Almost Famous Details

Writer/director Cameron Crowe followed up his acclaimed Jerry Maguire with this funny and touching coming-of-age movie, based on his own experiences as a teenage rock journalist in the early 1970s. Fifteen-year-old William Miller (Patrick Fugit) escapes from the clutches of his delightfully overprotective mother (Frances McDormand) when he's hired to write about rock band Stillwater for Rolling Stone magazine. Joining the group on tour, William struggles to meet his looming deadline as he's sucked into a chaotic world of parties, drugs and clashing egos, falling under the spell of self-styled “band aid” Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) and lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup). The haircuts are typically awful, the soundtrack is peppered with great songs from the period and Philip Seymour Hoffman contributes a telling cameo as William's mentor, real-life hack Lester Bangs. It loses its way slightly towards the end, but this is still an entertaining and affectionate evocation of growing up in an era before rock 'n' roll was hijacked by marketing men.

"...[Patrick Fugit] is remarkable in his first film role....Ms. Hudson and Mr. Crudup inhabit their roles with such mellow ease that the film opens up around them....In addition to Ms. McDormand and Mr. Hoffman, [Jason Lee and Fairuza Balk] are especially memorable..."