| ALMOST FAMOUS |
2000 - USA
Director: Cameron
Crowe - Reviewed by Dan 
Almost
Famous transports us into a 1973 version of Oz—a de-fanged, backstage rock n'
roll world where happy endings abound and truth and justice are served.
We get there through the eyes of Will (Patrick Fugit), a 15-year-old aspiring rock journalist—undoubtedly based loosely and autobiographically on writer/director Cameron Crowe (who started his career by writing for Rolling Stone magazine at the age of 15). Intelligent and perceptive, yet wide-eyed, Will is whisked out of “Kansas” by a twister of a phone call. Rolling Stone wants him to write about an all-expenses-paid, cross-country tour with up-and-coming band "Stillwater." His loving yet domineering mother (Frances McDormand), begrudgingly gives in to this request. Stillwater (comprised most notably of Billy Crudup and Jason Lee) acts as the archetypical 70s rock band in this tightly constructed film. Virtually every good-hearted (and not so good-hearted) tale ever told about rock musicians from the 1970s is incorporated into the story line. Crowe keeps these vignettes surprising yet inevitable and weaves them cohesively together with the help of several great actors. The pitch-perfect performances save this earnestly heartfelt, hilarious movie from stepping off into the ridiculous. For instance, early in the film, Will arrives at a hotel to find a message from his mother delivered by a glowering desk-clerk. “Your mom freaked me out,” he says, still scowling. We’ve met Will’s mom and know she’s intense, but his reaction seems a bit much. Hyperbole is a mainstay of comedy and we’ve all seen worse before, so it’s possible to forgive Crowe this exaggeration–the big laugh is worth it. Later in the film, however, we get to listen in on just how intense Will’s mom can be and in retrospect, what seemed over-the-top before makes perfect sense. Frances McDormand delivers a gorgeous performance here, and will surely be nominated once again for an Oscar. She is a national treasure who should be forced to work non-stop until she dies and then resuscitated to work some more. Groupie-With-A-Heart-of-Gold, Ms. Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) steals her own fair share of scenes. Hudson is absolutely beautiful and instills the role with sweetness and dignity. Before I saw this movie, I had no idea that she is the daughter of Goldie Hawn. Her performance here will make that bit of trivia irrelevant, as she will no doubt be propelled to stardom in her own right. It is clear that this film was crafted in almost every respect. The pacing is superb, the cinematography beautifully invisible, and the use of music from the era blends elegantly with what is on the screen and what is stirred up in your heart. I should also note that Peter Frampton, acting as technical advisor (Crowe wrote the liner notes to “Frampton Comes Alive”), and Nancy Wilson of Heart (Crowe’s wife) probably also contributed details that help keep this fairy-tale world grounded in reality. As much I enjoyed this film, I struggled with whether I should give Almost Famous a rating of 7 or 8 slices. I found myself comparing it to the Breakfast Club which left me with the same kind of feeling—something near regret for having not lived a past which never happened—a longing to be part of someone else’s careful fabrication. Almost Famous resonates in this same way—it’s a dangling carrot of utopian nostalgia and a practically-perfect, feel-good Hollywood-blockbuster in the making. (To read about another journalist’s not so fairy-tale experience writing for Rolling Stone in 1999, click here) |
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