User Reviews

There was a time in the US rock circuit before music videos and online marketing. That was the time when several little-known bands toured all over the country... accompanied mostly by drugs and groupies. Writer-director Cameron Crowe takes us to that infamous scene of sex, drugs and rock n' roll in the 1970's with this semi-autobiographical work, which is not only equipped with his brilliant direction and screenplay, but also by decent performances by some relatively lesser-known actors.

Here the introduction of a not-too-famous band, an imaginary one called Stillwater, was important. In that sense, Stillwater is a perfect work by Crowe... with a volatile relationship between the vocalist and the guitarist, with a noncompetent manager and everything that comes with. There were also the groupies, who became a matter of substance in Crowe's point of view. But the most extraordinary thing that Crowe did is the image of himself as a 15-year-old writing prodigy, rock journalist William Miller. The viewers watch the movie through Miller's eyes. The character is extremely well-designed and reserved by Crowe. Miller's the one who becomes able to attach all the parts into a complete movie alone.

Billy Crudup was probably the best among the actors as guitarist Russell Hammond. It's true his role was not a tough one, but he's the one who made it look so easy. Young Kate Hudson, as Penny Lane, is perfect and very adorable. She showed her potentials in this movie which seemed even better than her mother, Goldie Hawn. All she needs are decent roles in future. The other actors, namely Jason Lee as vocalist Jeff, Frances McDormand as Williams's over-protective mother and the other band-aids (with Oscar-winner Anna Paquin) performed also quite well. And newcomer Patrick Fugit, as Miller himself, is really brilliant. Gaining more screen time than anyone else, it was a tough test for Fugit and it is all praises for him.

The soundtrack was very good with some fine original songs. There may be some minor flaws in the movie, like some unnecessary sequences, but all over this is a quite masterful work... a feast for the mind and soul, both for a hard rock n' roll fan and for casual viewers.

Elaine (Frances McDormand) is an all-controlling weirdness mother in San Diego, and her daughter Anita (Zooey Deschanel) rebels running away. Elaine even lies to her son William Miller (Patrick Fugit) about his age skipping grades. Anita leaves behind her collection of records for him. Then forward to 1973, William is a 15 year old high school music geek who has written a few things for magazines. Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is his all-talk mentor. While trying to interview Black Sabbath, he befriends Band-aid Penny Lane (Kate Hudson). Then he meets Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) and the band Stillwater. A few praises and he's in with the band. Then Rolling Stone magazine calls.

This is based on director Cameron Crowe's life as a young Rolling Stone reporter. As such, it has an air of truth in this fictional account. It hits all the correct notes. It is fun, poignant, and heart warming in all the right places. Kate Hudson is an instant star. The music is wonderful. It won the Oscar for best writing, but I would pick this over any of the best picture nominees. It is simply better than the best of that year.

Finally, a movie worth the full price of a ticket! Almost Famous is Cameron Crowe's semi-autobigraphical story of an aspiring rock journalist who goes on tour with a band in the 1970's. If it sounds familiar, it's probably because the story is hardly new. There have been dozens of movies made about the rock and roll lifestyle: the drugs, the sex, the fights, and all the bumps on the road to success.

So what sets Almost Famous apart? The acting, for one. Frances McDormand was brilliant as William's (newcomer Patrick Fugit) well-meaning but overbearing mother. Fugit, for his part, had a convincing performance as the shy, awkward teenager struggling to be a journalist but at the same time aching to belong. Kate Hudson, in her breakout role as groupie "Penny Lane", gave her character depth beyond what might have been a limiting role. And Billy Crudup, as band Stillwater's charismatic lead guitarist, shines. Jason Lee is always good, and as Stillwater's lead singer, this role is no exception. And I can't review this film without giving a shout-out to the chronically and criminally-underrated Philip Seymour Hoffman, who steals every scene he's in with his portrayal of legendary rock journalist Lester Bangs.

The writing in the film also contributes to its effect. Many of the great lines belong to McDormand but there are plenty of others to go around. In addition, the music of the era can't be beat. Everything from Simon and Garfunkle to Alvin and the Chipmunks shows up at some point in the movie's extensive musical score.

