Almost Famous

Almost Famous (2000)
Directed by: Cameron Crowe
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

Almost Famous was lost on me when it was released in 2000. I wasn't paying close attention to dramas so it flew under my radar. I wasn't even aware that the always incredible Cameron Crowe had directed it. A few years after its release I decided to sit down and watch it. I watched Mark Wahlberg's Rock Star instead. It was bad and unbelievably generic. For some reason, I had equated Rock Star with Almost Famous (because they both involve music?) and so I decided to forego watching Almost Famous. I caught bits and pieces over the years and realized that this is a movie I absolutely needed to see. As I was trolling HBO OnDemand today I was blessed with the good fortune of finding it available to watch. I started the download and began to watch what I believe to be Crowe's absolute best film to date. Almost Famous has many MANY things going in its favor; I will discuss three. The music, star power, and believability of the story all contribute to what is a remarkable film.

Before I go into why Almost Famous is so great; I will give a short synopsis. William Miller (Michael Angarano/Patrick Fugit) is an eleven year old boy that is being raised by a conservative yet free spirited single mother (Frances McDormand). His sister, Anita (Zooey Deschanel), leaves home to become a flight attendant in order to escape their mother but she leaves him all of her records. This proves to be a life altering moment for William. She leaves a note in the album sleeve for The Who's Tommy that instructs him to light a candle and listen to the record; you'll see your future. William promptly follows Anita's advice and the film jumps to 1973. William is now fifteen and is an avid fan of all the biggest names in rock and roll music. He has become a talented writer and he routinely sends his published pieces to Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a writer for Creem magazine. William gets a chance to meet Bangs after a radio interview and the two become fast friends with Bangs serving as a mentor to William. He gives William an assignment to write about Black Sabbath. William attends the Sabbath concert that evening and is able to make his way back stage with the opening act Stillwater. Later, William is contacted by an editor for Rolling Stone magazine and is asked to write a piece about Stillwater. Almost Famous shows the audience what it was like to tour with an up and coming rock band in the early 70's and it's amazing.

The 60's and 70's were arguably the best time for music. Yes, the big names from the era gained fame and recognition off the successes of those before them and yes, there has been good music since then but not like this. Almost Famous has the best soundtrack ever featured in a movie (this is a fact). Just check this out. There is so much talent packed into a two hour movie. Perhaps the most significant is the inclusion of Led Zeppelin's That's the Way. Zeppelin is notorious for being incredibly stingy with the licensing of their music. Jack Black had to send a video begging them to allow him to use Immigrant Song in School of Rock. That in itself makes the film special. Also, this:

Any movie where a bus full of people break out into Elton John's Tiny Dancer is great in my book.

The people in Almost Famous are a big reason why I like the film so much. Crowe based much of the material in the film on his own experiences touring with bands in the 70's as a contributor for Rolling Stone and Fugit emulates him perfectly. His naivety and genuineness is endearing. William is a fan that just wants to meet his idols and write about them. Unfortunately, that is not what music critics do. They need to be real; they need to be harsh. Stillwater's lead singer Jeff (Jason Lee) constantly refers to William as "The Enemy" while he is touring with them because he is a music journalist. Jeff knows that it is William's job to write down everything the band does; good and bad. Kate Hudson as Penny Lane is in one of her best roles. As the leader of the Band Aids she is like a head groupie. They follow the band around but they don't sleep with the members. That's what separates them from groupies. It is revealed later, however, that Penny has indeed slept with most of the band including Russell (Billy Crudup) who has become William's main supporter within Stillwater. Jason Lee and Billy Crudup deliver great performances as bandmates struggling for their identity within the group. Perhaps the most notable performance is from Frances McDormand. Her role of protective mother is so endearing that you can't help but love everything she says.

And this:


The third aspect of Almost Famous that makes it such a great film is the believability of the situations. Now, this may seem strange because William is fifteen and touring with a rock band while writing for Rolling Stone magazine. That seems far fetched but it is based on director Cameron Crowe's real life experiences. He toured with The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, and others. He also contributed to Rolling Stone during this time. Crowe's life is emulated in William and Fugit does a great job of bringing the emotion and excitement to life. I think the film also benefits from focusing on a smaller band (Stillwater) rather than trying to do a semi biopic about a real, well known band (i.e. Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, etc). These guys didn't have endless amounts of money and they were not known by everyone around the world so it made the scenes with the band more intimate. There was no risk of band history continuity being off. Crowe was able to craft a great story in the vein of the 1970's rock scene.

No BS

Almost Famous is a fun movie. The characters are likable and completely believable. I would absolutely recommend it if you like music from the era and enjoy a good coming-of-age story because that's what it is. Cameron Crowe was able to write and direct his personal coming-of-age and it shows. You feel a connection with William as he experiences everything for the first time (sex, drugs, alcohol, heartbreak, etc). Crowe does an excellent job of making it feel very personal.

My Score: 9/10