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:

sexual pleasure | female removes her clothes | red panties | sexual attraction | female frontal nudity | 

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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

Details

Official Sites:

Vinyl Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

22 September 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Something Real

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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$32,534,850

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,848,839

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Christina Applegate, Selma Blair, Saffron Burrows, Jennifer Connelly, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Eliza Dushku, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jennie Garth, Natasha Henstridge, Milla Jovovich, Jordan Ladd, Kelly McDonald, Thandie Newton, Gwyneth Paltrow, Franka Potente, Laura Prepon, Winona Ryder, Tori Spelling, Liv Tyler, Rachel Weisz, Peta Wilson and Catherine Zeta-Jones were considered for the role of Penny Lane.

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Goofs

On the bus, when all the passengers begin singing "Tiny Dancer", the scenery outside changes significantly between each cut.

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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 end of the movie, one can hear a record changer playing the outgoing groove of a record, the needle lifting, and the player shutting off.

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Connections

References Rude Boy (1980)

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Soundtracks

Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
Written by Elton John & Bernie Taupin
Performed by Elton John
Courtesy of MCA Records & Universal International Music, B.V.
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Surprisingly sweet dramedy hits the mark

This film may have just one flaw- it aims too high. But that doesn't matter in this world. Here, we see the autobiographical tale of Cameron Crowe (writer/director and co-producer of this film) in his days as a young writer for Rolling Stone (one story I think) as seen by William Miller. He follows a rock band called Stillwater (much to mom's dismay played well by Frances McDormand) on a Almost Famous tour with rockers, groupies and bandaids. Real sweetness comes when the worlds of Miller and the band combine and dramedy kicks in. Quite the Crowe picture, one of his best ones, that takes a look at the days of rock when it was still cool to do drugs, have sex and be cool singing Elton John in a bus (that scene was the highlight). Band members include Billy Crudup, Jason Lee and others including Fairuza Balk, Anna Paquin, and in a exceptional performance, the free spirited Penny Lane played by Kate Hudson. This film is definately in my top 25 list of the year. A-