The plot may not be particularly original, but it rings true. I of course am approaching this review as a music fan and someone interested in the industry. Nonetheless, I believe that even people who couldn't care less about rock music will enjoy this movie, since it's not so much about the music as it is about life. A central theme is the conflict of William: Should he remain a detached but lonely outsider so as to be an impartial journalist, or allow himself to make friends with these people and feel like he belongs? Aside from bringing up questions of journalistic ethics, this dilemma mirrors much of what people in all wakes of life deal with daily.

Almost Famous is realistic, funny, touching, and one of those rare movies that makes you feel like you've gained something just for having seen it. It's too bad that they say rock and roll is dead, cause we could sure use more movies like this one!

The casting of Almost Famous is perfection. The music is sublime; Would one expect anything less with Nancy Wilson at the helm of the soundtrack? The cost of syncing some of the most iconic classic rock songs must have cost investors a pretty penny - it was money well-spent, as the film thrives on one of the best soundtrack syncs in movie history.

Almost Famous is classic Cameron Crowe - a semi-autobiographical film that pulls from his own experiences as a young journalist with Rolling Stone magazine in its glory daze of the early 1970's. Yes, most of the events in the movie (including the airplane scene) really DID happen with Crowe there to witness (albeit being an amalgam of different bands and circumstances Cameron covered as a rock journalist).

You care about the characters who are developed and illuminated throughout the film. Crowe's spot-on casting and "actors' director" prowess serves as a catalyst for the actors, inspiring the cast to draw out the intimate feelings and thoughts of each character without crossing into melodrama - The result is an acting ensemble tour de force.

Almost Famous is a must-see for both classic-rock fans and movie lovers at large.

You get to witness several breakout early-career performances including Kate Hudson, Zooey Deschannel, Billy Crudup, and yes, even Jimmy Fallon.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Francis McDormand are as usual, nearly flawless.

Get a back-stage pass to this fabulous movie - a loving ode to the early 70's twilight days of the classic rock era.

I've seen a few coming-of-age films, and a few prodigy-cum-genius type films, and of course more than my share of romantic comedy stuff. This film skirts between the lines of all those possibilities and somehow manages to find its way to the viewer intact, deftly and with a whole lot of old-fashioned charisma.

The acting was honest, true to how people behave without getting schmaltzy or over-dramatic. Cameron Crowe gets these actors to all project a belief in themselves and bring that across in a way that we care about what happens to them. I particularly liked the rendition of William Miller by Patrick Fugit, who steals the show as the precocious rock-n-roll journalist. He evokes visions of a young Matthew Broderick or a wide-eyed Michael J. Fox without ever getting corraled into being the "cute but troubled young kid".

Frances McDormand is amazing and well-cast as Elaine the Mom, someone so wrapped up in creating a safe, healthy environment she drives both her children far away from home.

Billy Crudup & Kate Hudson create the tension filled romance that drives the story along; both did a great job & were adroitly evocative of those fast times in the rock & roll fantasyland of the 70's. Billy, as Russell Hammond, teeters on the edge of fame, not wanting to leave his long-suffering bandmates behind but being courted as the band's star by the record company, is palpably torn. He carries William through the whirlwind of emotions and music along with him, showing him a world that is desperate and lonely, even with the whole world seemingly vying for his attention. His casting is also very clever, seeing as how Billy Crudup also sits on the brink of his own stardom & acclaim in real life.

Lester Bangs is William's 'guru', played to perfection by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. A walking oxymoron, he exudes a callous arrogance and at the same time expresses genuine affection for the up-and-comer, sometimes giving William the exact advice he needs to get him through the toughest moments as a rock critic & dealing with the love/hate relationships they seem to engender with everyone in their world of music.

I can't say enough about the awesome casting job, as well as the very detailed set design, costuming & realism to the times. Period pieces are usually difficult to do well; Mr. Crowe did this one genuine and good.

A truly great film, one that I'd heartily recommend to all but the most jaded rock critics.

On a rating scale of 0 to 100; I gave Almost Famous a score of 95.

One of the most critically acclaimed movie experiences of the year 2000, Almost Famous is the second feature film to come out Cameron Crowe, and he beats his first effort, Jerry Maguire by a mile. Almost Famous is a stunning, thought-provoking film that comes at you directly from the eye of the camera and hits you with a hard bang. It's a movie not only for people who love 70's rock bands, but for all movie-goer's who really love the feeling of coming out of the cinema feeling totally fulfilled.

