Almost Famous

admin — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:24:55 +0000

Cast:

Billy Crudup…	…Russell Hammond
Frances McDormand…	…Elaine
Kate Hudson…	…Penny Lane
Patrick Fugit…	…William Miller
Jason Lee…	…Jeff Bebe
Anna Paquin…	…Polexia
Fairuza Balk…	…Sapphire
Philip Seymour Hoffman…	…Lester Bangs

Directed by: Cameron Crowe
Written by: Cameron Crowe
Rated R for language, drug content and brief nudity
Running Time: 2 hours

Life on the Highway

A celebration of life exists throughout the works of director Cameron Crowe, who makes movies using a similar kind of emotional recall one utilizes when their mind percolates into a family photo album, thereby giving their fondest memories a new life. Lessons occur only by living life to the fullest. The learning of those lessons takes place upon one’s remembrance and reflection of some of life’s experiences. The process by which this is done is a rather inconspicuous one.Yet there it is, inside all the films of Crowe: the celebration of a lesson learned. In “Say Anything” it was teens learning to cope with the realization that dishonesty can reside in those they have trusted all their life; in “Singles” it was romance-seekers learning truths about themselves in the midst of finding emotional consummation; in “Jerry Maguire” it was one man learning to trust his own beliefs and values in a society that pressures one to abjure them.And now comes the semi-autobiographical “Almost Famous” about a gifted young writer who lands an exciting but dubious assignment covering an up-and-coming rock band for “Rolling Stone” Magazine.The young writer is fifteen-year-old William Miller (Patrick Fugit), an avid music fan whose passion was ignited after listening to a collection of records his sister left him shortly before leaving home. “Free your mind,” she tells him; those words taking immediate effect. His writing samples are so impressive they capture the attention of the editors at Rolling Stone. Unaware of his real age, they offer him a job. His assignment will be to interview members of the band Stillwater, including the talented but pretentious lead singer, Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee) and the band’s enigmatic lead guitarist, Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) who, often unwittingly, takes the spotlight from the other band members. Through the help of an attractive young “band aid” named Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), William is asked to go on tour with the band, spending time at the concerts and in the hotel rooms, thereby getting an inside look at what they’re all about.His new found line of work doesn’t sit well at all with his mother (Frances McDormand), a college professor who believes rock music is begat from evil and fears her son will end up trapped in a world whose motivations are dictated solely by chemical substances.At first, the experience is a thrill of a lifetime for William; his dreams coming together in a dizzingly short amount of time. But as he learns more about what really goes on, his objectivity as a reporter starts to diminish and the realization of what is truly important begins to materialize with thundering certitude. The tightly-knit group on tour carries disfunctions previously unbeknownst to William, while he slowly realizes the family he grew up in, disfunctions and all, had its own degree of solace for which he hadn’t previously accounted.The movie carries an endearing glow, thanks mainly to the wonderful performances across the board, including Billy Crudup (“Sleepers”, “Jesus’ Son”) as Hammond, Stillwater’s wickedly gifted guitarist who engages in self-destructive behavior as a way to find some sort of meaning in his life; Jason Lee (“Chasing Amy”, “Mumford”) as Hammond’s band mate who doesn’t need meaning in his life as long as he has a certain degree of fame; and Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Flawless”, “Magnolia”) as Lester Bangs, the writer whom William befriends and who gives his young protege much-needed career advice. As William, newcomer Patrick Fugit holds the center of the movie quite nicely, combining a wide-eyed innocence with an unmistakable cognizance of the lesson he is being taught. The actress who’ll gain the most career-wise will be Kate Hudson (“200 Cigarettes”, “Dr. T & the Women”), already touted as the next superstar in Hollywood. She’s very effective as the “band-aid” whose perception of reality has been clouded by her devotion to an idealized future conceived years ago. Essentially, her character is similar to William, although unable to heed the lesson he eventually learns. My favorite performance comes from Frances McDormand, perhaps because her character could easily have enervated into a one-dimensional, buffoon-ish persona. Instead, McDormand breathes undeniable compassion and dignity into the role of a mother whose fears may not always be condign, but whose love behind those fears is most assuredly unconditional.I get the feeling this is Crowe’s most personal film, and easily his finest. His brilliantly told story, abundantly funny and effortlessly heartwarming, is about individuals both innocent and tenacious, struggling to find out exactly who they are, set during a time when the nation was doing the same. The end result is a movie whose lesson gains strength every time it is thought back on: that everyone, regardless of how much they’re idealized, struggles to discover what is most important to them. And how that discovery fuels the most basic yet easily-overlooked realization that each and every one of us is, and forever will be, the pioneer of our own lives.

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Almost Famous