands out as an entertaining film with some amazing scenes of dance and music.