Almost Famous - Rewind Mini Review

Released 10 years ago today...

Original Release Date: September 15, 2000

Over a decade later and it is still Kate Hudson's best movie.

I am not really into the music scene too much, I don't really care what my favorite band does with their spare time, I could really care less about their troubles or their popularity. So, it came as a big surprise to me that I ended up loving this movie about a teenage boy getting the chance of a lifetime to go on a road trip across the country with his favorite band. I think a lot of that surprise is thanks to director Cameron Crowe, whom the film's main character is based on, and how his love for music translates to the screen. You can tell this man has a passion for music (his use of music in all of his films is usually spot on perfect) and you can also see how these events helped shape who he is today.

The film's cast had a lot of unknowns in it at the time that later either went on to greater things (Zooey Deschanel, Phillip Seymour Hoffman), worse things (Kate Hudson, Jason Lee), financially unpopular but cool things (Billy Crudup) or nothing (Patrick Fugit). As I mentioned already, the film centers on a young boy named William Miller who ends up becoming a kind of out sourced journalist for Rolling Stone magazine whom never realizes that they had hired a High School kid for the article they want. The band he ends up attached to is called "Stillwater" which has Jason Lee as the lead singer and Billy Crudup as the lead guitarist. Along for the ride is their entourage of groupie girls led by Kate Hudson who seems like she has what she wants at first but later you find out she is the most lost person in the entire film.

If I had to label this movie with only one problem that would have to be the lead actor, Patrick Fugit. It is easy to see why he never went on to have a big career. While he is fine in the role, he never really shines in it either. All the other actors put in amazing performances which makes his seem somewhat pedestrian, although one might argue that it was the character he was playing that was pedestrian. But that is a very minor quibble with an otherwise fantastic film, if you have a love for music or just a really solid drama then this is a film you need to seek out. The music is great, the cast is great, and the film is a real treat from beginning to end.

Theatrical trailer for Almost Famous:

Posted in: Rewind reviews