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:

rock 'n' roll | smoking marijuana | on the road | rock musician | music industry | 

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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

Kirsten Dunst auditioned for and almost got the role of Penny, but the part went to Kate Hudson instead.

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Goofs

Elaine, a professor, says she's going to give someone the "Cliff Notes" version, instead of the correct "Cliffs Notes" (or, as originally spelled, "Cliff's Notes"). However, the study aids have almost always been colloquially known as "Cliff Notes;"; the fact that they are incorrectly referred to as "CliffNotes" is even mentioned in the "CliffsNotes" Wikipedia entry.

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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

The opening credits are presented in the form of notes being hand-written on a set of note cards. The hand writing the credits is director Cameron Crowe's.

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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 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)

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Soundtracks

Cortez the Killer
Written & Performed by Neil Young
Courtesy of Reprise Records
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Great film...buy the Director's Cut DVD!

There are two things that make this film one of the best made in the last few years- characters and music. I am personally not a big fan of 70s music, but it is used very well in this film, most of my favourite scenes are made all the more memorable by the music, which includes America (Simon & Garfunkel), Tiny Dancer, Mona Lisa's and Mad Hatters (both Elton John), River (Joni Mitchell) Paranoid (Black Sabbath) and Feel Flows (The Beach Boys) Most of the actors and actresses in this film give the performance of their lives, Frances McDormand being especially comical as William's mother, and many of the best moments are all hers. William himself has an endearing quality about him to the audience, and I'm surprised I haven't seen Patrick Fugit in any other films since this one. A great film, and the Directors Cut DVD is well worth the money, especially for those of you (like me) who had previously only watched the UK version.

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:

$47,385,836

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Dreamworks Pictures, 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