ALMOST FAMOUS at HOLLYWOOD TEEN MOVIES

"Almost Famous" is an intriguing slice of 1970's Americana that has won huge critical acclaim the world over. It has already won 2 Golden Globe Awards including Best Picture & Best supporting actress. It looks set to win other awards later in the year, come oscar time.

Sit back & take a ride with the band "Stillwater" seen through the eyes of an innocent young 15 year old journalist William (newcomer Patrick Fugit). Patrick excels in his role as the young journalist who has a passion for music, which was passed on to him via an old record collection left to him by his sister before she moved out of the family home.

William gets an assignment with Rolling Stone Magazine to do an expose on a new band destined for stardom called "Stillwater". The band is fronted by lead singer Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee) & lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup).

Young William embarks on a life-changing journey as he follows the emotional backbone of the band step by step through good times & bad times. William's overprotective mother is delightfully played by Academy Award winning actress Frances McDormand. A standout scene being her assertive conversation over the telephone with lead guitarist Russell Hammond.

Goldie Hawn's daughter, the very beautiful Kate Hudson, plays the aptly titled "Penny Lane" the bands groupie or as she likes to put it Band Aid. She has won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting actress for her role & is stongly tipped to also win the Oscar.

The film has a lot of memorable moments including William & Penny's discussion about age, the band escaping through the closed gates of a stadium, Billy Crudup's jump into the pool, the discussion about the miss-printed Stillwater t-shirts & the confessions on the aeroplane when the band members fear that the plane is going to crash.

"Almost Famous" is a semi-autobiographical account of director Cameron Crowe's youth & it is his first film since writting & directing the Tom Cruise smash "Jerry Maguire". Cameron has done a fabulous job recreating the look, the feel & the sound of the 70's rock 'n' roll period.

I for one am not a big fan of 1970's rock music but nevertheless I still found this film quite captivating. The director has been successful in making this film engrossingly entertaining even for people who may not have grown up in that era.

Almost Famous is an exceptional motion picture, well written, acted & directed, a film that can be enjoyed by everyone, young or old.

Almost Famous (The Bootleg Cut--Director's Edition) [Blu-ray](2000)
Former rock critic Cameron Crowe delves into his past with this affectionate story centering on high school student Patrick Fugit, who aspires to cover the rock scene in the early 1970s. He bluffs his way into an assignment for Rolling Stone magazine, and is soon covering the band Stillwater--and their drug-induced offstage antics--on tour. Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand, Jason Lee, and Philip Seymour Hoffman as legendary rock critic Lester Bangs also star. Director's cut; 162 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks: English DTS HD 5.1 Master Audio, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1; Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish; audio commentary; by Crowe; featurette; behind-the-scenes footage; interview; music video; the
Almost Famous [DVD](2000) DVD
123 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English; biographies; "making of" featurette; theatrical trailers; music video; magazine articles; scene access.