Almost Famous
 | Starring: Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit Dreamworks Video, 2000, DVD Customer Rating: 554 reviews Recommend |
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Audiences and critics alike are raving about this larger-than-life rock'n 'roll favorite that Roger Ebert calls "one of the best movies of the year!" The guys of Stillwater have the sound, they have the look and Rolling Stone Magazine wants their story. For young reporter William Miller, it's the opportunity of a lifetime as he hits the road with his favorite band and discovers the price of fame, the value of family and the limits of friendship.
Almost Famous is the movie Cameron Crowe has been waiting a lifetime to tell. The fictionalization of Crowe's days as a teenage reporter for Creem and Rolling Stone has all the well-written characters and wonderful "movie moments" that we expect from Crowe (Jerry Maguire), but the film has an intangible something extra — an insider's touch that will turn the film into the ode to '70s rock & roll for years to come. We are introduced to Crowe's alter ego, William Miller (Patrick Fugit), at home, where his progressive mom (Frances McDormand, just superb) has outlawed rock music and sister Anita (Zooey Deschanel) has slipped him LPs that will "set his mind free." Following the wisdom of Creem's disheveled editor, Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman in an instant-classic performance), Miller gets on the inside with the up-and-coming band Stillwater (a fictionalized mixture of the Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, and others). A simple visit with the band turns into a three-week, life-altering odyssey into the heyday of American rock. Of the characters he meets on the road, the two most important are groupie extraordinaire Penny Lane (Kate Hudson in a star-making performance) and Stillwater's enigmatic lead guitarist (Billy Crudup), who keeps stringing Miller along for an interview. From the handwritten credits (done by Crowe) to the bittersweet finale, Crowe's comedic valentine is an indelible, heartbreaking romance of music, women, and the privilege of youth. — Doug Thomas
Title: Almost Famous
Sales Rank: 1044 in DVD
Actor: Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit
Studio: Dreamworks Video, 2001-03-13, Theatrical Release: 2000
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC, Acpect Ratio 1.85:1
Languages: English (Original Language)
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Region Code: 1
Running Time: 122 minutes
Item Dimensions: 0.25 pounds
Package Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches, 0.2 pounds
- Almost Famous
- Great movie. Captures the time perfectly. The guy who plays Cameron Crowe's alias, William Miller, is brilliant. The soundtrack is perfect and the extra scenes add so much. I never get tired of watching this movie, and the other thing I really enjoyed on this version was the commentary from Cameron Crowe and his mother, Alice, which… More reviews
- Almost Perfect
- This movie just keeps getting better and better with time. I don't think Kate Hudson has had a role half so good. The camera positively adores her. Strong performances from first-rate actors even in small roles. A good measure of its appeal for me is, of course, nostalgia. And I probably wouldn't like it as well if I watched it more often. But every… More reviews
- 5-star movie, but Blu-Ray is bare-bones
- REVIEW OF THE UK BLU-RAY IMPORT -- "Almost Famous" is a terrific movie that plays almost like a fan's love-letter to Rock N'Roll - this and "High Fidelity" are probably two of the best films that will remind you of why you love rock music so much (and both rank in my personal favorites for both films of the last 10 years or so, as well as rock… More reviews
- Melodramatic Schmaltz
- Good if you're into lightweight fluff. I'm not. I've seen worse. It (more accurately, Kate Hudson, damn!) kept my interest to the end, but way too campy for my taste. More reviews
- Great Saturday Afternoon Movie
- I had never scene Almost Famous until I watched some parts of it while it aired on television last month. This is an awesome movie. One does not have to be acquainted with the rock bands of the late 60's early 70's era, to enjoy it. More reviews