A 15 year old boy named William Miller (Patrick Fugit) gets an opportunity to travel with a rock band, Stillwater on a 1973 tour. As a younger boy, his sister (Zooey Deschanel) and his widowed mother Elaine (Frances McDormand) had fought about the mother's control over the family and her denial of rock music. The sister leaves home and leaves the young boy her record collection, which immediately seizes his attention. As a teen, he makes record reviews for an underground newspaper. He submits those to Creem magazine writer Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and gets his attention. The two become fast friends and Bangs acts as his mentor as Rolling Stone magazine comes calling. Slipping into an inner group connected with Stillwater, Rolling Stone agrees to bankroll him on a trip with the group. There he meets the "Band Aids", a group of girls that refuse to be called groupies because they are dedicated only to specific bands. "Penny Lane" (Kate Hudson), the Band Aid's leader is enamored with the group leader (Billy Crudup), but befriends the teen. He responds with complete infatuation with her, but he is equally enamored with the charismatic guitarist. While accepted by the band (other members are Jason Lee, John Fedevich and Mark Kozeleck), they nonetheless refer to him as "the enemy - a rock critic".

The film is classically cool and endlessly enjoyable, making it by far one of the top 5 movies of last year. The film boasts absolutely incredible performances, Patrick Fugit is a newcomer and has terrific potential, Frances McDormand is emotionally stunning as an over-protective mother and Billy Crudup, who I underrated at first, gives a performance of believability and power. However, it comes as no surprise that the film's acting star is Kate Hudson, daughter of Goldie Hawn. Hudson gives a masterful performance as Penny Lane, she pulls off all Lane's facial expressions effortlessly brilliantly, and God knows she is one of the most stunning young performers of her current time, and she gives one of the most memorably exciting performances of 2000. Cameron Crowe gets a big pat on the back too for arranging the movie delicately and with absolute dedication.

Cameron Crowe's instant classic is a hard one to beat, and is surely the closest thing we have to a perfect `rock movie' these days. Absolutely unmissable.

'Almost Famous' is almost a masterpiece, presenting so authentic a re-creation of American musical culture during the 1970s that it deserves to be seen as an act of witness, not unlike the flip side to 'This Is Spinal Tap', but without the mocking satire. The film is a thinly disguised, sentimental flashback to when writer-director Cameron Crowe was a precocious teenage music journalist, coming of age while covering for Rolling Stone magazine the ups and downs of life on the road with the (here fictitious, but entirely convincing) band Sweetwater.

First-hand experience and a pitch-perfect memory put Crowe in full command of his material, but it's too bad he couldn't assert the same authority over the editing table as well. The film (like so many these days) is at least twenty minutes too long, thanks (indirectly) to Steven Spielberg, who reportedly urged Crowe to shoot every word in what must have been, for many years, an un-produced pet screenplay. The result is padded by the effort needed to gift wrap and resolve every conflict as neatly and happily as possible, contradicting the director's own message (voiced by character actor, screen chameleon Philip Seymour Hoffman as the venerable rock critic Lester Bangs) about good writing being "honest and merciless".

But never mind. The film was never meant to be too much more than textbook crowd-pleasing fluff, crafted with an affectionate eye for period detail as seen through a not inappropriate rose-colored lens. Sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll were never quite such wholesome fun; a distinction is even drawn between the usual clutch of groupies and much more lovable 'band aids' like Kate Hudson, whose fresh, photogenic appeal was obviously meant to charm viewers in much the same demure way that she romances Crowe's love struck young protagonist.

So why did the movie, contrary to critical expectations, fail at the box office? Maybe it was the relative lack of charisma in the lead character, an obvious analogue of the writer-director himself, portrayed in this deprecating self-portrait as too bland and unlikely a paragon of journalistic virtue. With a little more edge and depth it might have been a career-making role (think of the unknown Tom Cruise circa 'Risky Business'), but all the skills of young Patrick Fugit aren't enough to fill the featureless gap at the heart of an otherwise lively and colorful cast.

Or maybe the film was simply made a decade too late. Crowe wants us to believe, as he does, in the redemptive power of musical expression, a romantic idea fast becoming another anachronistic casualty of push-button progress. Times have changed, and now there's an entire movie-going generation with no nostalgic memory of gatefold album cover art, or the unique thrill of settling a phonograph needle into a virgin groove of freshly unwrapped vinyl.

