Casi famosos

Young Patrick Fugit, a talented juvenile writer, gets a once in a lifetime opportunity, to travel with a mid level rock band as a journalist. If the piece is good, Rolling Stone may pick it up and his career is made. Trying to pin the band down for an interview, especially the deliberately elusive leader, Billy Crudup is harder than you would think. These guys in the band Stillwater are Almost Famous, they're just a step away, but it's hard step to take.

Billy Crudup is one of the best players around today and it's his portrayal of Russell Hammond, lead singer of Stillwater on which the film pivots. It's a very complex role and we see all sides of Russell Hammond, talented, charismatic, loyal, self indulgent, hedonistic, it's all there and whole lot more. Just how honest can young Mr. Fugit be and where does being a fan stop and being a journalist start. Fugit may not know, but the band members keep asking the question.

Kate Hudson is around and does very well as the girl 'Penny Lane' who follows Stillwater. She's not a groupie, the term she prefers is Band Aide. And Frances McDormand is around as Fugit's mom who is constantly checking in on her son to see that he doesn't enjoy too much of the good life on the rock scene.

Almost Famous is a very graphic picture of the rock scene of the mid Seventies. Director Cameron Crowe did a great job capturing the mood of the times as well as good performances from the cast. Still it's Billy Crudup's picture and this is a must for his fans.

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-

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.

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.