Review of
Almost Famous
Reviewed by Abhijay Prakash
Director: Cameron Crowe
Starring: Patrick Fugit,Billy Crudup,Kate Hudson
Almost Famous is a warm, funny and entertaining paean to youth, love, honesty and the rock 'n roll scene. This movie feels good all over like so much lotion on dry skin. I suppose if you have never had a favorite band, if you hate classic rock, and if you can't stand Cameron Crowe's penchant for feel-good moments then you may not like this movie. Then again, you people have also probably never been able to scratch the word dry into your skin.
Set in the early 1970s, Almost Famous is writer/director Crowe's semi-autobiographical story of the halcyon days when he hoodwinked the editors at Rolling Stone into letting him live out his rock journalist fantasies. It is "semi" autobiographical because instead of Cameron Crowe as himself we get newcomer Patrick Fugit as the floppy-haired William Miller, and instead of Led Zeppelin and The Who we get the fictional amalgamation of Stillwater. The band is fronted by lead singer Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee of Chasing Amy fame), but built around its guitar hero, Russell Hammond (winningly played by critical darling Billy Crudup). Goldie Hawn-offspring Kate Hudson plays Russell's sometime-flame who calls herself Penny Lane (woulda been cooler if referenced the Beatles druggie era and called herself Lucy Skye). Penny plays groupie troop leader (no sashes) to a gaggle of gals including, Fairuza Balk (The Craft, The Waterboy), Bijou Phillips (Black and White), and Anna Paquin (remember her from The Piano? Damn she grew up fast!), who sorta hang around like muses, or the chorus from one of those really old plays we had to read in school. The assembly of these colorful characters (including other bandmates and the managers) coupled with typical road hijinks (like the busting of a metaphorically important fence), keeps the rock 'n roll circus entertaining for William and for us.
While the Russell-William-Penny love triangle drives much of the plot, Crowe also delves into the life of a critic (Is it any wonder that critics love this movie?) with Hoffman's crusty Lester Bangs playing Yoda to Fugit's precocious Skywalker-esque William. Instead of "using the force," Bangs exhorts William to be "honest and unmerciful." He says this just enough times at key moments so that even the most literal-minded fool will realize he is doing more than dictating lines to an upcoming version of Rock Criticism for Dummies. Crowe's films often pick up on this importance of being earnest, as evidenced most recently by Jerry Maguire and previously in the classic persona of Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack in Say Anything).
Crowe is also the best director in Hollywood at making use of music in films. He does it again here with a classic soundtrack of 70s tunes including Led Zeppelin's “Tangerine” (an underrated classic), Simon and Garfunkel's “America” (the best road song ever), and appropriately comic use of Steve Wonder's “My Cherie Amour.” With an engaging mix of classic tunes, compelling characters, lively adventures, and a refreshingly light, unironic tone, Crowe has engineered one his best releases in Almost Famous.