For the sake of audio clarity and convenience (i.e. not having to get up and flip the LP over) we've lost touch with a small link to our collective adolescence. Here's a movie that tries (too late?) to remind us of how we lived back when music really mattered, before it was put on a tight corporate leash and sold, with true Pavlovian skill, as TV ad soundtrack fodder.

Maybe, to best appreciate Crowe's slice of cultural nostalgia, you just had to have been there yourself.

Now I don't know all the facts about the real stories behind this, but it is obvious that there is so much love and research to what happened, that it translates onto the screen. You can feel the love for what is being shown and you can feel the passion of the makers of this. Including everyone involved.

I did watch the alternate longer cut of it (called the Bootleg version), so I can't really talk about the original theatrical cut. But I can advise anyone to watch the longer cut. It is more than worth it. It is really amazing and breathtaking. The story holds up and we can identify either with the boy or other characters of the movie, which make it so accessible.

The humor, the music, the acting, the way this was put/edited together help elevate it to a different degree. I almost feel ashamed having not seen it before. But I made good for it, so I could sort of celebrate the 20th anniversary of it.

A cinematographic dithyramb of rock, epicureanism and the 70s that reminds me nonetheless a well-known fiction The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera, 1984): although it's nice to listen to and enjoy a rock album, I'm not sure that the lives of band members are of any interest (some will probably deduce that I'm not 'cool' enough).

In the 70s, William Miller is a young and bright music aficionado. He is only 15 years old, but what he wants most in the world is writing articles about this music he loves so much. Thus, he takes advantage of a proposition from the bi-monthly Rolling Stone to follow the rock band Stillwater, on tour throughout the United States. He will gradually and ineluctably abandon the passivity and objectivity of his role of observer to participate in the life of the group. Until ... ... ...

These secondary characters gravitate around William Miller: 1) Russell Hammond is one of the key members of Stillwater and perfectly symbolizes epicureanism and lightness. 2) Penny Lane is a carefree teenager who fills the void of her live with rock 'n roll, and she would probably have swallowed the blue pill within The Matrix (The Wachowski sisters, 1999). 3) Lester Bangs is a mentor and / or surrogate father for William. 4) Elaine Miller is a protective and moving mother. The actors play in a magisterial way, especially Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand and Philip Seymour Hoffman. In general, the whole cast is awesome!

My favorite quotes, in bulk: You have a message from your mother that freaked me out: do not use drugs. It's not too late for you to become a person of substance. Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid. Be honest and unmerciful. There is hope for you, yet. What kind of beer?

William has an overprotective mother, and his sister has already been driven away by her refusal to accept her children's ambitions and interests. William finds solace in his sister's music collection and begins to dream of a life as a rock journalist. At 15 William manages to land a assignment with Rolling Stone Magazine to interview an up and coming band called Stillwater, and he quickly finds himself immersed in the life his mother so desperately wanted to protect him from.

And so the story begins, as William tours with the band, we are taken on a journey of mistrust, discovery, deceit and disappointment; interlaced with the hard truths about the bands lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, sex and music.

Almost Famous pulls no punches, and is a deep insight into the dream that became an ambition, that became a harsh reality.

Packed with top class performances all round and great music score Almost Famous delivers, and delivers with attitude and realism that is rarely captured on film.

A must see for Fans of the genre, but there's certainly enough here for everyone.

9/10

"Almost Famous" tells of a 15 year old prodigy (Fugit) who hits the road with a rock band to chronicle their story as a wannabee journalist for a rock magazine. Predictably, the youth gets a different kind of education as he's exposed to rocks stars, groupies, drugs, etc. while his High School class is busy being graduated. A well managed, well made flick, "Almost..." begins to run out of gas somewhere between Topeka and New York with one frenetic, raucous situation after another. Nonetheless, this lively flick never loses sight of its humanness and pulls itself together with a poignant ending which is worth the wait. An enjoyable watch for all rock lovers mature enough for a mild R rating.

