Movie Review: Almost Famous

Story: My close friends can attest to my tin ear and lack of musical taste (except for Elvis - Presley, not Costello). I admit to knowing nothing about music, the love of music, the obsession with music (my obsessions lie elsewhere) or the amount of money that is spent on/or made in this industry. But I, once upon a time, did understand drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll.

This Cameron Crowe semi-autobiographical PG rated memory piece is very tame indeed. As writer, director and producer, Cameron Crowe (Say Anything, Jerry McGuire) delivers a sweet, affectionate look at his unique wunderkind teenage experience as a journalist for Rolling Stone Magazine and his travels with the fictitious band known as Stillwater. (He actually traveled with The Allman Brothers and Fleetwood Mac.) This is a charming, foot tapping, often funny depiction of road bands, groupies, obsessed fans, fame and celebrity. Yet, with all of that for fodder, it is a squeaky clean portrayal of what I remember as a scrubbier time. Anyone recall Altamont?

Anyway, the worst things about the movie are the blandness of some of the characters. While not caricatures, they certainly aren't three dimensional. The women of the film are not treated particularly well. And I was a bit annoyed about the contrivances of the last twenty minutes of the film. Ah, but memory pieces are tricky things. The optimists of the world tend to remember only the joy and for the rest of the world - there is therapy. Go - have a good time!

Acting: Billy Crudup (Without Limits, Jesus' Son) can do no wrong in my book. He is intelligent, sensitive, handsome and a terrific actor. He raises the bar in this film for sure. Who is getting all of the parts that should belong to him? Newcomer, Patrick Fugit, as Crowe is adorable but needs some acting lessons. Seymour Philip Hoffman is simply wonderful as Lester Bangs. I wanted to see and hear more of him. Anna Pacquin was totally wasted as one of the groupies. Frances McDormand (Fargo) was cartoonlike but likable as the Mom. And Kate Hudson, while not nearly as annoying as her mother Goldie Hawn, was a bit too cute and vacuous for the role of chief groupie.

Pets: No pets are tour buses.

Visual Art: Lots of 70's posters.

Soundtrack: Excellent

Theater Audience: I got there five minutes before the previews and it was already pretty crowded so I sat off to the left and in the back. While perusing the growing audience I started noticing male pattern baldness and where these guys sit. I will have to look into this further, but it seemed that guys sat close to the aisle and that baldness effects all ages and the overhead lighting really makes them stick out in the crowd. Then I started to wonder why some 40ish and 50ish women dye their gray heads and others don't. They seem to sit on or near the aisle. And then there were the young folks. They travel in packs and seem to sit in a five seat wide strip right down the middle of the theater. They don't seem to care if anyone sits in front of them.

Sappy Factor: 4

Oscar Worthy: No

Nit Picking Quotient: I was impressed with the detail of his recreation of the time period.

Length: Just 2 hours.

LOBO HOWLS: 8