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Techtite's DVD Reviews! |
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Almost Famous
Click cover art above, to order this DVD A Techtite ReviewThe Film : Almost Famous is the typical after-summer arrival you feel sorry for. This would have been a great addition to a summer movie season that was disappointing to one and all (box office was low as well). It has a great teenage lead, an intriguing tale of adolescence and growing up, and an even more intriguing look at backstage life of a typical struggling rock band. I hope many will come to see it; if not for box office totals, then at least to make sure it gets the Academy Award considerations (and hopefully, nominations) it deserves. The story involves a 15 year old boy named William Miller (Patrick Fugit). He's the son of an over-protective mother (played excellently by Academy-Award winner, Frances MacDormand), and brother to a rebellious sister. Upon the sister's departure to spread her wings (actually, she leaves to become a stewardess), she leaves her brother with her prized record collection, of music that his mother has forbidden to be heard in the house. He thumbs through the collection to a note his sister placed on The Who album, TOMMY; she tells him to listen to this album with a candle lit, and he'll see his destiny. The look on his face as he listens is one of many perfectly performed scenes in the film. It also makes for a perfect start to the story. The real story begins when the now music-loving youth finds a small job at the music magazine Creem. Soon, this job earns William the attention of Rolling Stone magazine itself. They have no idea he's merely 15 when they call him, so they casually ask him to prove his mettle by interviewing an up-and-coming rock band named "Stillwater." His mother has enough faith in her son to not get drawn into the torrid scene of musician life, so she drops him off at the band's nearby concert. With a final loud, over-motherly "Don't do Drugs!!!" plea, William is off to his first big story. There are complications, of course. The burly guard won't let him in, because he obviously doesn't believe a 15 year old kid is the a reporter for a national magazine! The guard thinks he's merely one of the fans that have been trying to sneak in, led by the perfectly acted Penny Lane (Kate Hudson). Fortunately, William bumps into the band itself on their way inside, and gives them the praise and compliments they've only dreamed of up until now. He starts by complimenting the lead musicians, then gets invited inside, because he hasn't had the time to compliment the rest of them as much. They must like his additional compliments a great deal, because he's offered to go on tour with them throughout the Southwest! They even allow Penny and her We're-not-Groupies "Band Aides" to tag along. The evolving story is perfectly acted by one and all. Hudson, Fugit, and MacDormand are all Academy Award contenders, as well as Billy Crudup, with his very believable performance as lead guitarist Russell Hammond. The conflict between his character and the band's lead singer, Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee), is perfectly performed and very believable. One of many memorable scenes is when Russell himself must answer a phone call from William's mother, resulting in so much guilt, he meekly answers "Yes, Ma'am," to her like a scorned child. It's acting like this that makes the whole tour seem so much more real, from the moment that William starts to realize he has feelings for Penny, to the time he must contend with the fact that she would rather be with Russell. In one of many excellent scenes, William blurts to her that Russell "sold" her and her friends to another band for $50 and a case of beer. With the perfect blend of hidden tears and feigned indifference, she meekly jests, "What kind of beer?" Great scene! Even non lovers of music will love the acting performances here. This film's story was written and directed by Cameron Crowe, best known for his writing of teen hits like Fast Times at Ridgemont High (which was based on his book by the same name). He was also writer, director, and producer for the smash hit dramatic comedy, Jerry Maguire. It's said that Almost Famous is a semi-autobiography of sorts, of his own experiences as a struggling young reporter for Rolling Stone. I don't know if he really was as young as 15 when he first started out, though I do know that his boyish looks are what allowed him to act like a teenager again in a high school, leading to the experiences that led to the original Fast Times novel. He also is apparently quite congenial, so maybe he really did get along with everyone in this film the way the story claims he did. At the very least, it's a fantastic story. The DVD : Why...? That's the only question I can come up with, when the promised "director's cut" version of the film was not released at the time promised. It was boasted that this initial release of the film on DVD, would include no less than 30 minutes of deleted footage. Unfortunately, Cameron Crowe seems to have underestimated the task at hand --to re-integrate 30 minutes into the original film, for a "director's cut"-- and the changes weren't possible before the release date. As a result, this is the movie as-is. I would still recommend buying this DVD --the as-is movie is still very, very good-- though unless you're sure that the collector's edition would just be overkill, I'd say wait until the full-featured director's cut collector's edition is finally released. NOTE: there IS talk of a "director's cut" for the film, to be offered December 4th, 2001. If and when I see the need to review this director's cut, I will, but hey; this is the way the film was in theaters, and it's flawless. Why mess with perfection...? Give us a slew of extras in the cinematic release version DVD, please... This "standard" version of the DVD is not without its bonus materials, however. A mock Stillwater music video is offered, as well as Rolling Stone articles and HBO's behind the scenes featurette. That isn't anything to laugh at, especially when the film alone is more than worth owning on DVD...though it's a shame we have to wait for the director's cut.
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