Almost Famous: The Bootleg Cut

3.5/4

Starring: Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Jason Lee, Zooey Deschanel, Phillip Seymour Hoffman

The version being reviewed is unrated.  For the record, the theatrical cut is rated R for Language, Drug Content and Brief Nudity

I've often found that the most personal films are the best ones.  Usually, but not always.  "Almost Famous," which is a semi-autobiographical tale of writer/director Cameron Crowe's days as a rock journalist, is one of those movies.  This is a film that cannot have been made by a director for hire.  It had to have been made by someone who desperately wanted to tell this story and who understood the subtle truths and hidden emotions in it.

William Miller (Fugit) is a brilliant fifteen-year-old.  He's skipped a few grads so he's more mature than one might suspect.  He's also a huge fan of rock music and writing, and has sent some articles to the legendary rock journalist Lester Bangs (Hoffman).  Bangs hires him to write an article, and it's seen by the editors of Rolling Stone.  They want him to tour with an upcoming band called Stillwater and write an piece on them.  Reluctantly given permission by his overprotective mother Elaine (McDormand), William takes a journey he will never forget.

Perhaps the most important that Crowe captures is the rush that comes with being on top (or at least feeling like it).  There is a sense that all is perfect and the way forward is pregnant with possibilities.  All of which seem positive in the moment.  It's a roller coaster ride of parties, fun and not only doing what you love but being worshipped for that.  William is on the outside, but he sees it, and to an extent, feels it. That's the right approach because it allows us to be close enough to be a part of it yet be far enough to look at it with a degree of objectivity.

The performances are outstanding.  Then-newcomer Patrick Fugit is excellent in the role of William.  He's a smart kid, but he's torn between being an observer and a participant.  He's there to do a job, but wary of Bangs' warning to not believe the band members to be friends.  Billy Crudup has never been better than as the enigmatic guitarist Russell Hammond, playing him with the right mixture of aloofness and magnetism.  Frances McDormand is in fine form as a mother who is struggling to allow her children to grow up.  Jason Lee is also very good as the talented, arrogant and insecure lead singer.  Also worth mentioning is Zooey Deschanel.  While her range is stretched a little at times, she's good enough to make one wish she'd do something other than the manic pixie roles she's become typecast in.

While William is the anchor of the film, Kate Hudson's Penny Lane is the beating heart.  She's the ethereal beauty who opens the door into this world for the budding journalist.  And us.  She's seductive, mysterious and captivating.  But you can never really grasp who she is.  Even her name is a fake.  Kate Hudson doesn't have a lot of range as an actress, but this is one role that only she could have played.  In a way, Penny Lane embodies what Crowe is saying about the his subject: fame is tantalizing but delicate.  And always dangerous.  Hudson is brilliant here.

After Cameron Crowe gave his script to Steven Spielberg, the famed director read it over the weekend and handed it back to Crowe, telling him to direct every word.  Crowe followed his advice and what came out is a special film.  The theatrical cut is the one to see (the bootleg edition contains too much padding), but it's a film to treasure.