The inexplicably high IMDB rating for "Almost Famous" just serves to illustrate how unbearably wretched most Hollywood movies are these days. People go to see something which does not insult their intelligence, has competent acting by a good-looking cast, and is entertaining for most of its running time - BINGO! It gets a "10". Once upon a time, films like "Almost Famous" were the minimum you could expect from a major release. Now, it shines like a lighthouse beacon on a rocky shore.

Do not get me wrong, I enjoyed this flick, but there is nothing particularly memorable or outstanding about it. I was in high school during the era depicted, and it does a good job of evoking the flavor and fashions of those times. It is a nostalgic look back at a period when rock music was still fresh and not yet being used to sell beer and cars. But the plot was thoroughly predictable, and everyone was so NICE that I almost fell asleep. Gotta love that Dream Team of 'band-aids' though - Fairuza Balk has never been hotter!!

There are two things that make this film one of the best made in the last few years- characters and music. I am personally not a big fan of 70s music, but it is used very well in this film, most of my favourite scenes are made all the more memorable by the music, which includes America (Simon & Garfunkel), Tiny Dancer, Mona Lisa's and Mad Hatters (both Elton John), River (Joni Mitchell) Paranoid (Black Sabbath) and Feel Flows (The Beach Boys) Most of the actors and actresses in this film give the performance of their lives, Frances McDormand being especially comical as William's mother, and many of the best moments are all hers. William himself has an endearing quality about him to the audience, and I'm surprised I haven't seen Patrick Fugit in any other films since this one. A great film, and the Directors Cut DVD is well worth the money, especially for those of you (like me) who had previously only watched the UK version.

As time moves us deeper into manufactured pop and further from the glorious, stadium-sized excesses of '70s rock stardom, "Almost Famous" reminds us to dig in our fingernails as we refuse to let go of what felt so pure.

This is an unapologetically nostalgia-driven rock 'n' roll love letter, and arguably never has it been more vital than now. Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical tale of a nascent teenage music journalist's immersion in the world of rock anthems, groupies, and shifting group trajectories delivers rock's exalting highs and thudding lows in a way that lovingly honors the decadence and immersive mythology our biggest guitar-driven bands once manifested.

Groupies, band ethos, and a shrewdly curated soundtrack sold this film, and it's those same reverent depictions that assure "Almost Famous" its place in the Pantheon of elite music films. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!) - WATCHED THIS? THEN WATCHLIST: "High Fidelity (2000)," "This Is Spinal Tap (1984)," "Stadium Anthems (2018)."

"Almost famous" is so great that I don't know where to begin. It means so much to me; personally, cinematographically, visually…It means so much when it comes to acting and wonderful performances, when it comes to fantastic original screenplays that come from a person's mind without being taken from anything we already know.

This was probably one of the first movies to ever blow me away. When I was getting and idea of what cinema meant and which where the good films; this one left me impressed for more than a week. The same occurred later with "Traffic", "The Truman Show", "Big Fish" and others. It was with this film that I understood that to like a movie it has to mean something to you; besides meaning something for the ones who did it or the ones involved in it.

It meant something for me mainly because of the music. It was during the main credits written by hand in a paper that I felt something, but then, when William's (Patrick Fugit) sister Anita (Zooey Deschanel) leaves the house to become a stewardess, and tells him: "Look under your bed; it will set you free"; I was introduced to a new world.

William's mother Elaine (an excellent Frances McDormand) raised him and her sister forbidding them to use bad words, making them go to school, making them religious, but most importantly not letting them listen to rock music. This all changes when William plays The Who's "Tommy" a the light of a candle. Some years later he is writing rock articles and he knows enough to talk with the best music critic in the United States: Lester Bangs (a brilliant and Oscar-caliber supporting performance by the great Phillip Seymour Hoffman).

They talk for a while and the critic says: "Well, I've got to go; I can't spend my whole day talking to my fans". But then, with a lot of intelligence, a camera shoots a restaurant, and they are both still talking. Bangs gives the kid an assignment: to write about Deep Purple. The kid goes to the concert in his home town and tries to enter backstage saying he's a reporter of "Creem".

His multiple attempts fail and he is called by some girls who are laughing constantly. These are the Band Aids, and that is the moment in the film during which I fell in love with Kate Hudson. She plays Penny Lane (although that's not her real name), the girl who said women should be with musicians just for the love of the music, not sex or free rides.

