Almost Famous [DVD] [2000]

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
emAlmost Famous/em is the movie Cameron Crowe has been waiting a lifetime to tell. The fictionalisation of Crowe's days as a teenage reporter for Creem and Rolling Stone has all the well-written characters and wonderful "movie moments" that we expect from Crowe (Jerry Maguire), but the film has an intangible something extra--an insider's touch that will turn the film into the ode to '70s rock roll for years to come. We are introduced to Crowe's alter ego, William Miller (Patrick Fugit), at home, where his progressive mom (Frances McDormand, just superb) has outlawed rock music and sister Anita (Zooey Deschanel) has slipped him LPs that will "set his mind free." Following the wisdom of Creem's disheveled editor, Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman in an instant-classic performance), Miller gets on the inside with the up-and-coming band Stillwater (a fictionalised mixture of the Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, and others). A simple visit with the band turns into a three-week, life-altering odyssey into the heyday of American rock. Of the characters he meets on the road, the two most important are groupie extraordinaire Penny Lane (Kate Hudson in a star-making performance) and Stillwater's enigmatic lead guitarist (Billy Crudup), who keeps stringing Miller along for an interview. From the handwritten credits (done by Crowe) to the bittersweet finale, Crowe's comedic valentine is an indelible, heartbreaking romance of music, women, and the privilege of youth. --emDoug Thomas/em

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Customer reviews

review by: AJR date: 2009-05-08 rating:
A Classic!
This film is great to watch and has the feel of a epic (in the sense that you feel you have gone on the journey of discovery with the cast with them). The performances of all the cast (inc Kate Hudson!) are superb and it is very atmospheric and easy to get drawn into. The music is great too. This is Cameron Crowe at his best.

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review by: ~vh secret handshake~ date: 2008-11-08 rating:
makes me wish...
... that I was alive then. I love all the music in the movie and it feels very real in a unbelievable and fantastic rock and roll world. br / br /Jason Lee is superb (as is everyone in this rich and talented cast) and the band Stillwater are so good you wish they had released a record themselves (since they did play the music and sing in the movie) br / br /If you have somehow passed this movie over before or dont even like this music, the heart and relationships in the movie will make up for that. br / br /This movie warrants many MANY viewings and gets better with each one.

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review by: date: 2008-09-05 rating:
Rock Stars Have Kidnapped My Son
From start to finish this film sparkles with wit, intelligence and warmth. I'm not old enough to remember the 70's but I was left feeling nostalgic for them anyway. br / br /The real star of this for me is Frances McDormand as William's painfully astute mother. Just watch it for her hillarous, exasperated attempts to separate William from the 'decadance' alone. Putting aside the spontaneous rendition of 'Tiny Dancer' on the tour bus, the telephone scene between her intellectually superior psychologist and Billy Crudup's self assured and utterly selfish rock star is a real high point for me. br / br /Having said that, William's unfolding reltionships with the assembled cast of self centred and cynical inhabitants of an alien world are a joy to watch, as they gradually find themselves altered by his unflinching gaze. So too does the rock scene itself, as it succumbs to the rampant commercialism and greed of the music industry. Not mention the magazines that elevated it into the mainstream in the first place. There is a tremendous sense of worlds crashing in on each other, fuelled by exploitation of one form or another. br / br /Almost Famous is ultimately about innocence versus experience and the effect of the watcher on the watched. We only have to look at our manufactured music industry, not to mention celebrity culture, to determine who triumphed in the end. However, I don't want to put a downer on it - this film is not depressing - it's just a beautifully crafted, confessional love letter to the 70's rock era. It goes without saying that the soundtrack is excellent and worth investing in as well.

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review by: date: 2007-11-22 rating:
Capturing the moment
This film beautifully captures the moment before Rock became an industry when it was unsophisticated and naïve; all seen through the eyes of our hero. It also captures the moment stylistically with the hair curlers and mini skirts and all the rest. The cast plays it well without any of the undoubted talent stealing the scene from any other. Near perfect


review by: elrober date: 2007-08-12 rating:
Well worth a look
Almost Famous is a very well written movie and is one of my favourites to date. br / br /Almost famous is about a boy growing up in the 70s who gets to go out on the road with Stillwater (a fictional band). 15 year old William, played by patrick fugit starts off writing for cream magazine and when his work is seen by the rolling stone he is whisked off into a world of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. where he meets pennylane (a famous bandaid) and falls in love with her, only thing is shes in love with Stillwaters gutarest russal hamond. br / br /this movie is full of emotion to the highest extent. We see anger and fighting between the band members. We see sadness from Williams mother after she lets him go. We see excitment when theres a near plane crash. We see love and romance through out the film between Penny lane, Russel hamond and william. br / br /over all this is an amazing film and is well worth a look!

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