You're too sweet for rock and roll. (Almost Famous (DVD))

Member Name: mmintfresh

Product:	Almost Famous (DVD)
Date:	25/08/02 (109 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Performances, Plot, Direction

Disadvantages: None

*This review refers to the directors cut of the film, entitled, Untitled. It has just over half an hour more material than the theatrical cut.*

William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is bullied at school, all his classmates are 13 and going through puberty whilst he is still at the tender age of 12, or so he thinks. One day his mother, Elaine (Frances McDormand), a university lecturer tells him the truth, he is 11. She put him in first grade early after she taught him kindergarten at home. Meanwhile his older sister, Anita ( Zooey Deschanel) is sick and tired their mothers strict rules. They aren’t allowed to eat certain things, watch certain programmes or even listen to music. She runs away to become an air hostess and leaves William all her old records.
Cut forward and William is now 15 and on the brink or graduation. He is still being bullied and spends most his time writing articles for the school paper and an underground magazine and listening to music. He sends his articles to renowned rock journalist Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman). One day Lester is in town and William goes to see him. Lester is very impressed with Williams work and offers him $35 to go and interview Black Sabbath at a local concert. At first he isn’t allowed in but eventually makes some friends with an upcoming band called Stillwater. He also meets some of the ‘band aides’ who hang around the concerts, not because they want to meet the rock stars but because they love music. He particularly likes Penny Lane (Kate Hudson). She becomes friends with him and they end up going to another concert together.

William manages to write his article and some people from the Rolling Stone Magazine see it. They offer him $1000 to go on tour with Stillwater and write an article about them. He accepts and joins the band, after getting a warning from Lester to never make friends with rock stars. He gets to know the band pretty well, especially lead guitarist Russel
l (Billy Crudup). The lead singer, Jeff (Jason Lee) however doesn’t warm to him and is highly suspicious of him. He also notices that there is a lot of tension between the two as Russell is pushed into the spotlight, not Jeff. William and Stillwater are also joined by some of the band aides, including Penny Lane. William starts to fall in love with Penny but is shocked to learn that she has a thing going on with Russell. As well harbouring unrequited love for Penny his article is going terribly and he is being hounded by his mother who constantly warns him not to take drugs.

Almost Famous is the director, Cameron Crowe’s semi autobiographical film about his life as a 15 year old rock journalist for Rolling Stone Magazine. At first this appear to be a rock and roll film about a band on tour told from a young journalists point of view, however whilst it is that it is more of a coming of an age drama set on the backstage of a 70’s rock tour. From the opening scenes it is made clear to us that William is the protagonist of the story. We are meant to feel sympathy for him because he is stuck in-between his liberated sister and authoritarian mother. We also feel a pang of heartbreak when we see him cruelly bullied at school for looking young but the only thing that gets him through is the thought that he is only a year young so he will soon be like them. We later witness that he totally adores the music and sends off his articles to help him achieve his dream. We see him plunge into his roll of rock journalist with naivety, enthusiasm and zeal and see how this is all changed by the end of the film. The tour isn’t just an opportunity for him to break into the journalism circle it is also an opportunity for him to mature. He learns about love, through his affection for Penny Lane, he also learn a but about trust and friendship through his turbulent relationship with the band and also learns that life isn’t as sugar coated as he believe
d it to be. Making the main focus of the film both a lovable and poignant tale.

This is the main story but there are also a lot of sub plots going on that fill out the background, you have the complicated relationship between Penny and Russell, do they love each other, is it a one way relationship or merely just the fact that they are on a rock and roll tour? You also have the band struggling with fame, the constant bickering between Jeff and Russell which is constantly bubbling below the surface waiting to explode. It is not just William who goes on a journey of self discover it is Stillwater as well. We also have the story of Elaine, William’s mother who is scared that the world of rock and roll will corrupt her son beyond repair and that he will come back hooked on every drug known to man and knocking back a bottle of vodka every night. Her scenes are often very funny, she sends messages to William with Don’t Do Drugs scrawled in bold and even reprimands Russell at one point.

The film itself, because of its setting could feature some nasty events, like excessive drug use etc however the film portrays the rock and roll scene in a soft nostalgic light. We see the band aides euphorically listening to their idols play on stage, the whole band singing on a tour bus and William being welcomed into the inner sanctum of the band. As well as the era being seen in a light hearted way there is also a lot of comedy involved making the film almost impossible to hate. The script is full to the brim with witty and intelligent remarks, for example one person saying about how Mick Jagger will never still be on stage when he’s fifty trying to be a rock star.

One of the great things about Almost Famous is the acting and performances that are seen in the film, the best being provided by the three central characters. Firstly there is Billy Crudup. He is a softened version of a rockstar, he is a nice guy at heart but likes to party and c
heats on his girlfriend by painfully stringing along Penny. Unlike most of the other characters Russell’s feeling are often kept hidden from the viewer and Crudup does a good job at this. He doesn’t overdo it by making Russell seem like a withdrawn and unemotional person but a likable man with an air of mystique. The next eye opening performance is from Kate Hudson. She portrays Penny’s charisma perfectly and makes her seem like a genuinely nice person who lights up a room when she enters. Hudson also manages Penny’s more sensitive scenes and shows a wide range of emotion. She also manages to capture Penny’s vulnerability and makes it seem that perhaps Penny is sometimes hidden her real feelings behind a mask of smiles. The last amazing performance is from newcomer Patrick Fugit. He makes William and very vulnerable and naïve character but also shows his stronger side when William occasionally looses it. He makes William seem like a genuinely likable guy and manages to carry the weight of the film because of his fine performance.

Cameron Crowe manages to do an excellent job at both writing and directing and has created one of the best films of 2000. As I’ve said this film is almost impossible to hate because of its nostalgic feel and likable characters. The story is touching and funny and Crowe creates a upbeat atmosphere and the film feels as if it was actually made in the 70’s. A brilliant watch and highly recommended.

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