Almost Famous is a touching, well made comedy/drama from director Cameron Crowe, who previously wrote and directed Jerry Maguire. The film captures a strong vibe and energy of the rock n' roll scene during the early 70's, and tells the story of one young die-hard fan/music journalist getting the job of a lifetime working for Rolling Stone magazine to follow an up-and-coming rock band as they travel on the road. The film is very well cast, and it comes through with a number of really great performances, including Billy Crudup, Jason Lee, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Noah Taylor and newcomer Patrick Fugit, who plays the young journalist that gets swept away in a world that the doesn't belong in, and his performance is the real heart of the picture. Almost Famous was nominated for four Academy Awards, and won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, but unfortunately it wasn't even nominated for Best Picture, which I certainly think it should have at least got a nomination.
The film starts out with a young Will Miller growing up in a house with his strict mother, Elaine, played well by Frances McDormand and his rebellious older sister, Anita, played by Zooey Deschanel, who has a passion for rock music that their mother doesn't approve of because of it's potentially "harmful" lyrics about sex and drugs. Anita decides to move out on her own when she's eighteen because she can't handle living at home any longer, but before she leaves she stashes a collection of rock albums under his bed, telling him that they'll "set him free", and it does, in a big way. Will works for a small music newspaper and is kind of taken under the wing of Lester Bangs, rock music critic and magazine editor, played well by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, which eventually lands Will a gig working for Rolling Stone to pick a band and follow along with them on the road and write an interview for the popular music magazine.
Along his trip with the band he becomes friends with the band and falls in love with one of the group's "band aids", a cute blonde that goes by the name of Penny Lane (yeah, just like The Beatles song) played with a tender touch and free spirit by Kate Hudson. As the trip goes along Will has a hard time trying to write his article, and watches the bands ups and downs, and while he's away his mother can't help but worry constantly about Will's safety and reminds him numerous times not to do drugs, which everybody but Will seems to be taking. The film is a bittersweet journey; one that's not entirely a comedy, nor is it an uptight drama or a full fledged romance. I loved watching Almost Famous, not just because it's a very well made film, but also for all the great rock songs that are played nearly back-to-back continuously throughout the entire film. And I'm already a big fan of Led Zeppelin, so this film certainly put a big smile across my face from beginning to end. At times the film reminded me of another really good movie; Lost in Translation, which is another film about getting lost and carried away in a place where you obviously don't fit in. But the experience of getting to go out on the road and spend some time with "the band" is quite a fun and enjoyable time, and that's exactly what Almost Famous is; fun and enjoyable, and in my opinion Crowe's best film to date.
The film starts out with a young Will Miller growing up in a house with his strict mother, Elaine, played well by Frances McDormand and his rebellious older sister, Anita, played by Zooey Deschanel, who has a passion for rock music that their mother doesn't approve of because of it's potentially "harmful" lyrics about sex and drugs. Anita decides to move out on her own when she's eighteen because she can't handle living at home any longer, but before she leaves she stashes a collection of rock albums under his bed, telling him that they'll "set him free", and it does, in a big way. Will works for a small music newspaper and is kind of taken under the wing of Lester Bangs, rock music critic and magazine editor, played well by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, which eventually lands Will a gig working for Rolling Stone to pick a band and follow along with them on the road and write an interview for the popular music magazine.
Along his trip with the band he becomes friends with the band and falls in love with one of the group's "band aids", a cute blonde that goes by the name of Penny Lane (yeah, just like The Beatles song) played with a tender touch and free spirit by Kate Hudson. As the trip goes along Will has a hard time trying to write his article, and watches the bands ups and downs, and while he's away his mother can't help but worry constantly about Will's safety and reminds him numerous times not to do drugs, which everybody but Will seems to be taking. The film is a bittersweet journey; one that's not entirely a comedy, nor is it an uptight drama or a full fledged romance. I loved watching Almost Famous, not just because it's a very well made film, but also for all the great rock songs that are played nearly back-to-back continuously throughout the entire film. And I'm already a big fan of Led Zeppelin, so this film certainly put a big smile across my face from beginning to end. At times the film reminded me of another really good movie; Lost in Translation, which is another film about getting lost and carried away in a place where you obviously don't fit in. But the experience of getting to go out on the road and spend some time with "the band" is quite a fun and enjoyable time, and that's exactly what Almost Famous is; fun and enjoyable, and in my opinion Crowe's best film to date.