I avoided watching this movie after seeing the promos thinking it was yet another romcom about a bunch of teens & their silly antics with a band besides this having watched Cameron Crowe’s horrible film Vanilla Sky also helped in keeping away from this one but this weekend there was no good movie on telly so I opted to watch this one. What I now think is never judge a film by its promos :o)
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When you’re not cool enough, you do the next best thing!
Elaine Miller (Frances ’’Fargo’’ McDormand) is a widowed philosophy professor who lives with her two kids; daughter Anita & 15 year old son William. When Anita runs off with her boyfriend to escape the ’everything forbidden’ world of her mother, she gives her collection of rock n roll records to Will who then makes this his new world & aspires to become a music journalist. As luck would have it William soon meets his idol Creem magazine editor Lester Bangs who gives Will his very first music assignment to interview a band in the Black Sabbath concert. Even as, his attempt to get an an interview from the rock band Stillwater fails Will is able to catch the attention of Penny Lane [Kate Hudson], a young fan who with her friends call themselves Band-Aids. She is also the love angle of the band guitarist, Russell (Billy Crudup) & helps Will gain entry in the band.
Things take a head turn for Will when he manages to strike a deal with none other than Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong, who wants a writeup on the band & put them on the magazine cover! Soon William finds himself touring with the band, in their bus ’’Doris’’, to do his first feature piece. Unheeding the advice by Bangs ’’Don’t get too cozy with any band you are planning to write about’’ Will does get involved far more than he had planned or imagined. What happens next is the odyssey that would answer the many questions : Would Russell stop looking at Will as the enemy? Will the band be able to cope with the conflicts owing to Russell’s evergrowing popularity? What would happen to the romance of Penny & Russell? Or Will & Penny? Most importantly, would Will be able to submit a true-account of his stay with the band & get it published in Rolling Stones?
Scenes to look out for:
The house party scene where after drinking too much ’acid’ Russell declares ’’I am a golden god!’’ & jumps off a roof into a swimming pool!
The phone talk between & Russell where she totally freaks him out ’’You take care of my child or ......’’
The plane scene where a plane crash scare leads the bandmates to spill lots of beans thinking that this would be their last trip alive! [absolutely hilarious]
When Will confesses his love to Penny [a totally oh cho chweet scene]
When Will returns home to his mother, with his sister Anita.
Every conversation Will has with Bangs, be it seeking his advise when he faces a problem with the band or even when he approaches him for the very first time.
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The Film/Performances:
Written & directed by Cameron Crowe who has also made films like Jerry Maguire [good] & Vanilla Sky [awful!], Almost Famous chronicles Crowe’s own stint as a 15-year-old journalist who went on the road with rock bands, which is the reason that the films isn’t mere rock-boy fantasy or a totally mushy film. There are some band scenes that are superbly executed & one cannot help but compare this fictional band to the much popular Beatles; wondering if Lennon & Paul fought the sameway as Jason Lee & Russell. The film takes one to a time that we all would’ve just heard or read about; the mad 70s rock n roll scene. Even with lots of characters each of them has been given a certain depth that you don’t care where penny or russell come from all you care to watch is what is gonna happen with them next. The fact that most of the cast gives good performance has only enhanced the movie.
In mostly male cast it is the women who come up with radiant performances. The first to mention would be Frances McDormand, whom I had liked in the film ’’Fargo’’ & who once again shines in her role of a mother who isn’t exactly dominating - she is justa normal mom, protective till she appears to be almost neurotic! In the looks department, Kate Hudson is nowhere close to her mother Goldie Hawn but in the long run that would not matter for Kate coz she has the potential to make it big with her other talent - Acting. Portraying the cool yet complex character of Penny seemed to come naturally to Kate.
Patrick Fugit, who plays the a teenaged rock ’n’ roll writer on the road with a 1970s rock band, is a cute wide-eyed innocent looking but intelligent kid who has fared very well in his debut film. Phillip Hoffman is wonderful as Lester Bangs & its fun to hear his talk with William. In support cast, Billy Crudup as Russell also does a good job.
This is one movie that has no dull moment & with the superb classic rock soundtrack makes it worthy of multiple viewings.
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My Word:
When Bangs advises Will not to get pally with the band he doesn’t realise the purpose of this advice. Its only later that Will learns that ultimately, one has to choose between telling the truth or being nice. This is very much true in our day to day life too, where we want to be nice to people or please all people and yet keep our own individuality, say what we want our way. In this phase of growing up, that is what Will chooses to do & that is what we all should aspire to do too. Don’t miss this movie; it might teach you a thing or two!