Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3933 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-04-16
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Portuguese, Spanish
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 122 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Almost Famous is the movie Cameron Crowe has been waiting a lifetime to tell. The fictionalisation of Crowe's days as a teenage reporter for Creem and Rolling Stone has all the well-written characters and wonderful "movie moments" that we expect from Crowe (Jerry Maguire), but the film has an intangible something extra--an insider's touch that will turn the film into the ode to '70s rock & roll for years to come. We are introduced to Crowe's alter ego, William Miller (Patrick Fugit), at home, where his progressive mom (Frances McDormand, just superb) has outlawed rock music and sister Anita (Zooey Deschanel) has slipped him LPs that will "set his mind free." Following the wisdom of Creem's disheveled editor, Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman in an instant-classic performance), Miller gets on the inside with the up-and-coming band Stillwater (a fictionalised mixture of the Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, and others). A simple visit with the band turns into a three-week, life-altering odyssey into the heyday of American rock. Of the characters he meets on the road, the two most important are groupie extraordinaire Penny Lane (Kate Hudson in a star-making performance) and Stillwater's enigmatic lead guitarist (Billy Crudup), who keeps stringing Miller along for an interview. From the handwritten credits (done by Crowe) to the bittersweet finale, Crowe's comedic valentine is an indelible, heartbreaking romance of music, women, and the privilege of youth. --Doug Thomas

Synopsis
Writer-director Cameron Crowe brings the 1970s music scene to life with his semiautobiographical story of a teen journalist who goes on the road with a rock band. Uncool 15-year-old William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is living every teenager's dream. He's touring with Stillwater, an up-and-coming rock band featuring lead singer Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee) and charismatic lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) and writing about it for Rolling Stone magazine, whose editors are unaware of his young age. Though Miller's mentor, legendary rock critic Lester Bangs portrayed with humor and heart by Philip Seymour Hoffman cautions him not to befriend the musicians, Miller takes it a step further and befriends both the band and the Band-Aids the girls who hang around with the band because they love the music. Newcomer Fugit is the perfect William Miller: baby-faced, slightly gawky, and an awestruck observer. Kate Hudson sparkles as Penny Lane, the leader of the Band-Aids, and Frances McDormand delivers a stellar performance as Elaine, Miller's protective and mildly paranoid mother. In the tradition of SAY ANYTHING and JERRY MAGUIRE, Crowe's coming-of-age tale is intelligent, well written, and infused with humor in unlikely places.

Customer Reviews

"Almost" hits the mark
As I was born in the 1980s, I can only check out the era of blossoming rock'n'roll (Rolling Stones, the Doors, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin) through books and movies. And here's the ideal movie: "Almost Famous," a semi-autobiographical movie about the 1970s rock scene, gives a glimpse of the life of a young reporter, based on Crowe himself.

When William's sister (Zooey Deschanel) left home, she gave him her collection of records: the Who, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and many others. When William (Patrick Fugit) is fifteen he manages to get a writing assignment with Creem, and then with Rolling Stone magazine to write about the rising band Stillwater. William falls in with the Stillwater guys and their circle of adoring groupies, including an effervescent blonde, Penny Lane (Kate Hudson).

Despite the displeasure of his controlling but loving mom (she claims adolescence is a marketing ploy), William accompanies Stillwater across the country. He keeps trying to get an interview with guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup), but Russell is too busy shagging Penny and diving off rooftops. But after Penny attempts suicide, William realizes the drugs, sex and rock'n'roll are only a veneer for what really matters.

"Almost Famous" is a fantastic mixture of expose and tribute -- there's music, there's romance, there's comedy. We get to see inter-band conflict (who's the star?), groupies, rock journalism, and the unfortunate aftereffects for groupies. Yet the sort-of-romance between Penny and William is very sweet, rooted in genuine affection.

Both the glamour and the grit is shown here. The dialogue sparkles -- "Last words: I dig music... I'M ON DRUGS!", "Forgive me Father, for I may sin tonight," "I'm about to boldly go where... many men have gone before." A few of the lines border on silliness, but never go over that elusive border.

And the direction is superb -- it cuts forward just when it needs to; the camera follows people out onto the dizzying stage and then zooms in for intimate close-ups. Nowhere else could a stomach-pumping scene actually contain an element of romance. And Crowe even throws in some well-timed pratfall humor, like Anna Paquin running into a cement wall.

The heart and soul of this film are wide-eyed Patrick Fugit and Kate Hudson, one as a naive young boy who is swimming with rock'n'roll sharks, and the other as a fragile groupie who falls in love despite herself. Billy Crudup and Frances McDormand back them up as a lovable yet hateable rocker, and William's weird yet loving mother, who just wants her son back.

Music lovers and rock aficionados will love "Almost Famous," a bittersweet coming-of-age comedy/drama/music movie. A rare treat. When and where does this "real world" occur?

Purposeful depiction of the significant rock and roll era
Ambitious journalist William Miller (Fugit) sets out on tour with a rock and roll band who is trying to make it into the music business

With everything printed in gossip magazines and internet blogs it is sure difficult to think of a time when we were reliant on a minimal selection of reading material to find out about the rock stars of the 60's and 70's.

Almost famous makes me sad. I am nearly 21 and having seen this film a couple of times have felt I have missed perhaps the greatest segment of music to exist, the rock and roll, the raves, the parties, the time when no one cared, the time of individuals, the time of proper meaningful music.

Cameron Crowe's picture is a provocative look into the aftermath of the apparent dying faze of rock and roll. The descent of music culture is apparent when scripting is shockingly poignant in some opening sequences here. Phillip Seymour Hoffman's protagonist Lester Bangs makes the point of how certain bands meet the right criteria to defy the odds and play with soul and purpose. When watching his portrayal of the journalist it is hard to disagree with him as he is so accurate.
Rock and roll and music practically has died. U2 have lost their originality and meaning, Led Zeppelin has been replaced by a number of pretenders whilst your rock stars have fallen by the wayside. Now we have repetitious artists such as Cascada clogging up the charts with pretentious dance music.

The point of this film of course is to show the decline of the industry by depicting a wannabe band trying to make it big in the difficult business. Living the life of a rock star certainly seems glamorous for the stars as they enjoy parties, take drugs and have sex. But Crowe's scripting leaves an underlying feeling of sadness for the music industry and the central character, of himself played with quiet solitude by Patrick Fugit.

Fugit balances the need to do the right thing and the urge to be his own person well, balancing on teenage hormones and aspirations, whilst a sparkling sophisticated Kate Hudson gives him food for thought. Billy Crudup is your most interesting star being that little too arrogant and overly pretentious with a quite demeanour to fit the portrayal of a modern musician.

As based on Cameron Crowe's experiences as a journalist growing up in this industry it is unfitting to question realism in context and whilst jokes and humorous ideologies such as confession of sexual orientation are squeezed in, this believes and intrigues.

As before, this 2000 picture does make me feel sad. Our music has dissolved into overly repetitious dance music with no purpose.

Fittingly the score for this picture encodes the classics from the day and brimming with drama and humour, is an important viewing

9/10

A Classic!
This film is great to watch and has the feel of a epic (in the sense that you feel you have gone on the journey of discovery with the cast with them). The performances of all the cast (inc Kate Hudson!) are superb and it is very atmospheric and easy to get drawn into. The music is great too. This is Cameron Crowe at his best.