Review of Almost Famous (2000) by Keenan S — 15 Feb 2015

Why did I wait so long to watch this? Almost Famous is a phenomenal dramedy and love letter to rock music and the 1970's. Much like the music it explores, it's a free-spirited, crazy whirlwind about life and every moment of this film reflects the very nature of such subjects, while also having a variety of poignant moments and themes. It's a smart film, and also a very funny and heartfelt one. If you love rock music and have a fascination with the 70's, let me try to explain why you should watch Almost Famous, though my words will never do the film justice.

The story begins in 1969, with an awkward 11-year-old boy named William who lives with eccentric college professor mother, and his older, rebellious sister, Anita. The family dynamic is strange as it is, since their mother strongly disapproves of a number of things, including rock music, or celebrating Christmas in September to avoid commercialism of the holiday.

After a heated argument, Anita moves out of the house with her boyfriend to become a stewardess, but she leaves behind her rock records for her brother so according to her, "They will set you free." Sure enough, once he begins exploring the temptations of rock and roll, William's worldview suddenly changes along with his whole life.

Shoot forward to 1973, and now William is 15 and still very awkward, but he now has an intense passion for rock music - even sending in articles he had written about rock music to a Creem Magazine, which critiques rock music. He even meets critic, Lester Bangs, who is impressed by William's articles, even though he says that William is too late and that rock music is dying.

Still, he decides to give William a chance to make a name for himself by writing an article for the magazine critiquing a Black Sabbath concert. William is excited about the project, though he encounters trouble trying to get backstage since he is "not on the list" of people who can go backstage.

While failing repeatedly to get backstage, he meets a group of girls who refer to themselves as "Band Aids" who are sort of like groupies, but without having as much sex and are more like huge fans hanging around the bands. However, even they can't get him backstage, despite promises from an attractive, curly-haired blonde girl known later on as Penny Lane.

After another failed attempt, he has an encounter with a band called Stillwater, which is playing the opening act as they arrive late and try to make their way backstage. William tries to get an interview with them, but they first tell him to fuck off because he's a reporter for Creem Magazine, which trashed them in past reviews. However, he praises their newest work, and the band reconsiders an interview and get him backstage with them and the Band Aid girls. From this concert, he develops a new friendship with the band and the girls.

His articles soon catch the attention of Rolling Stone Magazine, which commissions him to write an article as he follows the band, Stillwater, sending him on a wild ride of band drama, sex, drugs, partying, and of course, rock music, all while he tries to get proper interviews from the band members. He also begins to fall in love with mysterious Penny Lane and tries to learn more about her as well.

The story is excellent as it manages to successfully blend drama with comedy effortlessly. Never do these genres clash with one another. The story is also further bolstered by the eccentric cast of characters, which is to be expected from a film about rock music and the 1970's, and these characters are fascinating to explore. I was also surprised by the sheer number of topics and themes the story managed to explore like covering all the torrid drama that occurs among bands, falling in love, the effects of success, drugs, sex, partying, family, friendship, and more. Some have complained that the story has a very "been there, done that" sort of feel, but it explores these familiar ideas expertly and makes them feel fresh again, without ever pounding the viewer with schmaltz.

The acting across the board is stellar, but there were three in particular that stood out among a cast of greats. Billy Crudup as the lead singer, Russell Hammond, provides the right amounts of crazy and egocentric, but also manages to fuse his character with heart and compassion. Patrick Fugit as the awkward William Miller was a dead-on casting choice since he perfectly conveyed the awkward teenage character, but also handled dramatic scenes very well. And the performance by Kate Hudson as the enigmatic Penny Lane was fantastic, and it's a shame to see that she doesn't do good films anymore (Oh, dear God...Bride Wars. The horror...the absolute horror. WHY?).

As far as entertainment goes, it will prove to be a blast for anyone who loves rock music, 1970's-centric films, lovers of good dramas, and anyone who has taste for a good comedy. It's a wild, hilarious, exhilarating, and heartfelt 2 hours of very breezy entertainment that is over in the blink of an eye because it is so damn entertaining from start to finish. There is never a moment of boredom to be had, to say the least.

Almost Famous is a superb dramedy. With great direction, great acting, a wonderful soundtrack, superb storytelling, hilarious humor, and heartfelt moments, it should appeal to a wide variety of moviegoers because there's a lot of good stuff to be found. It's definitely one of the best films of the 21st century and it deserved every bit of acclaim thrown at it. I highly recommend it.