She plays her as an enigmatic and mysterious person who actually is lost and doesn't know or have another place to be in. And I'm talking, personally, about one of the best performances I've witnessed in my whole life. This personal list of best performances is short, and Hudson's Penny Lane is in it, and she deserved an Oscar for it; and many will agree.

Because of how life goes, William stays alone outside…Until Stillwater arrives, the kid uses his musical knowledge and he is inside backstage before he knows it. Then, before we know, he forgets about Deep Purple, he is touring with Stillwater and writing an article for Rolling Stone magazine that could be considered for the cover; and William is only 15 years old.

During the tour I felt what they called the "buzz". It was very inspiring to watch the band, each of its members, all the time with a guitar in their hands. Sometimes they were playing together; sometimes each of them was doing his own things. There were pianos and keyboards in each room they stepped foot in; there were good and bad live moments, just as good offstage moments and horrible fights; probably mended with just singing "Tiny Dancer".

Music is the main factor, as this band travels through the country. All of the members of the band we get to identify, but the one that obligatorily highlights is the guitarist Russell Hammond, played superbly by Billy Crudup. The lead singer is also important and he is played by a long-haired Jason Lee, with the guts of a rock persona.

The regretful moments we can't be without...Like Russell's party in Topeka and his last lines if he would die: "I'm on drugs"; or the plain about to crash and confessions like: "I'm gay". This was all perfectly crafted by the hand of Cameron Crowe's peaceful camera and the fantastic screenplay he wrote going back in time to his own similar experience. The man got the best from Tom Cruise, that's already a lot: and "Almost Famous" is his legacy; a gem and one of the best films I've seen in my life.

Almost Famous (2000)

**** (out of 4)

Cameron Crowe's masterpiece about high schooler William Miller (Patrick Fugit) who gets a job with Rolling Stone to do a story on an upcoming band named Stillwater. The young and naive kid gets to go out on the road with them where he quickly grows up and sees that the world isn't always perfect. ALMOST FAMOUS is one of the greatest coming of age movies ever made and it's perhaps the greatest love story to rock 'n roll ever filmed. I think a strong argument could also be made that it's the greatest film of the decade as well. There's so much love and passion during every single scene that you can't help but see and feel that this is Crowe's baby and it's easy to see why since much of this is based on his life growing up. This film contains so many terrific moments but I think what makes it so special are the various relationships that are built on the road. This includes William trying to mix it up with the band's guitar player (Billy Crudup) who refuses to give him an interview as well as the girl (Kate Hudson) that both of them love for different reasons. The overly worried mother (Frances McDormand) is perfectly written and thrown into the story for some comic relief but even the smaller characters are so well-written and detailed that by the time the movie is over it's almost like you've seen a documentary of a real band. Crowe's direction has never been better as this film has quite a bit of different emotions going for it yet he perfectly holds it together and really makes the film take off to levels one wouldn't expect. As a fan of rock and roll you have to love the behind-the-scenes look at a tour and the various problems that come from the sex and drugs. You also have to have fun and admire this young kid being able to go out on the road as this would be an ultimate dream job for many. The film mixes in some terrific music but the highlight is of course 'Tiny Dancer' from Elton John, which is without question one of the best and most magical scenes from any movie. The performances are all a major plus from the bigger acts to the smaller roles. Everyone fits their roles perfectly and help bring the story to life. ALMOST FAMOUS is a flawless picture that just keeps getting better with each new viewing. Some say the film is too soft and should have attacked the music harder or been more raw but I really disagree with these comments. The film is a love story to the music and one of the greatest out there.

As I exited the movie theater after viewing Cameron Crows latest adventure, I was struggling with what to say to my date. As I didnt want to just sit there and say nothing, I was forced to due to so many feelings and thoughts about Almost Famous. Luckily, she felt the same way and so for a few moments we just sat there, staring off into the screen, wishing, wanting, and feeling for that movie. It was so nicely done. From the acting, brilliantly handled, to the directing, never camrons problem, down to the sets, costumes, audio, and other wonderfully placed visuals. Not only was the movie well thought out, but it became one of those rare films in which everyone, boy girl, man woman, could feel for at least one person, part, event. I would reccomend anyone I know to see this movie. It was a chance to take yourself away from your own problems and let you watch someone elses moving you all the way through. ****/****

