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 them on their concert tour.

Director:

Cameron Crowe

Writer:

Cameron Crowe

Stars:

Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson

Won 1 Oscar. Another 52 wins & 103 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

The early 1970s. William Miller is 15-years old and an aspiring rock journalist. He gets a job writing for Rolling Stone magazine. His first assignment: tour with the band Stillwater and write about the experience. Miller will get to see what goes on behind the scenes in a famous band, including the moments when things fall apart. Moreover, for him, it will be a period of new experiences and finding himself.

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Plot Keywords:

on the road | rock 'n' roll | 1970s | tour bus | sex | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, drug content and brief nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready provided the guitar track for Stillwater's songs.

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Goofs

In a scene where William is taking notes he is surrounded by post-it notes. 3M didn't introduce Post-its until 1977.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

At the beginning of the film, right when the 'vinyl records' credit comes up, you can hear a record player needle land on a record. There is a bit of fuzz, and the music kicks in.

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Alternate Versions

The extended 'bootleg cut' version available on DVD features 39 minutes of additional footage, bringing the running time at 162 minutes. This version is actually titled 'Untitled' and has a title card as such in Cameron Crowe's handwriting.

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Connections

Referenced in Jessie: Someone Has Tou-Pay (2015)

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Soundtracks

The Chipmunk Song
Written by Ross Bagdasarian (as Ross Bagdasarian Sr.)
Performed by The Chipmunks
Courtesy of EMI Records
Under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets

User Reviews

Outstanding

William has an overprotective mother, and his sister has already been driven away by her refusal to accept her children's ambitions and interests. William finds solace in his sister's music collection and begins to dream of a life as a rock journalist. At 15 William manages to land a assignment with Rolling Stone Magazine to interview an up and coming band called Stillwater, and he quickly finds himself immersed in the life his mother so desperately wanted to protect him from.

And so the story begins, as William tours with the band, we are taken on a journey of mistrust, discovery, deceit and disappointment; interlaced with the hard truths about the bands lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, sex and music.

Almost Famous pulls no punches, and is a deep insight into the dream that became an ambition, that became a harsh reality.

Packed with top class performances all round and great music score Almost Famous delivers, and delivers with attitude and realism that is rarely captured on film.

A must see for Fans of the genre, but there's certainly enough here for everyone.

9/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

22 September 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Uncool

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel - 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,314,646, 17 September 2000

Gross USA:

$32,534,850

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$47,383,689

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, DreamWorks, 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