Almost Famous is without any doubt Cameron Crowe’s Best film so far
If you thought it was a movie about Rock and roll-well yes and no!
It is true that the movie has the ’’Last days, the death rattle’’ of rock and roll as its backdrop, it is true that it tries to present itself as a commentary on the early 70s culture , true that it has one of the most amazing soundtracks I have heard this side of Forrest Gump (but this seems to apply to all Crowe movies )-from Beach Boys, Yes, Who, Led Zep to a fictitious band that sounds so much LIKE Led Zep...
All said and done this movie is the most affectionate no-frills attached unpretentious look at GROWING UP- and that is the feature of Almost Famous, that puts it high up in my list of recent / not-so-recent favorites.
The movie is semi-autobiographical and follows a fifteen year old who wants to become a rock journalist while he moves star struck in the BIG BAD world of rock and roll
The protaganist is given an assignment by the Rolling Stone magazine to go along with an up and coming band-Still Water-and present a cover-page article on the band
(Crowe himself in his teens had been with a Led Zep tour-giving much of the material for this film)
one soon finds out all the sham behind the big rock star acts as petty quarrels, jealousies and egos rock the boat-while fame gets into the heads
The movies STARs are Francis Mcdormand as the over anxious erudite mother who frets over her innocent son’s trip with the rock culture (’your mom freaked me out’-says a frowning hotel desk attendant to the boy after giving him a note from her to him-’’Dont take drugs!-love Mom’’)
and Kate Hudson in her star making role of Penny Lane-the band aide- a mysterious almost demi-goddess like figure who finds out for herself the lies that surround the music she loves so much
To sum it up a classic!