Review of Almost Famous (2000) by Cameron J — 09 Oct 2011

"The best rock & roll movie ever" boasts Joel Siegel of "Good Morning America". Okay, now allow me to finish that statement: "...Out of like, four." Come on Joel, if you're gonna sell it, don't undersell it. Call it like it is: "One of the best... movies ever!" Cut out the adjective and genre distinction, because what you're looking at is an emotionally riveting powerhouse cinematic experience that touches a truly masterful caliber many masterpieces can't even dream of coming close to. However, no matter how masterful of a film this is, it is not above the law that there is no such thing as a flawless film. Still, these flaws are so slight that they border on nitpicks, but they warrant mentioning, because with everything else being just so perfect, they do truly interfere.

There comes points where the film drags on, never to where it's boring or even that slow. However, there are momentary lulls that fade into the film and they're so massive that with the slightest distraction, you'll fall right off the map. True, you would first need to be distracted for the lulls to take affect, and the lulls die on their feet and you're immediately drawn back to the screen, but this film places itself on such a high standard that any mistake, even one as slight as that, feels extreme to a near frustrating extent. Of course, a more noticeable flaw lays in the "Bootleg Cut", where you can find a series of expendable and overdrawn scenes, as you would expect when you're adding a whopping forty minutes on a story that's near-perfectly told at just two hours. A deal of the additions - of which, there are countless - work, but you'll often find yourself begging for a point to some moments. Still, no matter what version you're watching, there's no making this masterpiece any less of a deeply immersive and impacting experience the likes of which you've never seen. For this, there's no not giving credit to Cameron Crowe, not just as a director, but as a writer.

What Crowe has crafted here is a concept so wildly original and brilliant that you can't believe that it wasn't adapted from some form of literature, for it features countless fascinating layers to the storyline, telling a coming-of-age tale, an immersive simulation of life within the music industry, a portrait on music itself and a study on the mentality of a celebrity, which isn't to say that Crowe doesn't leave room for sparkling dialogue and some gut-punching, knock-you-out-of-your-seat, hilarious jokes. This is a brilliant story that I don't think could have been concieved any better by anyone but Crowe, nor do I think that anyone else could "tell" the story any better than Crowe, for if no other film tells you that a great story needs to be translated by the very person that concieved it, this film will, as Crowe totally understands his vision, bringing every layer and theme behind the story to prominence, while tying them all together so that they don't contradict each other, nor drown out the story itself. Still, his themes are noticeable enough that if you pick up on them, you really will be left thinking, especially when it comes to the study on music, for Crowe brilliantly conveys the essence and life of this time, not just in society, but in music, and audaciously touches upon how music is changing, both for the better and for the worse. Now, if you've any moderate sign of good sense, you'll see that Crowe's terrifying vision of a dead, hollow contemporary music industry is coming true, but really, that's what makes this film so significant, as it not only stands as a fascinating portrait on classic music, but among the last thought-provoking breathes of quality within the industry, and yes, that means you get an absolutely incredible, '70s-tastic soundtrack. Still, above these themes and studies, there is a story and Crowe tells it brilliantly, bringing such life and emotional resonanse to every beat of this heartwarming tale, from its effective hook, to its powerful conclusion, making it both wildly entertaining and deeply compelling. One of the most hauntingly definative moments of the film is a scene in which everyone is sitting around on the tour bus, while listening to Elton John's stunning classic "Tiny Dancer", and all eventually begin singing along. This is among my all-time favorite film scenes, for it's both subtle and heavily impacting, defining our characters and virtually every single theme this film has to offer in a wildly enjoyable fashion, and credit for the effectiveness of this and just about every other scene goes to more than just the writing, soundtrack and direction.

What makes this film so brilliant is that it lacks pretense, yet boasts such subtle cleverness, making it wildly entertaining for any average moviegoer, while at the same time, boasting such technical quality to impress those looking more into the product. The cinematography is so lively and bright, capturing the essence of the time and the film itself in a fashion that's both dazzling and effective. Even the editing is so startingly impressive, with editors Joe Hutshing and Saar Klein knowing just how long to keep a scene going, especially during the more emotional scenes, where they get to meditate on the situation. Hutshing and Klein's editing also really adds to the humor, for it drags out build-up to the perfect and highest point, so that when the punchline finally hits, it hammers down. Of course, for the fantastic comic timing, we also have to give credit to the sharp delivery by the perfomers, who still know how to do more than just kill you with laughter. These performers really carry much of the emotional resonase with their emotion, as well as their explosive charisma and chemistry, which makes the transformations and revelations behind the characters that much more impacting. Everyone has their part to play, and whether they're shocking you by playing up the layers behind their character, moving you with their sharp emotional work or simply making you laugh with their crackling charm and chemistry, the many performers are among the most significant key factors to this film's memorability and enjoyability, helping translate Crowe's vision in a way that you, yourself can't see done any better.

When it's all said and done, although it's not above even the slighest of faults, "Almost Famous" is a film that gets everything right, from presenting a subtley complex, yet snappily entertaining concept that's translated perfectly by both the deeply immersed director and wide cast of memorable, colorful and layered performers, to delivering on pure, unforgettable entertainment value, leaving it to stand boldly as not just a hauntingly impacting piece of cinematic gold, but as an entry on the shortlist of greatest films ever crafted, or at least in the opinion of myself and anyone with a heart.

[b][u]5/5 - Beyond Masterful[/b][/u].