Almost Famous: "You Cannot Make Friends with the Rockstars"

By Isabelle Parker

"What am I doing? I am telling secrets to the one guy you don't tell secrets too."

'Almost Famous' is a coming of age film that follows 15-year-old journalist William Miller (Patrick Fugit) as he gets drawn into the beguiling world of rock and roll. It is loosely based on writer and director Cameron Crowe's life as a young Rolling Stone writer. When Rolling Stone magazine hires William to write a story for them, he falls in with Stillwater, an up and coming rock band, and joins them and their groupies on tour. There he meets the entrancing Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), a groupie, or what she likes to call 'Band Aid', who is on and off dating married lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup). William quickly falls for her mysterious personality, and lets his feelings get involved with his article. He becomes friends with the band members, despite multiple people warning him against it. William struggles to find an angle for his article, and devotes more of his time to hanging with the band than actually working on his piece. Tensions in the band build, as accusations fly and arguments between members grow common, and William is left wondering whether the group will still be together by the time he finishes his article. With pressure from Rolling Stone, an unwilling Russell constantly putting off his interview and building feelings for Penny, William finds himself cracking under the stress of rock and roll.

'Almost Famous' is a captivating film that takes the viewer on a journey through the turbulent world of rock and roll. While the stars are no Sid and Nancy, they certainly have their scandals, and keep the film interesting. The underlying message of what it means to be cool, and how being uncool might not be such a bad thing, ties the film together and provides snippets of joy and humour to counterbalance the drama. The characters are connected through their overwhelming love for the music they dedicated their lives. It was perfectly casted; Hudson's performance as Penny was electrifying and enthralling, Crudup's depiction of Russell was both charming and exasperating, and Fugit's portrayal of William was the perfect mix of naive and bright. Some personal favourite scenes were the group singing Tiny Dancer while their bus speeds down the highway, as well as a graceful Penny wiping a tear as she asks what kind of beer she was traded for. The film also tackles the suppression of feelings, whether it be Penny's motto, "If you never take it seriously, you never get hurt", or William's struggle between his personal connections and his journalistic integrity. There isn't much I would change about this film; everything from the soundtrack to the costumes to the cinematography perfectly portrayed the music scene of the '70s. My only critique would be a call for a little more backstory and development of relationships; but even this was fairly well done for a two hour film. Overall, 'Almost Famous' is an excellent portrayal of rock and roll, journalism, and the dangers of becoming personally involved with a story. So the next time you turn Penny Lane up to full volume or listen to Tommy by the light of a candle, remember- “It’s all happening.”