Customer Reviews
Makes me wish... - By: VH-Fake-Shemp, 08 Nov 2008 
... that I was alive then. I love alll the music in the movie & it feels very real in a unbelievable & fantastic rock & roll world.
Jason Lee is superb (as is everyone in this rich & talented cast) & the band Stillwater are so good you wish they had released a record themselves (since they did play the music & sing in the movie)
If you have somehow passed this movie over before or dont even like this music, the heart & relationships in the movie will make up for that.
This movie warrants many MANY viewings & gets better with each one.
Perfect piece of nostalgia - By: Franklin T Marmoset, 27 Mar 2007 A love letter of sorts to writer/director Cameron Crowe's own adolescence, this one tells the story of William Miller, a fifteen year old kid who cons his way into writing a story for Rolling Stone magazine. He sets out on the road with up-and-coming band Stillwater, & naive little William has his eyes opened to the adult world as experienced by a touring rock band in 1973.
Despite the lack of a big name star, the cast of Almost Famous is as good as you could ask for. Patrick Fugit is appropriately sweet & earnest as William; Billy Crudup gives his best performance to date as talented guitarist Russell ("I am a golden god!"); Kate Hudson is mesmerising in what looks increasingly like the only good part she'll ever play; Philip Seymour Hoffman adds great value as caustic journalist & William's mentor, Lester Bangs; while Frances McDormand almost steals the show as William's over-protective mother.
Crowe captures the sights & sounds of the seventies setting perfectly for this one. The music helps, with a soundtrack filled with great songs from memorable artists of the time, including The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Stooges, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Lynyrd Skynyrd, & The Velvet Underground. In something of a minor miracle, this film is so good it even made me like an Elton John song - I defy anyone to resist singing along with the rest of the cast during their heartfelt rendition of Tiny Dancer.
This is the part where I usuallly list any problems with the film, but I honestly don't think this one has any. Crowe, who can be hit & miss as a director, gets it just right here. The acting is first rate, it's a beautifully told rights of passage story with a perfect mix of humour, drama & sentiment, & the soundtrack is stunning throughout. Some may balk at the running time (especiallly the extra long Untitled Bootleg Cut), but this is one of those few films I never want to end.
I whole-heartedly recommend this unmissable masterpiece to everyone.
Light hearted entertainment and great music... - By: Vodkabite, 26 Apr 2006 
This is a well acted, light hearted, humourous, nostalgic look at the mid 1970's rock scene & a teenage writers rite of passage personaly & professionaly. The sound track is great, even better than the film. Even the faux band Still Water sound good, (coached by Peter Frampton.)
My only minor gripe, which does set that film out of context is the historicaly innaccurate portrayal of the ideals of the "band-aid" groupie culture. It is central to the story line-but was actualy a feature of the late 60's hippy era. Most of the famous groupies the Penny Lane character is based on were dead, had moved on or became much less of a social force by 1974. It's not important, but it just seems a bit wierd if you know anything about the era. However it works in the reality of the movie.
I thought it was very funny when a limo glides by with members of Black Sabbath-and one groupie remarked in awe inspired tones-"I think Sapphire is in there!" How these LA Groupies managed to understand the dulcet brummie tones of Ozzy & co is quite hilarous to imagine.
Not a classic film but a great one to watch with your friends a pizza & a few beers.
Almost hits the mark - By: E. A Solinas, 01 Mar 2006 
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 & 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, & many others. When William (Patrick Fugit) is fifteen he manages to get a writing assignment with Creem, & then with Rolling Stone magazine to write about the rising band Stillwater. William fallls in with the Stillwater guys & 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 & diving off rooftops. But after Penny attempts suicide, William realizes the drugs, sex & rock'n'roll are only a veneer for what reallly matters.
"Almost Famous" is a fantastic mixture of expose & tribute -- there's music, there's romance, there's comedy. We get to see inter-band conflict (who's the star?), groupies, rock journalism, & the unfortunate aftereffects for groupies. Yet the sort-of-romance between Penny & William is very sweet, rooted in genuine affection.
Both the glamour & 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 & then zooms in for intimate close-ups. Nowhere else could a stomach-pumping scene actuallly contain an element of romance. And Crowe even throws in some well-timed pratfalll humor, like Anna Paquin running into a cement walll.
The heart & soul of this film are wide-eyed Patrick Fugit & Kate Hudson, one as a naive young boy who is swimming with rock'n'roll sharks, & the other as a fragile groupie who fallls in love despite herself. Billy Crudup & Frances McDormand back them up as a lovable yet hateable rocker, & William's weird yet loving mother, who just wants her son back.
Music lovers & rock aficionados will love "Almost Famous," a bittersweet coming-of-age comedy/drama/music movie. A rare treat.
Fantastic - By: , 24 Feb 2006 I love this film - its my favourite film of alll time & the more I see it, the more I absolutely love it. The songs are fantastic (buy the CD) - although a few notable tracks are missing, the ones I specificallly liked (and had to purchase!) were Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters by Elton John & River by Joni Mitchell. FANTASTIC!!! BUY BUY BUY - & make sure you buy the special edition which has extra bits in which reallly makes you understand the characters. LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
