Almost Famous 2000
Almost Famous is an almost true story about the writer and director, Cameron Crowe, a whiz kid music journalist who wrote a cover story for Rolling Stone at the ripe old age of 18. He has amalgamated a lot of his experiences and changed the names around, but much of this is just too good not to be true. The main character is a great fan of rock during the early 70’s and also a music journalist. An ambitious kid, he sends articles he has written for the school paper to a music critic for Creem magazine. The critic knows talent when he sees it and encourages the kid to continue writing, even paying him for small articles. I don’t want to give away too much but through an almost Forrest Gump series of possible events he winds up touring with one of the hottest bands in the country, the fictional band Stillwater (based loosely on the Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, and Peter Frampton who Crowe actually covered as a teenager), as a sort of live-in journalist.
There are great performances throughout. William captures the innocence, honesty, and intensity that had to have been necessary for this to come about. Frances McDormand is perfect as a single mother who is at once tyrannically strict and protective while at the same time she drops the kid off at a rock concert and then lets him travel on the road for weeks with the band. There are a couple of band groupies who see themselves as modern day muses to the band. And finally there is the band itself: an idealistic group of rockers making it big just as their genre is dying out.
The story and writing are absolutely first rate. Crowe not only has an understanding of the musicians but also a real love of that music and admiration for the people that make it. That makes it possible to present a realistic and charming story that stays in the middle ground between cynicism and idealism. More serious than Spinal Tap, with more of a story than Dazed and Confused, the movie borrows heavily from both. It’s a winning combination.
I give it an A.
The Bootleg Cut
In 2019, I bought the blu-ray of the "bootleg cut" of the movie, which is 40 minutes longer than the original. A lot of people love this version, while a few find that the original cut made the right choices. I wound up buying both version in 4k in December 2025 and finally watch the bootleg cut. It is fun watching the extra scenes, but I also think that, like with many deleted scenes, they made the right decision at the time. If you really liked the original move, like I did, you should watch the bootleg. And you may always want to watch the bootleg version. Next I need to watch the director's commentary. The 4k digital versions I got have no extras, so it is good I still have the blu-ray.Owned on: Blu-ray, DVD, Digital