Almost
Famous
Written
and directed by Cameron Crowe
Starring
Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Jason Lee,
Anna Paquin, Zooey Deschanel, and Philip Seymour Hoffman
122
minutes. Rated R. Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1. 2000
I've
just seen the best picture of the year.
It's
a shame the crack-heads responsible for the Oscar nominations don't
see things the same way! Don't get me wrong: I've seen all the Best Pic
nominated films except for Chocolat, and they're all greak flicks.
One or two of them could maybe give Almost Famous a run for the
money.
Well,
naaah.
There
are films every now and then that remind me why I like movies so much.
They remind me why it is I'm a film major, why it is I've chosen films
over novels or comic books as my (main) venue of storytelling. They remind
me just what is possible with this incredible art form. A lot of movies,
I'll be like "yeah, that was really good!" But then there are the times
I come bouncing out of the theatre, fractured bits of sentences threatening
to force their way out of my mouth, high on a feeling that I can't even
begin to describe. A feeling that excites me, because one day I might,
as a filmmaker, give that feeling to someone. But it's also a feeling that
makes me supremely happy, simply because right now, at this very second,
I'm
the one who's got the feeling. Me. It's inside 
me,
rolling around, making me warm all over and giving me that goofy grin.
It's a high you can't get from booze, can't get from drugs, can't get from
girls. This, my friends, is the high of a great movie.
By
now, no doubt, you've deduced that I really liked Almost Famous.
This is writer-director Cameron Crowe's second film about a protagonist
living in the shadows of stars, but like Tom Cruise's character in Jerry
Maguire, 15-year old William Miller (Patrick Fugit) seems to brighten
those shadows to the point that the stars are the ones crouching in his
shadow. In this case, the stars doing the crouching are the members of
the fictional 70's-era band Stillwater, who William is covering for Rolling
Stone magazine. Along the way, he meets a groupie (though she would
object to being called that) who has dubbed herself Penny Lane, and falls
madly in love with her, despite the fact that she's in love with one of
the band members (Billy Crudup).
Wow, that plot descriptions sounds so trite, knowing as I do the depth
and the emotion that this film has going for it. Crowe's screenplay is
nothing short of brilliant, and the acting -- there is not one performance
I can find fault with. Kate Hudson gently dances onto the screen and bewitches
the audience along with young Master Miller. She is simply enchanting as
Penny Lane. I read that Crowe was looking for someone who could light up
a room just by stepping into it -- well, he found his girl. She's not the
only genius in the cast though -- Patrick Fugit is a real find, a brilliant,
brilliant
actor who does such a wonderful job creating the William character. He's
got such an expressive face, and the emotions he conveys are completley
genuine. Fugit is truly the heart and soul of this picture -- if, of course,
you're not counting Crowe himself. Rounding out the cast 
wonderfully
are Billy Crudup, who you don't want to like but damnit, you just can't
help yourself! -- Anna Paquin as another groupie, Zooey Deschanel as William's
rebellious sister, and -- in a brilliant, Oscar-nominated performance --
Frances McDormand as William's mother. That woman damn well better carry
home a little gold statue on Oscar night, because she's earned it and then
some. No slight intended towards Hudson, nominated for the same award,
because Hudon was brilliant. But McDormand -- man. Oscar-worthy has never
meant more.
Not just
for McDormand, either. This film was robbed of Best Picture and Best Director
nominations. This is a truly rare film, a piece of artwork of such emotional
range. From happy to sad, from love to hate, from anger to tears, this
film covers it all. This is the best film I've seen in a long time, the
best film of the year, a film that's just barged it's way into my ever-shifting
top ten favorites list.
My God,
see this film!
Bottom Line: The best film of the year.
That may not be saying much, but it's the best movie of a lot of years.
My grade:
A+
My advice:
You need to ask?
Get the movie
poster!