"Almost Famous" was almost a really good movie, but the whole thing was a little too fluffy to be fully believable. It seems that the band members - and the tag-alongs - would have been strung out on drugs. But other than that, it was a pretty good flick. It's fairly well known that director Cameron Crowe loosely based the story on his experiences covering a band's tour for Rolling Stone magazine. One thing that I couldn't quite understand is why, when the movie came out, a lot of people told me that the boy reminded them of me. Okay, so he had a different take on everything; that seems like a bit of a stretch. But either way, "Almost Famous" is worth seeing, with fine performances from Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand, Billy Crudup, Jason Lee, and newcomer Patrick Fugit.

This film may have just one flaw- it aims too high. But that doesn't matter in this world. Here, we see the autobiographical tale of Cameron Crowe (writer/director and co-producer of this film) in his days as a young writer for Rolling Stone (one story I think) as seen by William Miller. He follows a rock band called Stillwater (much to mom's dismay played well by Frances McDormand) on a Almost Famous tour with rockers, groupies and bandaids. Real sweetness comes when the worlds of Miller and the band combine and dramedy kicks in. Quite the Crowe picture, one of his best ones, that takes a look at the days of rock when it was still cool to do drugs, have sex and be cool singing Elton John in a bus (that scene was the highlight). Band members include Billy Crudup, Jason Lee and others including Fairuza Balk, Anna Paquin, and in a exceptional performance, the free spirited Penny Lane played by Kate Hudson. This film is definately in my top 25 list of the year. A-

This film really belongs to Cameron Crowe. Based on his own experience he wrote and directed the movie. It follows the journey of a teenage fan/writer as he writes an article for Rolling Stone. The great thing about this film is that you really get to know and feel for William, Penny and Russell.

"The film's about a band, a girl, a mother…all these people realising that they've reached one person – William." (Cameron Crowe – director and winner of the Best Screenplay Oscar for this film)*

'Almost Famous' follows the story of 15 year-old music fanatic, William Miller (Patrick Fugit), growing up in the 70's. His love of music leads him to his ultimate ambition, to be a music journalist. This is much to the disapproval of his overbearing, widowed mother (Frances McDormand), whose neurotic ways have already driven his older sister away to become a stewardess. One day William is fortunate enough to meet Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), a successful journalist and editor of 'Creem' magazine, who sees William's passion and offers him $35 to write his first article on Black Sabbath. Having no pass, William can't even meet the band, but it is here that famous band aid, Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) and 'Stillwater', an up-and-coming rock band, enter his life. Then, William (posing as an 18 year old) gets the golden opportunity to write for Rolling Stone magazine about Stillwater. He is told firmly by Lester, "do not make friends with the rock stars", but the experiences he shares with them throughout the film give William some of his most valuable lessons on life, although by no means do things go as he would have expected. William's innocence and naivety make him a lovable character and easy to identify with, an excellent performance given by Fugit in his film debut.

In the film, the band represents a change from the hippie, peace-loving lifestyle of the 60's to the beginnings of the money-making, fame-hungry music industry we know today. They constantly profess that it is "all about the music", but behind this is a bitter quest for fame between the band members. This is shown through their disregard for William and also through the relationship between the guitarist Russell (Billy Crudup) and Penny Lane. Penny is brilliantly played by Hudson as a beautiful, carefree young woman, the object of every man's affection (including William), but beneath this "cool" demeanour, the 16 year old Penny is just as naive and vulnerable as him. All of these mixed, negative emotions in the film contrast with the cinematography, which encapsulates a warm, dreamlike quality of nostalgia surrounding the 70's rock music scene. When you watch the film it almost makes you want to be back there, experiencing it for yourself.

What makes Almost Famous intriguing is that it is a semi-autobiographical film, with William playing a young Cameron Crowe – who is the youngest journalist to write for the renowned Rolling Stone magazine. The fictional band "Stillwater" replaces a few of the famous musicians interviewed by Crowe in real-life; Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Lynard Skynard…an impressive list for anyone, let alone someone so young.

The best thing I could do to sum up the film would be to play you the soundtrack, which would tell you everything you need to know. A quote from Patrick Fugit describes perfectly why you should watch it:

"You can tell it's a Cameron Crowe movie, because you can't really put it in a category of comedy, drama…it has a certain quality that you just like to…fall in love with and watch the movie over and over."*

*Taken from interviews on the DVD's extra features.

