Fame (15)

If they've really got what it takes, it's going to take everything they've got. As youngsters from disparate backgrounds audition for coveted spots at the New York High School of Performing Arts, those who make the cut discover that it takes a lot of hard work to become a star. These kids grapple with heavy issues such as homosexuality, abortion, attempted suicide and illiteracy. And on top of their unique struggles, the students must deal with the mundane pressures of adolescence like homework, heartbreak and rejection.

FAME is a genuine treasure, moving and entertaining, a movie that understands being a teenager as well as Breaking Away did, but studies its characters in a completely different milieu. It's the other side of the coin: A big-city, aggressive, cranked-up movie to play against the quieter traditions of Breaking Away's small Indiana college town. FAME is all New York City. - Roger Ebert, 1980.