Almost Famous (2000)

*Spoiler warning*



"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when we're uncool." - Lester Bangs

 Almost Famous is a true masterpiece about fame, love, growing up, being cool; but most of all it's about the music. Music is such a powerful force. Almost everyone is inspired or touched by music in some way. The soundtrack of Almost Famous is a roll call of the greatest musicians of the 1970's; Elton John, Led Zeppelin (who rarely lets their music be used in films), Jimi Hendrix, Steely Dan, etc. The film is a look into the world of one of the truly great eras of music, the early 1970's. Almost Famous is beautiful, with great performances, poignant dialogue and genuine emotion and characters that bring reality to the lives of rock stars.

William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is a fan. He loves music and he loves to write about it. At 15, he is somewhat geeky and awkward, doomed in school by being the youngest in his grade after his invasive mom (Frances McDormand) skipped him ahead a few grades. But William has some talent for writing, and after some tutelage from legendary rock journalist Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman), he is offered a chance to write a story for the pantheon of rock n' roll journalism, Rolling Stone magazine. His assignment is to go on tour to study Stillwater, an up and coming band. Stillwater is led by its front man guitarist/songwriter Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) and volatile lead singer Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee). Along the way William fits in with the band and the crowd that runs with them, including "band aid" Penny Lane (Kate Hudson).

Stillwater is a fictional band based on writer/director Cameron Crowe's experiences as a Rolling Stone journalist touring with rock acts such as The Allman Brothers Band, The Who, and The Eagles. They fit into the mold of what you would expect rock bands to be. Hammond is the guitarist with mystique, the backbone of the band that writes all the music and gets all the credit, and is always subtly putting himself above the rest of the band. Bebe is the lead singer that wants to be the recognizable face and the big star, the Mick Jagger type. The bass player and drummer are totally nondescript, they recede into the background and do what they are told. The relationship between Hammond and Bebe is tumultuous and hilarious. They are constantly struggling for power, with Bebe mostly wanting to get out of Hammond's shadow. "Your looks have become a problem," Bebe says to Hammond. Their Lennon/McCartney type relationship is one of the most fun in the film. A great scene is when the first Stillwater t-shirt shows up, only to enrage Bebe when Hammond's face is the only one that is actually depicted clearly.

Russell Hammond: Can we just skip the vibe, and go straight to us laughing about this?
Jeff Bebe: Yeah, okay.
Russell Hammond: Because I can see by your face you want to get into it.
Jeff Bebe: How can you tell? I'm just one of the out-of-focus guys!

But the most intriguing character in the film is Penny Lane, played exceptionally by Kate Hudson. Penny is mysterious and accessible at the same time. Her and Russell have had an on-again-off-again fling for the past year, and William gets caught right in the middle. Penny cares for William while they are on the road with the band. She is almost motherly towards him. They care about each other, an especially rare thing in the world of fame and rock n' roll, where nothing matters but the pursuit of self-gratification. Russell slowly starts to realize that he cares for Penny as well, and seeing how William treats her inspires him.

Almost Famous is a great study on the shallow nature of fame. People are used and thrown away. Nothing matters to the rock starts and those in their inner circle except for their own pleasure. Except for William. The band gets to see a regular kid who just loves their band. He brings some innocence to it all. William feels patronized when they point this out to him, and their pretension is hilarious. It's ridiculous that famous people feel like they aren't "real". That somehow they are in this dream world of fame and being on a stage, and that somehow makes them better. I guess this is society's fault for putting them up there and worshiping the position. William and Penny help Russell realize that he is no different than everyone else. William's mom is one person that will speak to Russell without some hushed awe, and it humbles Russell. The film ends with Russell visiting William at his home, where he starts to realizes what it's all about.

The early 1970's were a huge time for music. Rock n' roll, with a little help from The Beatles and other early pioneers, was being explored in brand new ways. Almost Famous has one of the best soundtracks ever assembled, a vital element to creating the feel for the film. The characters all talk with such reverence about music, how it inspires them and moves them. I can relate. The other day I was driving down Maple Street in Fayetteville, Arkansas in my truck. The leaves were just starting to turn colors. The sun was shining. I was listening to Fleet Foxes self-titled album, and I was just stunned at how beautiful the moment was. The next thing  I realized was that this glimpse of pure beauty was a tiny glimpse of Jesus. He created all of it; the trees, the sun, and the music. Even though there is a lot of great music that is not "Christian", I can still see Jesus through it. His beauty is magnified in all things that he creates, including music. For some, it's a way to see His face. There's a reason why worship through songs is such an important part of our worship towards Him. Music is a God-given way to express our feelings towards him. In a strange way, this film reminded me of all of that, which thrust me into prayer and worship. It's funny, a movie filled with drugs and profanity caused me to worship Jesus. I think that's just his power though, he can redeem all things!

"I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel."
Psalm 71:22

"Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works!"
1 Chronicles 16:9

 I've seen this movie many times, and something I picked up on that I hadn't before was about William and his mother. William's mother Elaine is a single mom, as her husband died when her children were very young. She does her very best to keep her children close to her through the form of over-protection, which naturally drives them away. She talks of how she had to play mother and father to her son and daughter (William's sister Anita, played by Zooey Deschanel). While she does the best she absolutely can, it seems clear to me that her kids need a father figure. William tries to get this in Russell, but he is too caught up in himself to play the role. God created man and woman to each have a role in a child's life, and a father's role is so important.

 I absolutely love Almost Famous. As I am writing this, listening to "Led Zeppelin II", I still feel like I am on the road with Stillwater in 1973. There's a magic to this film, and I think that even if you aren't a fan of the musical genre, you can still appreciate it. Just watch the "Tiny Dancer" scene, and you'll see what I mean. Russell Hammond is one of the coolest characters to ever hit a movie screen, and Billy Crudup does an outstanding job making him mysterious, cool, and still likable. Hoffman only has a few scenes, but he is fantastic in all of them. Kate Hudson has not since matched her performance here. Now if only I could listen to Stillwater's "Fever Dog" on iTunes...


5/5