Patrick Fugit stars as a 70s teenager with journalistic ambitions who undertakes a campaign for employment that conceals his minor status, landing him a job at Rolling Stone magazine and a months long embedding with a band on the rise, Stillwater.

Based on events in the life of the movie's producer (+ Ian Bryce), director and writer, Cameron Crowe who'd go on to win the Oscar for original screenplay, this critic felt misled by Cam, the early frames creating an expectation of watching a gifted youngster evolve into a professional scribe. What we get instead is a movie about a child who is atypically polite but typically conveys no special talent for, or interest in, writing, a skill that supposedly got him the prized gig in the first place. You'll see no creative struggles, no epiphanies, just this constant boyish grim on his cherub face as he forever grips a tape recorder that he nearly never uses until the closing scene when he asks the band's befuddled star (Crudup), "What do you love about music?" Oy vey.

This movie is really a Studio showcase of the film's two biggest names in Frances McDormand (Mrs Miller) and Kate Hudson as #1 groupie, "Penny Lane," using the director's unique story only as a means to get us all a backstage pass. But their performances are as pedestrian as the kid's query, mom relying on the telephone as a means of parenting, periodically pitching anger to quell her conscience, while it seems everybody's love interest Lane never has her breakthrough moment, including the drug overdose made unwatchable with a wholly inappropriate overlay of Stevie Wonder's signature My Cherie Amour. Two hours is too long to follow around a fifteen year old who uses his media credential to become a fan-boy and fall in love. Mister Crowe may've written that magazine cover piece, but we didn't see it in the movie, William more interested in the glamour and groupies than meeting his deadline, no more believable as a writer than that son of a glove-maker in Stratford on Avon (Shakspeare).

Believable are the support in Fairuza Balk (Sapphire), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Bangs) and the band on the burgeon. Sapphire is #2 groupie and the film's sage, her by chance phone chat with mom the best scene to that point, her late monologue in the commissary exactly what the aspiring writer SHOULD'VE been saying ("to truly love some silly little piece of music"). The band (Crudup Lee Fedevich Kozelek) and their quest for fame, each member trying to find their place in it, and that hairy scary plane ride, are the meat of the movie. And Mr Hoffman as William's cynical mentor is terrific as always (Capote Boogie-Nights), his instructions terribly interesting, though, wrong on two points: 1) whether you're "friends" or not with the musicians is of no concern (gotta stay on speaking terms), as long as you MEET YOUR DEADLINE, and 2) writers are not "at home" because they're "uncool," they're at home because they WANT to be at home, compelled to do what they love and never finding enough time in the day to do it.

Lacks the magic of Tootsie and Boogie-Nights, the two best films on the entertainment biz since A-Star-Is-Born (37), as well as their memorable scores, the latter's on par with compilation greats in Easy-Rider, American-Graffiti & GoodFellas. But Almost-Famous does have a certain something that, along with the believables, made me go the distance, which fairly makes it almost interesting (2.5/4).

Does this movie tap into some American subconscious that I am unaware of - is there a national paean for bell bottoms and groupiedoom that overlooks the awfulness of this film? For a start it is very boring, following the not very interesting or even rock and roll adventures of a very well behaved rock group and a journalist with the world's longest deadline trying to pen an article about them. there are groupies whom we never see having sex, very little drug taking, not much boozing, but most clankingly of all a love story between a child, a guitarist and the apparently irresistible Penny Lane, who I guess is supposed to be enigmatic but is really just vapid and if Hudson's performance is all it takes to get an Oscar nomination then get you daughter on the stage Mrs Robinson, it's there for the taking.

hilariously we have continually "just missed" various real rock stars who are "next door", and "by the pool" which at least provided some light relief throughout this too-long clunker, but I am sure it wasn't meant to.

Yet this is 150 ALL TIME movie. Nearly 7000 voted this a 10? What am I missing here? This film provides a perfect companion piece for the Banger Sisters as two movies, that if I ever see again, will require a major shift in lifestyle so that I never have 2 hours to waste as badly as that again. At least with the Banger sisters I was on a plane. Almost unwatchable and you can remove the almost in the case of a second viewing.