Almost Famous

The golden age of rock ‘n’ roll is revisited in this film.   [R]

By: Kam Williams
   Two-time Oscar-nominee Cameron Crowe is well-known for writing and directing such films as Jerry Maguire and Fast Times at Ridgemont High
   What you might not know about Crowe is that in the early 1970s, at the tender age of 15, he dropped out of high school to pursue a career as a music journalist. Traveling with the emerging artists of the era, the fledgling reporter chronicled the culture of rock ‘n’ roll for such periodicals as Rolling Stone, Creem, Playboy and the Los Angeles Times. By 16, Cameron signed on as an editor with Rolling Stone, for whom he profiled such rock stars as Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin and David Bowie.
   With Almost Famous, a thinly-veiled autobiography, Crowe does much more than merely recreate the wide-eyed wonder of a boy allowed into the inner sanctum of his idols. This movie effectively illustrates the lad’s loss of both innocence and objectivity as he is seduced by groupies, drugs and other staples of the rock and roll lifestyle. And because the perspective is that of an overwhelmed, curious, coming-of-age adolescent, the audience easily condones the affectionate treatment of debauchery and self-indulgence.
   Considerable credit must go to the talented cast that infused Crowe’s vision with a credible passion. There are at least a half-dozen performances worthy of mention.
   Patrick Fugit makes an unflawed feature film debut as the awestruck William Miller, the runaway-turned-rock-reporter. Kate Hudson (daughter of Goldie Hawn) proves herself to be as big a scene-stealer as her mom in her role as everybody’s love interest, groupie Penny Lane.
   Unappreciated character actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, overlooked by the Academy despite turning in top quality efforts in Flawless, Magnolia, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Boogie Nights, Happiness, Twister), turns in another as the legendary rock critic Lester Bangs.
   Oscar-winner Frances McDormand (for Fargo), wife of director Joel Coen, grounds the production in her role as William’s frantic, frustrated mom. Another Oscar-winner (at age 11 for The Piano), Anna Paquin, proves herself mature enough to play Polexia, a groupie with a heart of gold.
   The story zooms in on young William’s initial bolt from his home in San Diego to go on tour to cover a rising group from Detroit called Stillwater.
   This fictional, hedonistic band, led by Russell (Billy Crudup) and Jeff (Jason Lee), lets William observe their dysfunctional dynamic as they fight over star status, women, money and more. But after William falls in love for the first time with a groupie in their entourage, who is being exploited by a married member, he becomes less an observer and more a participant in the madness. William learns some significant, life-altering lessons along the way, lessons which must have served him well on the road to becoming the Cameron Crowe we know today.
   When you factor in a nostalgic soundtrack hand-picked by Nancy Wilson of Heart (Crowe’s wife) and venue verité (courtesy of technical consultant Peter Frampton), you have all the makings for a magical escape from which you might not want to be roused. Almost Famous effortlessly transplants the audience back to the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll, offering a bird’s-eye view of a party that never ends. It left me satisfied and still humming Elton John’s "Tiny Dancer" a week later. A poignant, personal legacy.
   Rated R for periodic profanity, brief nudity, the celebration of drug use and indiscriminate sex.
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