Almost Famous

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Template:Infobox Film

Almost Famous is also the name of an album by R&B singer Lumidee.

Almost Famous is a film, written and directed by Cameron Crowe and released in 2000. It tells the story of a teenage journalist for Rolling Stone magazine covering the rock band Stillwater, and his efforts to get his first cover story published. The film is semi-autobiographical, as Crowe himself was a teenage writer for Rolling Stone.

The film stars:

The film's award-winning soundtrack featured an eclectic mix of period rock, other period genres, and songs written by Crowe's wife, Nancy Wilson, expressly for the movie. Highlights include Simon & Garfunkel's "America" and Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" and "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters", and Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air".

Despite very good reviews the film was not a box office success. The film received four Oscar nominations, one of which led to an award to Crowe for his screenplay. It was also awarded the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

The tagline for Almost Famous is "Enjoy It. Experience It. Just Don't Fall For It."

Contents

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Musical background

The movie remains a masterful piece for those that were raised in the 1970s and provides a valuable insight into the mind of Cameron Crowe and through his adept storytelling, presents a rare look inside rock and roll.

Fugit, who was born 10 years after the movie takes place, was given a collection of records to listen to and learn from to help him understand the period. While specific albums were not mentioned, one can imagine that they were based on the collection given to his character William by his sister at the turning point of the story. These albums help describe and lay the ground work for the rest of the movie and can be seen as a primer for anyone interested in learning more about the period. They are:

Also, Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends, the album William's sister tries to sneak into the house.

When William and Penny are in the car together, there is a reflection on the car windscreen of the front cover of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon"

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The Bootleg Cut

Along with the standard DVD version, Crowe compiled an alternate version called "Untitled," which was a compilation of both released footage, and his favorite deleted scenes. Running for over a half hour longer than the theatrical release, "Untitled" was subtitled 'The Bootleg Cut', with its packaging resembling a cheap Seventies bootleg. The set is apparently out-of-print at the current time. (Incidentally, a variant of the Bootleg Cut is the basis of the network television version of "Almost Famous.")

Changes to the film include -

  • The hand in the opening titles writes "Untitled" instead of "Almost Famous"
  • Elaine berates a man for painting "Merry Xmas" on a storefront, complaining that "Xmas" is not a real word
  • Young William is mocked in the school shower for his lack of pubic hair
  • Additional albums are glimpsed in the scene in which young Williams finds the record bag under his bed
  • William arrives at school to see that his classmates have changed the marquee on the school's sign to read "William Miller is too young to drive or fuck"
  • While Bangs is at the radio station, Bangs is talking about The Guess Who in more detail, including mentioning a live version of American Woman from the band's Live at the Paramount album.
  • Before cutting to the restaurant scene with Lester Bangs, William and Lester stand on a street corner in silence, as Lester waits for a bus.
  • Before the first concert, Russell tells William how the littlest details in songs are the ones that people remember the most, citing a vocal sound in Marvin Gaye's "What's Happening, Brother?" as an example
  • Anita's boyfriend climbs through the window of her bedroom and reminisces to William about the sex that they had there
  • Before he leaves for the Hyatt House, William is given a wad of 'gas money' by his mother
  • Penny and William's arrival at the Hyatt House is heavily extended, featuring a longer section with Peter Frampton, as well as William being told to "blow me!" by a comedian he recognizes
  • Before having sex in the ice room, Penny and Russell have a conversation about their failing relationship
  • Stillwater attends a radio interview, hosted by a stoned DJ (portrayed by Kyle Gass) who falls asleep mid-conversation
  • An extra scene before Russell's electrocution shows William attempting to interview Stillwater's dimwitted bassist in the pouring rain
  • The backstage fight over the blurry t-shirt includes an added exchange in which Russell asks Jeff if he's on cocaine
  • A couple lines were added to the scene in Aaron's bedroom, in which Russell gives his belt to a young admirer
  • The band holds a birthday party for Penny Lane, where she first learns that she is not welcome on the airplane
  • After Penny Lane's recovery from her Quaalude overdose, she and William walk through the lake in Central Park. She proceeds to tell him her real name, and in the extended cut, says: "Keith Richards looked at me, pulled me on stage, he took me backstage, and gave me a Coke with ice and a lemon. And I never went home."
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DVD release date

March 13, 2001
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External links

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