Almost Famous

2000

Writer-director Cameron Crowe's autobiographical fourth feature (2000)—after Say Anything . . . , Singles, and Jerry Maguire—concerns the adventures of a 15-year-old rock journalist (Patrick Fugit) touring with a band (the fictional Stillwater) in 1973 for Rolling Stone. This has much of the warmth and feeling for adolescence that Crowe displayed in his first feature, though the slick showboating of Jerry Maguire isn't entirely absent either. Part of what Crowe's exploring here is the ethical confusion that can arise from the differences between being a journalist and being a groupie. With Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Philip Seymour Hoffman (especially good as the legendary rock critic Lester Bangs), Zooey Deschanel, and Anna Paquin. 122 min. By Jonathan Rosenbaum

Official Site: www.vinyl-films.com
Director: Cameron Crowe
Writer: Cameron Crowe
Producer: Ian Bryce and Cameron Crowe
Cast: Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee, Patrick Fugit, Anna Paquin, Fairuza Balk, Noah Taylor, Zooey Deschanel, John Fedevich, Bijou Phillips, Philip Hoffman, Eion Bailey and Terry Chen