Almost Famous (2000)

A high-school boy is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone Magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies it on their concert tour.

Director:

Cameron Crowe

Writer:

Cameron Crowe

Stars:

Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson

Won 1 Oscar. Another 50 wins & 80 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Crudup	...	Russell Hammond
Frances McDormand	...	Elaine Miller
Kate Hudson	...	Penny Lane
Jason Lee	...	Jeff Bebe
Patrick Fugit	...	William Miller
Zooey Deschanel	...	Anita Miller
Michael Angarano	...	Young William
Anna Paquin	...	Polexia Aphrodisia
Fairuza Balk	...	Sapphire
Noah Taylor	...	Dick Roswell
John Fedevich	...	Ed Vallencourt
Mark Kozelek	...	Larry Fellows
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Lester Bangs
Liz Stauber	...	Leslie
Jimmy Fallon	...	Dennis Hope

Storyline

William Miller is a 15 year old kid, hired by Rolling Stone magazine to tour with, and write about Stillwater, an up and coming rock band. This wonderfully witty coming of age film follows William as he falls face first to confront life, love, and lingo.

---

Plot Keywords:

tour | band | magazine | rolling stone magazine | rock band | 

---

Taglines:

Experience it. Enjoy it. Just don't fall for it.

---

Genres:

Drama | Music

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, drug content and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Vinyl Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Something Real

Filming Locations:

1047 Maple St, Santa Monica, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£511,896 (UK) (9 February 2001)

Gross:

ESP 129,054,292 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Vinyl Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min 162 min (director's cut) 152 min (DVD extended cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Peter Frampton taught Billy Crudup how to play the guitar in preparation for the concert scenes.

---

Goofs

During the backstage argument in Topeka, Jeff points to Dick sitting on a couch next to Ed. Suddenly, as the argument ends, Dick is standing behind Jeff. The preceding shots would have shown Dick getting up from the couch to break up the fight, but he is never seen in the background.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Elaine Miller: I can't believe you wanna be Atticus Finch. Oh, that makes me feel so good.
Young William: I like him.

---

Crazy Credits

Actress Amy Wright is credited for the role of 'Mrs. Deegan' in director's cut of the movie on DVD in 2001, but not on Blu-ray 2008. Actor Shannon Saint Ryan is credited on director's cut DVD as 'Shannon St Ryan'. On director's cut Blu-ray he's 'Shannon Saint Ryan'. Actor Bodhi Pine Elfman is on director's cut DVD 'Bodie Elfman', on director's cut Blu-ray 'Bodhi Elfman'.

---

Connections

References Dont Look Back (1967)

---

Soundtracks

"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"
Written & Performed by Jimi Hendrix
Courtesy of MCA Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

One of my favourite movies of all-time

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!