TJE 7/2 – Almost Famous (2000)

I resisted "Almost Famous" for a long time. Sure, I knew about its pedigree and all the bona fides and awards it had gathered up over the years. I knew some of my favorite underappreciated actors like Billy Crudup and Frances McDormand appeared in it. However, part of me remained wary. Cameron Crowe's recent output has been pretty poor, and I've been avoiding Kate Hudson for ages. I'll also admit to a minor bias against movies about rock bands, after seeing one too many "Behind the Music" episodes that were all about the personal drama, and not so much about the music.

Crowe doesn't make that mistake. The key to "Almost Famous" is the writer/director's personal connection to the material, which is apparent in every frame and every line of dialogue. Cameron Crowe famously based much of the screenplay on his own experiences as a young music journalist in the 70s, touring the country with various rock bands. Here, his stand-in is young William Miller (Patrick Fugit), a precocious teenager who escapes from under the watchful gaze of his mother, Elaine (Frances McDormand), to follow an up-and-coming group, Stillwater, with an assignment to profile them for Rolling Stone. Despite the advice of William's quasi-mentor, music writer Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman), he befriends the band members, including lead singer Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee) and guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup). William also falls for the lovely Penny Lane, who famously declares that she is not a mere groupie, but a "Band-Aid," who is there to support the music, not to chase the fame. Penny and her friends Polexia (Anna Paquin) and Sapphire (Fairuza Balk) travel with the band, and help to draw William into their world.

"Almost Famous" charts the usual ups and downs of any narrative about a rock band on the road, and William's journey of discovery and loss of innocence hits all the familiar stops too, but Crowe imparts such a wonderful affection for the experience. His characters are so well drawn and well written, they make the clichés their own. You've got Russell Hammond, who lets the fame go to his head and makes bad decisions, but his talent is genuine and his love for music runs deep. He forms an oddball friendship with William that is antagonistic, affectionate, and great to watch. And then there's Penny Lane, the very best character that Kate Hudson ever got to play, a dream girl with such an aura of possibility around her, it's no wonder that both William and Russell fall for her charms. The characters who get less screen time, like Lester and William's mother, still come across as rich and complex, even if they're only on the other end of the phone. I even liked Fairuza Balk's appearance as Sapphire, and I haven't liked her in anything since "Return to Oz."

Crowe sells the allure of the rocker lifestyle beautifully, not just the giddy fun of traveling from city to city on a tour bus, having parties every night, and living out of hotels, but being part of this strange, wonderful community of artists and music lovers. There's a great moment when the whole gang is in transit on the tour bus, and one by one they start singing along to Elton John's "Tiny Dancer," which is playing on the soundtrack. It happens out of the blue, right after the famous "I Am a Golden God!" sequence, and creates this wonderful sense of connection and belonging. And that's what Crowe wants you to take away from the film. I knew then that this was not going to be one of those stories that ended in bleak disillusionment. Drugs, alcohol, and free love do their damage, but never to the point where the movie becomes dark or maudlin. I'd categorize "Almost Famous" as a comedy first, one that finds the lighter, more uplifting and feel-good side to any situation without coming off like it's betraying the seriousness of what's going on.

I've seen my share of Cameron Crowe films, and I'm familiar with all his idealistic dreamers and his beaming muses. You will find no shortage of them here, along with some of his best Cameron Crowe-ian dialogue, full of grand pronouncements and offhand profundities that no one could get away with saying in real life. Stil, I think Crowe's efforts to portray the era accurately probably curbed any temptation to get too precious, and the style works for a story like this, where everything is a little larger than life, a little gilded around the edges by nostalgia. And there is no shortage of contributors to praise, from the production designers, to the cinematographers, to everyone keeping track of all those perfect period details that add so much to the look and the feel of the movie.

And of course the soundtrack is to die for.
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