Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Say Anything. Singles. Jerry Maguire. These films have all come to hold a very special place in the hearts of millions of moviegoers, each one creating with honesty and emotion a sense of nostalgia that we carry with us long after the film's credits have rolled. And each film has one common element linking them together: the sheer genius of writer-director Cameron Crowe.
Now Crowe has made what may come to be considered his masterpiece, Almost Famous, a funny yet moving fictionalized account of Crowe's own experiences as a writer for Rolling Stone... while he was still in high school. But it is not autobiographical in the same sense as many docudramas, stodgy and mired in factual recreations of historical events. Almost Famous is more interested in creating a subtle ambience, so that even if we forget it's a "true story" on a conscious level, we can feel deep down in our bones that it is true.
In Almost Famous Patrick Fugit plays William Miller, a fifteen year old rock-and-roll fan given a dream assignment by the editors of Rolling Stone: follow a fledgling rock band called Stillwater on tour for a few days and write a story about what happens. But lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) takes William under his wing, drawing him into the rock world of non-stop parties and groupies--or Band-Aids as they are called by Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), the leader of the pack that follows Stillwater wherever they go. Soon the brief trip stretches out across the United States, while William's deadline grows nearer and nearer, looming over him ominously.
It quickly becomes clear though that Almost Famous is as much about writing for Rolling Stone in the seventies as Jerry Maguire was about being a sports agent or as Singles was about the Seattle grunge scene. What is really important here are the relationships that develop between William, Russell, and Penny. William is "the enemy" to Russell, a journalist who could trash the band and derail their career, but William's wide-eyed innocence causes Russell to trust him. Before long, the lines between journalist and friend have become so blurred that William cannot get any work done. And just as William is beginning to fall in love with Penny, he realizes that she only has eyes for Russell, who himself has a girlfriend back home in New York.
The lead actors in this film carry their roles with incredible grace, even though you have to be a real movie fan to recognize them. Patrick Fugit has never starred in a movie before, and the biggest thing Billy Crudup had done until now was the biopic Without Limits. However, the inexperience is never noticable, even when the actors must face down some of the most powerful talents in the business. Academy Award-winning actress Frances McDormand plays William's very loving yet very worried mother Elaine, and together Fugit and McDormand have such chemistry that you would almost swear they actually were mother and son. A very funny scene in which Elaine confronts Russell on the phone works because Crudup hold his own against McDormand, even while his character is buckling under the power of Elaine's neurosis. And scenes in which William goes to master rock critic Lester Bangs (played by the always wonderful Philip Seymour Hoffman) for guidance are among the best in the film, conveying the life lessons William is learning without getting too heavy-handed.
The lack of recognition of the actors also works to their benefit. Unlike her famous mother Goldie Hawn, ingenue Kate Hudson proves she's more than just a pretty face by displaying a natural ability at acting, convincingly portraying any emotion needed in any scene she's in. Fugit blends into his role so seamlessly that we buy his naivete without question, something that would have been much harder for a more well-known actor. One scene in which William loses his virginity to three groupies under the watchful eye of Penny highlights Fugit's ability as an actor. Fugit carries across with his eyes alone feelings of confusion, as if he is out of element but going to just sit back and take what comes to him, even while he continues to stare longingly at Penny. Though you might not recognize them now, these actors prove in Almost Famous to have the talent to quickly become household names.
And as much as the film's title refers to the rising stars of these unknown actors, it is also of course about the relationships within the band itself, their struggles with their growing fame. A scene in which the band leaves behind their tour bus in favor of a plane, so that they can tour more dates, shows poignantly the way the band is climbing to stardom while at the same time forgetting about the long road behind them in the mad rush to fame. The ever-growing tensions between Russell and Stillwater's frontman Jeff Bebe (played with brilliant comedic sense by Jason Lee) satirizes wittily the pettiness that can develop in bands on their way to celebrity, while also managing to portray a crumbling close friendship rather touchingly.
Despite all of this, the movie would still have failed in the hands of anyone other than Cameron Crowe, who creates such an authentic atmosphere with the fashion, sets and music that he truly captures the feel of the time period. Crowe has long been known for creating images that become indelible in our minds, such as John Cusack holding aloft his boombox in Say Anything or Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger standing facing each other in the street in Jerry Maguire. Here he shows us Penny Lane dancing the morning after a concert amidst the streamers and trash left behind by those in attendance, a scene that could have served as a trailer for the film all by itself. And Crowe's use of music verges on profound. In one scene the band is close to coming apart at the seams, yet they are drawn back together as they sing along to a song on the radio, Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." The scene at first seems hokey, the kind of that thing that only happens in movies. But the sheer energy of the filmmaking, the way the music combines with the images of the band members coming together, makes it real.
Almost Famous offers great performances, a powerful and hilarious script, and a masterful mixture of strong visuals and terrific music. You cannot miss this movie. But Almost Famous will not actually be released to movie theaters until this coming Friday, so you can't rush right out and see it just yet. However I urge you, as soon as the weekend rolls around, to get your tickets as soon as possible. And don't be surprised if you should happen to see me there in line behind you, buying tickets for yet another show.
