Review of Almost Famous (2000) by Thomas D — 28 Sep 2014
I think at one point or another we all want to be famous. Whether it's being an actor, singer, or an athlete we all tend to want to live the life of a famous person. Almost Famous gives us a breathtaking view of the music industry and one kid just trying to write an article for Rolling Stone on the band Stillwater. When you get past the fact that a 15 year old being allowed to travel with a band, and even getting an article published by Rolling Stone, it's a masterpiece of a film. It takes a little while before each actor settles into their role. I wasn't too keen on the newcomer Patrick Fugit for the first hour but he really stepped it up in the second half.
Billy Crudup gives his best performance that I have seen so far and Kate Hudson is great in her career defining role of Penny Lane. The family dynamic to begin the film was a bit boring and Zooey Deschanel was forgettable but once William leaves with the band everything about this movie becomes great. Frances McDormand was an increasingly sympathetic character and Crudup had a great character arc. Fugit was as good as any child/teen has been in film in a long time and shared many memorable scenes with Crudup and Hudson in which he basically out-shined two Oscar caliber actors.
It's very hard to make a great film based on or around the music industry. Almost Famous is one of the few films that take you into the world and time frame but also make you want to go listen to that particular band or genre immediately after. I can't stress how much I enjoyed this film and in particular the last 45 minutes. It was emotionally captivating and renewed my love for film once again. It didn't go too far in exploiting the music industry but it also didn't glorify the life in any way either. It's near perfect filmmaking and filled with career best performances.
(edited 9/15/14) After thinking about this movie for a day, I have realized it's a 10/10 not a 9.7. It really shows us how music can actually change people and how it's such a beautiful way to connect with people. A job well done Crowe.
+Fugit out-shined the entire cast.
+Hudson and Crudup give career defining performances.
+Music based film that works.
+Last 45 minutes are emotionally captivating.
+Relatable coming of age story about something not usually relatable.
-Slow start.
10/10.
This review of Almost Famous (2000) was written by Thomas D on 28 Sep 2014.
Almost Famous has generally received very positive reviews.
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