First Time Watch: Almost Famous
I have to go home. You are home.
First-time watches are always a crazy thing. There's a lot of times when people will be surprised if you haven't seen a particular movie. A movie that has been in the zeitgeist's general consciousness for so long that just mere images are shared throughout the wide ranges and webs of the Internet. I can't even count the number of times I've seen the scene of the band singing "Tiny Dancer" as the bus rolls down the highway. It is as if the movie has already been watched subconsciously in your mind. So when it comes time to watch the film for the first time, you don't expect to be surprised. I can gladly say that this movie, by Cameron Crowe, left me surprised and giddy.
In a coming-of-age story, William Miller (Patrick Fugit) gets a chance to write a feature about Stillwater, a rock band from Michigan, for Rolling Stone magazine. William's interactions with the band's lead figures, guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup), and lead singer Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee), create an accelerated timetable of growth for a kid barely old enough to have a driver's permit. Making things more challenging for William is Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), the goddess that crashes into the young journalist's atmosphere. With the approval of his mother Elaine (Frances McDormand) and the guidance of seasoned rock journalist Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), William becomes the metaphorical fly on the wall. He sees the victories and internal struggles of a band coming to grips with fame and what said fame entails.
It's a delight to see, even if fictional, what a rock band went through when paying their dues on the road to stardom. The strife that stems from jealousy between bandmates, groupies who hang on a fleeting moment of joy, all while viewing it through the eyes of a 15-year-old child. You can't help but be trapped in the emotional roller coaster of the rock-star life. Bringing the story to focus is the three-way dynamic between William, Penny, and Russell.
Crudup brings a great sense of sliminess to what seems to be a "aww shucks" veneer. He displays it well in many of his roles, from his devious John Musgrave in Mission Impossible III to his arrogant portrayal as a lawyer in Spotlight. A shit-eating grin that hides something, which could be an evil plan or the depths of a struggling man. In the case of Almost Famous, a gifted guitarist who knows he's better than the band he plays with but doesn't want to ruin the natural flow. He wants to do right by William but is too enraptured by Penny to concentrate on what could be a good thing. Speaking of Penny, Hudson is remarkable as the muse for the man struggling with his fame. Hudson’s strength is in her demeanor and personality, allowing the men that encounter he fall quickly in love with her. She shows it off with aplomb in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, luring in her love with a mix of excitement, passion and down-to-earth spunk that can make you fall into her charm. Hudson does a lot of the same in this movie. that’s not a bad thing. She gives mysterious vibes throughout the film, embracing the facade of the rock-and-roll groupie, while truly being a girl in love.
The musical choices are lovely and expertly timed to create a feeling of warmth, sadness, or conflicting love. A mixture of rock from Led Zeppelin, soul from Stevie Wonder and the aforementioned Elton John, gives themes to experience each scene by, even if they are a bit on the nose. Capturing the details of a band on the rise for one of the most prominent magazines on Earth while hiding the fact that you're in the middle of puberty. I can't say that I would be able to survive the gauntlet that young William goes through, but it would be one hell of a ride.
4.5/5 Stars