Almost Famous is a movie that follows the formula of a rock 'n roll film, and yet it plays out in a completely original way. By tweaking some of the genre's classic tropes, Cameron Crowe has made a movie that plays to his strengths as a filmmaker and a writer. Crowe is a former writer for Rolling Stone magazine, and he knows the music industry. His musical knowledge and his experience with rock bands allow him to write characters that go beyond the horny groupie, the self-centered front man, and the wide-eyed kid having his first taste of success.
In Almost Famous, William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is a bright teenager who still lacks practical knowledge of life. His protective mother Elaine (Frances McDormand) wants to see him graduate high school and go on to law school without getting caught up in sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Unfortunately for Elaine, William's rebellious sister Anita (Zooey Deschanel) gives William her record collection when she leaves home to become an airline stewardess, sparking a love of music inside William. As he reaches the end of his high school career, his writing gets him noticed by Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) as well as Rolling Stone magazine. Rolling Stone gives him an assignment to go on tour with the band Stillwater, and Lester becomes William's mentor of sorts, doling out advice about writing and the music industry. Along the way, he gets carried away by the lifestyles of rockers Russell (Billy Crudup) and Jeff (Jason Lee), and he falls in love with the queen of the groupies Penny Lane (Kate Hudson).
Anyone who knows anything about rock music knows the story of Almost Famous. A semi-successful band becomes wildly successful. Fame and fortune go to their heads, egos and drugs get in the way, the band starts fighting, and they forget that they got into this business for the music. What makes Almost Famous different and fresh is that they tell the story from the point of view of a young aspiring music critic who just got his big break. William is sent on the road with the band with the expectation that he will find a great story amongst the drugs, alcohol, and groupies. William is young and naive, and through his eyes, we the audience start to like these rock stars. We break Lester Bangs' steadfast rule which is to never become friends with the band and get sucked into the adventure and freedom of the open road. Still, we know deep down how this story will end which makes it all the more heartbreaking when these characters make mistakes and ultimately disappoint William.
Every rock 'n roll movie of this era has a concerned mother who wants to make sure her precious child does not stray from the straight-and-narrow. Allison Janney in Hairspray is a perfect example of this stock character. In Almost Famous, William's mother Elaine had all the ingredients to be the crazy square mother. She denounces Simon and Garfunkel as drug music, calls Williams constantly while he is on the road with Stillwater, and at one point yells, “Don't do drugs!” across the parking lot outside a rock concert.
Despite all of this, Elaine is one of the best and most complicated characters in the film. Elaine is not a religious fanatic or an intolerant buffoon. She is a teacher who wants her kids to reject the mainstream and embrace her unconventional beliefs. When she looks at William, she remembers a young boy who wanted to grow up to be like Atticus Finch someday, and she knows that the rock star life of drugs, alcohol, and opulence are ultimately empty of any meaning. She sees William's potential and is absolutely terrified that something or someone will knock him off the path to greatness. Elaine could have been a character played for cheap laughs, and McDormand fully deserves her Oscar nomination for making Elaine human and relate-able.
While the performances are strong all around, the true star of Almost Famous is the music. The soundtrack is packed full of everything from Elton John's Tiny Dancer to The Who's Sparks and Simon and Garfunkel's America. When the credits roll, music lovers will want to run out and pick up the soundtrack if they don't already own it. To sum up, I would recommend picking up the Blu-ray release of Almost Famous if you love music of the '70's and appreciate movies that are willing to take two-dimensional stock characters and overused story tropes and give them a fresh twist. In my opinion, this is Cameron Crowe's best movie because it combines his two passions of film and music so effortlessly, and it should not be missed.
DVD Bonus Features
The Blu-ray release is packed full of special features. They have included some of Crowe's articles with Rolling Stone as well as his top ten albums of 1973, the full Stillwater concert that they filmed for the movie, an interview with Lester Bangs, the “Fever Dog” music video, a look behind-the-scenes of Almost Famous, the theatrical trailer, an audio commentary track with Cameron Crowe, and the film's Oscar-winning script. There is plenty of material here to keep film and music nerds occupied for hours.
"Almost Famous: The Bootleg Cut" is on sale January 25, 2011 and is not rated. Comedy, Drama, Romance. Written and directed by Cameron Crowe. Starring Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Jason Lee, Kate Hudson, Patrick Fugit, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Zooey Deschanel.
