ALMOST FAMOUS
A DreamWorks  release 

review by C.J. Henderson

SYNOPSIS: Most people think Rock & Roll is a wild message of freedom that will never die. The insiders, however, know that the whole rebellion show is Dead & Dying. The corporations have finally gotten their stranglehold on the newest branch of the music world and things are about to become very bland, indeed. The time is the late '60s/early '70s. Into this deceptive world comes one William Miller (Patrick Fugit), a fifteen-year-old writer who through sheer talent and enthusiasm gets a series of assignments from legendary editor Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Bangs despises what is happening on the R&R scene and decides to mentor William.

Then, William gets a call from Rolling Stone Magazine. How would he like to do a piece on the band Stillwater? William jumps at the chance to write for the world's most prestigious music magazine (part of the corporate problem, according to Bangs), and before he knows it he has an offer to go on the road to tour with the band. This ¯ as you parents out there might imagine ¯  doesn't sit well with his single Mom, a college professor who has already driven her daughter out of the household with her views. Not wanting to drive William away she agrees to let him go, a decision she regrets almost immediately. And that is when things flip over into high gear in the absolutely hysterical new Cameron Crowe film ALMOST FAMOUS.

REVIEW: ALMOST FAMOUS is a great behind-the-scenes look at the world of R&R. On top of everything else, it's a true story ¯ almost. Director/writer Crowe ("Fast Times At Ridgemont High," "Jerry Maguire") started as a rock journalist when he was 15, and become a staff writer for Rolling Stone when he was 16. 

"I wanted to find a way to gel a story that captured the people I'll never forget, and the feelings I had meeting the bands, doing interviews, going to see shows ..." Crowe told us. "I didn't want it to be like some of those semi-autobiographical stories that glorify the writer because the truth is I never felt like the center of any room I was in at the time. I was an observer. That's what the character of William Miller is ¯ he's an observer."

William gets to observe the clay feet of his idols. He sees his first drugs, has his first sex, and falls in love. Unfortunately, William falls for the main groupie following the band, a girl in love with the group's married lead singer. William watches helplessly as a man he idolizes slowly destroys  the woman he loves. 

Assuredly one of the top films of the year, audiences get to see two hours of brilliant filmmaking. The writing is consistently dead, cutting through the pomposity of the Rock industry with surgical precision. The laughs are nearly non-stop. There are plenty of poignant moments, but the film's overall effect makes the audience roar like they haven't in a long time.

Helping that along is a tremendously well done recreation of the period. The cars, the clothing, the attitudes, everything screams out the '70s. A tremendous help is the exceptionally talented cast. In addition to those mentioned above, there is Billy Crudup ("Everyone Says I Love You," "Inventing the Abbots") as the obnoxious lead singer of Stillwater, Kate Hudson ("200 Cigarettes," "Desert Blue") as groupie Penny Lane and, in a stand alone performance ¯ that has best supporting actress nomination written all over it ¯ Frances McDormand (Detective Marge Gunderson from "Fargo") as William's dazed but coping Mom.

To sum things up: ALMOST FAMOUS is a funny, quirky and touching coming-of-age movie that most people should enjoy. It understands Rock & Roll, obviously loves it, but cuts the genre no slack as it tells all the secrets it can. Despite all its hip leanings, touching and sentimental film with a lot of old-fashioned flavor. There are sex and drugs to go with all that R&R, but it's as tastefully done as one can imagine. So, what more can you say but to embrace this film while it is playing in the theaters.

OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
http://www.almost-famous.com

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