Almost Famous Director: Cameron Crowe Almost Famous explores the notion of whether rock was dead in 1973. It wasn't dead; it was just transgressing. Much like the grunge movement in the early 1990s, the classic rock movement of the 1970s was a revolutionary period for old die hard rock fans who would much rather listen to an old Beatles album than the new Led Zeppelin. It was a time for young teens who were just getting into music to exploit the new branch of rock. Lester Bangs, played in the film by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, proclaims at the beginning of the film that "real rock is dead." At a radio station in San Francisco he picks an Iggy Pop and the Stooges record over a Doors album, because Jim Morrison is just a drunk poet. Who needs drunk poets when you can have real riffs in rock? The band producing the real riffs in "Almost Famous" is Stillwater, a band basically combining all the sounds of the period into three or four songs. Stillwater has just hit the road opening for Black Sabbath in San Francisco, and Lester assigns his biggest fan and contributor, William Miller (Patrick Fugit), to write a 1,000 word article on the concert. Lester Bangs in real life was the editor of the magazine Creem, which was a pinnacle in rock journalism along with Rolling Stone in the early 1970s. Bands could be made, or destroyed, in the above magazines. Lester preaches this when he says "Rolling Stone is the magazine that broke Cream up." And if you've never heard Cream, you don't know "real" rock. So it's only natural that all bands of that period, including Stillwater, see rock magazines and interviewers as the "enemy." William Miller has no trouble getting in good with Stillwater at the Black Sabbath show. He spurts off some obscure facts about their music, and proclaims his obsession for their supposed first hit single. The band is impressed, and so is Rolling Stone when they read William's write up in Creem. The big catch the film rides off of is that William is really only 15, even though he looks a good 18 or 19 to everyone. His mother, (played by Frances McDormand), kind of forgot to tell William his real age until he was 12. So Patrick was in 9th grade at the age of 11. His sister leaves home when he's 11, and leaves behind all of her "evil" rock records, basically springing William's obsession with music and the bands who make it. William's advanced knowledge of rock lands him a gig covering the few opening dates of Stillwater's American tour for Rolling Stone. Along for the ride is a gang of "band-aids", otherwise known in the rock community as groupies. Like Patrick, all the girls are really younger than they say they are and live by the motto that they "are here to inspire." Naked inspiration combined with hotel room and backstage antics make this group of band-aids, headed by Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) a force to be reckoned with. They make the tough musicians soft, and help reveal the human in the machine. Almost Famous is a landmark film. Directed by Cameron Crowe (Say Anything, Singles), the film is close to being an ensemble piece. It's a film about people, a film about music, and a film about human nature. Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup), is the lead guitarist of Stillwater, and the "face" of the band. Just as Sting was the face of The Police, Hammond is the face of Stillwater. This is the main cause of tension in the band, especially between Hammond and the lead singer, Jeff Bebe (played here by ex-skateboarder turned actor Jason Lee). Hammond even lets William in on the fact that he's contemplated leaving the band, and William takes this secret in with about a dozen other secrets within the band. There's a lot of sleeping around, and trash talking within the band Stillwater, but Crowe never really exploits it. He presents it as a natural thing, and the only person who seems concerned is William. Lester Bangs tells William before he hits the road with Stillwater not to become friends with the band. The guys in Stillwater say and do some really dumb and immature things even for a rock band, and William is good at remembering them. He could really make a fool out of the band if he wants to in the article. There's an old punk saying that goes "Kill your idols before they make fools of themselves," and William is the potential hangman of Stillwater, and the band knows it. The magic of Almost Famous is watching William attempting to distance himself from the band, while at the same time being pulled into their world. The film is a masterpiece, and if you are a big music or film fan, this is a treat that only comes every so often. Billy Crudup is a force to reckon with in the film. He's an actor that is so natural, and yet so enveloping, you can't help but like this guy. Along with Crudup, it's a perfect cast. The film's got class. By the way, rock isn't dead; it's at the movies. |
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