Almost Famous

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.

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.

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.

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-