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.
Twenty-one years after its initial release, “Almost Famous” continues to stir my heart. I’m a sucker for coming-of-age movies and this one is no different with the heartache that comes with teenage living a central component. Cameron Crowe’s film could only have the kind of impact it does because of its autobiographical nature. Looking at this updated version only reminds us of what we already know: this movie works on every level.
Patrick Fugit plays William Miller, a milquetoast suburban teenage boy looking to break into the rock’n’roll journalism scene. When he gets an opportunity to write for Rolling Stone magazine, he hops on the road with fictional band Stillwater to see their tour first hand. Along the way, he discovers the callous cruelty groupies of the band experience and how the lead singer, Russell Hammond (played by Billy Crudup), terrorizes and excites the band in equal measure. When all is said and done, William Miller will have a lot more to share about his own personal growth than he would about the band.
“Almost Famous” is one of those movies that only the writer could also direct. Cameron Crowe, famously, drew this story from his personal experiences as a music journalist. He pulled elements from multiple classic rock legends (and famous stories about rock bands) including Peter Frampton, Eddie Vedder, Glenn Frey, the Who, the Eagles, and the Allman Brothers Band. The kind of deep-cut musical references only true classic rock fans would recognize litter the screen and tiny shoutouts help build the world this film occupies. Its bona fides speak for themselves but in the era of streaming music, it’s important to acknowledge: many of the story’s tiny details come ripped right out of famous bands’ legends.
The film moves brilliantly around a talented cast of actors. Patrick Fugit anchors the film with his soulful gaze. We see the world through his naïve eyes, finding wonder and failing to see trauma until it’s too late. Billy Crudup counterbalances that naivete with his own dose of manipulative optimism. The charismatic lead singer of a rock band tends to tear bands apart, and Crudup’s performance (with Crowe’s words) shows us exactly how a band like that could reach high heights and simultaneously tear itself apart by reaching. Lastly, Kate Hudson walks the dramatic distance between Crudup and Fugit’s characters. The innocent caught up in both men’s trauma, she starts as a manic pixie dream girl, but slowly we see her humanity unveiled to us. She’s not just some wisdom-spouting groupie, she’s a veteran of the road who makes the same mistake several times over. Hudson really ties the film together with her performance and while the movie centers on William Miller it speaks to Hudson’s performance that everyone remembers Pennie Lane much more than William Miller.
Rounding this ensemble out is a fantastic second string of actors who, arguably, eat up screen time and fail to get noticed. Zoey Deschanel bops into a scene or two as William’s protective older sister who left home. Frances McDormand plays William’s overprotective mother. Even Jimmy Fallon makes an appearance as a manager (with a very weak performance, but he’s going up against greats here.) Most importantly of all, the great Phillip Seymour Hoffman rounds out the ensemble with his deadpan attitude. PSH kicks that whole second string up an entire notch with his infectious performance.
“Almost Famous” wouldn’t be the movie it is without its soundtrack. When it’s not dropping a broad variety of music. The fictional band Stillwater’s songs were written by Peter Frampton with Mike McCready (of Pearl Jam fame) provides the guitar riffs. “Almost Famous” drops classics like they’re leftover Christmas ornaments getting tucked away: Simon & Garfunkel, Iggy Pop, and the Stooges, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, the Beach Boys, Joni Mitchell, the Allman Brothers Band, heck even the infamous Alvin and the Chipmunks get a feature.
“Almost Famous” definitely earned its spot in our culture as a rock’n’roll legend. The fact that it so neatly captures one character’s coming-of-age while depicting a time in American music legendarily captured, shows its deft directing. It’s still Cameron Crowe’s best film to date and I cannot recommend it enough for fans of rock’n’roll movies and teen dramas to check this one out!
Now available for the first time on 4K Ultra HD in a limited-edition Steelbook,
as well as a new limited-edition Blu-ray in the Paramount Presents line
