"Almost Famous" (Cameron Crowe, 2000)

“Almost Famous” follows the teenaged William Miller (Patrick Fugit) as he joins the fictional band “Stillwater” on the road to cover them for the rock magazine “Rolling Stone.” Set in the early 1970's, he struggles to pin members of the band down for their interviews, mostly struggling to sit down with the elusive lead guitarist of “Stillwater” Russel Hammond (Billy Crudup). There is a lot to enjoy in this movie, and its main strength is the depiction of the relationships between Fugit's character and the rest of the cast in the movie.
The triangle of sorts that develops between Hammond, Miller and Kate Hudson's character Penny Lane is the centerpiece of this film. As the young writer tries to get backstage to interview Black Sabbath at the beginning of the film, he meets Penny Lane who corrects him when he calls her a groupie. He learns that she is actually leader of a group called the “band-aids” who give much needed support to rock bands, and members act more as muses than sex objects. She seems to take an instant liking to Miller, and helps him to gain entrance to the arena.
Later, Miller is sent out on the road with the up and coming rock group “Stillwater” and Penny and some other band-aids come along for the ride. A romantic connection between Hammond and Lane develops and Miller serves as unlikely support for both of them. Fugit deserves a lot of credit here for his acting, being able to come off as mature and understanding, while still remaining believable as a 15 year old high-school student. Seeing Miller try to figure out what Penny Lane is all about, and trying to work around Lane and Hammond's frequent rendezvouses to get an interview with the rock-star is the high point in this movie. Hudson and Crudup also deliver fine performances, and the scenes towards the end of the movie involving their relationship's meltdown and reconciliation are well written and particularly touching.
Miller's relationship with some of the more ancillary characters in the movie also provide some highlights. Phillip Seymour Hoffman portrays the wild and slovenly rock critic Lester Bangs who is Miller's hero and serves as his mentor and motivator. While a somewhat secondary character in the film, Hoffman's performance is so good he becomes one of the most memorable characters in the movie.
Frances McDormand plays Elaine Miller, the tightly wound and over protective mother of the young writer. She is perfectly cast in this role, and the back and forth that she has with both her son and her rebellious older daughter Anita (Zooey Deschanel) provide for some of the best dialogue in the film. Maybe the funniest moment in the entire movie comes when McDormand's character leaves the usually macho band leader Hammond stunned after a lecture on the phone.
There are times that the comedic and feel-good aspects of this film can become a little much and seem corny. The best example of this is a scene on the tour bus when a sing along to “Tiny Dancer” turns the group's mood from dour to cheerful. This and other cutesy moments in the movie are either going to leave the audience smiling, or looking for a place to puke. On the whole though, Crowe balances this corniness with seriousness, and the result is a finely acted and genuinely fun film.