Almost Famous (DVD 2002)

This is a super film if you like music and romance, its about a young boy who dreams of being a writer and rolling stones magazine sends him on an adventure of a lifetime, where he falls in love with the band the musi and the girl.
I wouldn't say this is a chick flick, i think most guys would enjoy it too, its a good all rounder. I had seen it a few times and always enjoyed it, making my mind up to add it to my collection.

awesome film, proper good look into what it could of been like rolling in the 70's, deee flower :P anybody remember laughter?

Once in a while, You sit down and see a movie so wonderfully written that the rest of the world, all of your problems and worries, just fall away. You find yourself pulled completely and totally into the world that the filmmakers create. And for two hours, you don't want it to end. Director Cameron Crowe's new movie is one of those wonderful instances.

The film, which has an almost scarily perfect sense of time and place, stars newcomer Patrick Fugit as William, a young writer who finds himself falling in love with the world of rock and roll, and one night, asked to come along with a band on their latest tour. He's looked over by an remarkably cautious college professor mother (Frances McDormand). McDormand is not a constant part of the movie but her performance is still one of the film's most impressive; she may be a comedically overbearing mother on the surface, but her scenes show so much more - a mother who truly loves her child and just wants the very best for him. With a different actress, this character may have ruined the party.

William starts out by sending his material into famed rock critic Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman, solid as always). The two quickly become friends, and the older critic is always there when William needs advice. While going to interview Black Sabbath one night, he runs into the opening band, Stillwater. After a bit of trouble, the band and young reporter hit it off, and William finds himself on the road with the band, with an assignment as his mission - to interview the band for Rolling Stone magazine. Accompanied by a group of groupies...er, I mean the correct term, "band aides", William gets quickly caught up in the party that accompanies life on the road, only to eventually realize what's going on around him.

This is Fugit's first performance and I have to say that it's brilliant. At first glance, he seems like a naive kid who's going to make it through about 5 minutes worth of life on tour. But as the film goes on, the actor reveals more and more to the audience, showing that he's more of an adult and understands the world more than most of the characters he runs into. Also outstanding is Kate Hudson as "band aide" Penny Lane, a sweet, charming performance that deserves award consideration. Also excellent are Jason Lee and Billy Crudup as the band members that recieve the most focus. This is the kind of film where there are so many performances that are worthy of praise, I could go on and on.

The William character is based upon a person quite close to the film...director Crowe himself. The director's last film was "Jerry Maguire" which was a good film and things about it will last. I think that "Almost Famous" though is so good that people will be talking about the whole film for quite a while. Crowe has obviously lived the life of this character, and he welcomes us into this world completely.

I bought this as a gift. First of all i was just searching for a copy of the film but then discovered the extended version in a two disc set. On disc one was the extended version and on disc two the theatrical version. Both discs loaded with extras. Needless to say they were very happy with their gift.