A Play on words and music.

''I'm telling secrets to the one guy you don't tell secrets to.''

A high-school boy is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone Magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies it on their concert tour.

Kate Hudson: Penny Lane


''The only true currency in this bankrupt world... is what you share with someone else when you're uncool.''

In 2000, writer director Cameron Crowe unleashed to audiences, his Almost Famous film, worldwide with his semi-autobiographical depoction of a 15 year old commissioned and posing as a rock journalist for Rolling Stone magazine to profile one of the nation's hottest up and coming bands (fictional "Stillwater") while accompanying them on tour. While doing so, he discovers much more about the whole environment and world of music, as well as more about himself and the state of the world in general.
Here's Crowe's film about his own struggle between whether to write a puff piece and the incisive truth to inform. The focus is also the method as the film itself is a rollercoaster of rendition.

What we have is a very well-written, mostly competently executed feel-good story. Along the way, we have lovable characters, and situations pulled from the stock catalog. I liked an equivalent raw competence in Autumn in New York, but there they weren't in anyway corrupt or dishonest.
This kind of story in the hands of a different director might have come across as an overly sentimental rant, but no one was born to tell this story than Crowe, who essentially lived the life of William Miller during his adolescence. Because the movie is so closely based on his own true-life experiences, the film shines in the realism department. One literally gets the feel of being right there, catapulted into the 70s rock music scene, as if trailing behind Miller as his invisible friend or something along those lines. The film isn't necessarily constructed in a typical Hollywood fashion, but instead seems much more like a chronicle, a journal entry brought to life. As such, the storyline may seem a bit jumpy, and certain parts may seem underdeveloped or missing bits, but in a way this also only adds to the journal entry feel of the film, as if Miller only bothered to remember the parts of his story that were the most graphic or outstanding, so it's only a minor criticism.


''You CANNOT make friends with the rock stars. That's what's important. If you're a rock journalist - first, you will never get paid much. But you will get free records from the record company. And they'll buy you drinks, you'll meet girls, they'll try to fly you places for free, offer you drugs... I know. It sounds great. But they are not your friends. These are people who want you to write sanctimonious stories about the genius of the rock stars, and they will ruin rock and roll and strangle everything we love about it.''


But what really makes the film excel apart from Crowe's spectacularly believable narrative and excellent screenplay is the soundtrack, pumped full of old rock and roll classic hits such as The Who, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple and Elton John than any self respecting rock fan should be belting out the lyrics along with. Crowe has a tendency for choosing excellent soundtracks, and Almost Famous is perhaps the best example, the superb selection of songs truly cementing the feel and groove of the period, so to speak, as well as all the pitch perfect costumes and outrageous outbreaks of facial hair which truly scream the era that was the 70s.

Adding to the foray of talent, the superb cast really bring Crowe's sentimental source material to life in a truly vivid and memorable fashion. Newcomer Patrick Fugit is wonderful in an understated yet charismatic fashion as William Miller, Crowe's film counterpart, the young, idealistic rock journalist who finally gets his big break. Billy Crudup gives a superb performance as the band's guitarist, in many ways the stereotypical rock star, yet far too well written and grounded in realistic quirks and mannerisms to be passed off as such. Similarly, the always terrific Jason Lee is great and often hilarious as Stillwater's lead singer. Kate Hudson is luminous as mysterious "Band Aid" Penny Lane. She seems to be a beacon of shining light amidst the dark and sleazy world of music, sex, drugs and alcohol, easily deserving her Golden Globe win. Notorious scene stealer Philip Seymour Hoffman arguably walks off with the show with a simply wonderful and inspiring as the world weary yet inspiring writer Lester Bangs; Hoffman's brief appearances are so injected with charisma and likability one can't help but take to his character. Look also for brief appearances by Anna Paquin, Zooey Deschantel as Miller's rebellious sister who introduces him to rock and roll, and Jimmy Fallon as Stillwater's new manager.

Almost Famous is one of the most believable films in recent history. Crowe seems to transport us right back to the crazy hazy days of the mid 70s, where everyone searched for significance and meaning in the mundane. But Almost Famous is so much more than simply a story about a band, it is a charming and insightful commentary on the state of the period's youth, and an entertaining coming of age story as well. For those who have yet to see it, Almost Famous is an experience well worth delving into, it may end up sticking with you quite a long time.

''Look at this: an entire generation of Cinderellas and there's no glass slipper.''


8/10