Almost Famous Untitled - The Bootleg Cut (Director's Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Great comedy for the road
Review: This is one of the best movies released in 2000. Cameron Crowe amazingly reflects on his times as a writer while traveling with legendary bands(Led Zeppelin, Allman Brothers, The Eagles, etc.). He takes certain events that occurred during each tour and gives it to the movie's band. Every piece of that fits perfectly amongst one another to create one masterpiece movie. It's great that Crowe can make some of those serious events and put some comedy in them. Therefore, he was well-deserving of his Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay.
Patrick Fugit makes a triumphant debut as William Miller. If he continues to do movies in this style, he'll go far with his acting career. Why did Marcia Gay Harden win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress("Pollock") over Kate Hudson as "Penny Lane"? Who knows. Frances McDormand performs wonderfully outside her usual style as William Miller's overprotective mother. This is Billy Crudup and Jason Lee at their best as the lead guitarist and lead singer of Stillwater. Though Fairuza Balk and Anna Paquin had minor roles as band aids, their acting shined. This is one of Paquin's best roles since her Oscar winning role(at the age of 11) in "The Piano".
"Almost Famous" could be a huge influence for those who dream of making the big-time in music, any genre. This is also a good one for those who are looking for quality comedy. There are many surprises so one will laugh unexpectedly in various parts. Why wasn't it nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture or Best Director for 2000? Who knows.
--This text refers to the DVD edition

Rating:
Summary: Rock and Roll and The Movies
Review: I love this film. And it's not only because Cameron Crowe and I are close in age so we grew up during the same time, but the cast for this film was well selected and the film is well shot. The music, both the scoring and the period pieces, are great choices and in the case of the score well produced.
Almost Famous depicts a time in our/my lives when everything not only seemed possible but those same things took on some mystical sense which Cameron is quite able to depict because he was there.
Not enough can be said of Cameron's experience in these matters. He was in the right place at the right time to see, hear and appreciate all those things he used in this film.
Yes, there was a war on but our awareness of it was not always taken over by the politics surrounding it. This films captures the joy it was to see and be with a rock group that was growing in popularity and status.
But back to the film itself. As I said a good cast that was well thought out. It doesn't always happen that the right people play the right parts. All to often an actor or an actress gets by in a part but only because the vehicle is good and not because of their part in it. In this case though the players fit the rolls they're assigned to and play them very well. It also doesn't hurt that Kate Hudson has her mother's adorable smile and giggle or that Billy Crudup did a spectacular job with his role as does Patrick Fugit, Frances McDormand, Jason Lee and everyone else.
The appropriate venues were used and the depiction of products, vehicles, music gear and clothes were all very well done. Nothing seemed to be out of place. The language used in the screenplay was very good and (dare I say it) right on.
There are a few questionable edits and some small continuity problems but I only was aware of them after multiple viewings.
A great film depicting a time that, although, has been seen before in film was never as well played out as it is in this film.

Rating:
Summary: This Is The Version To Get
Review: Almost Famous is very good, but Almost Famous Untitled - The Bootleg Cut (Director's Edition) has extra material that fills in the gaps that add so much more to the story. I recommend that you don't pass it up if you can find it.

Rating:
Summary: Best commentary I've heard
Review: Not only does this wonderful film perfectly capture the magical time and place of early 70's rock and roll, but it features the best director's commentary that I've heard on a DVD. This is mainly attributed to the fact that Almost Famous was essentially an autobiography about Cameron Crowe's own experiences in becoming a Rolling Stone journalist. The commentary track also includes Crowe's mother who plays a significant role in the film as well. It is very interesting to hear them recollect the scenes that actually happened in their lives. It makes the movie even more real than it already feels.

I can go on and on about the film itself, but all I will tell you is that the additional footage should have never been cut from the theatrical release. This DVD is a must have!

Rating:
Summary: "Almost" hits the mark
Review: As I was born in the 1980s, I can only check out the era of blossoming rock'n'roll (Rolling Stones, the Doors, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin) through books and movies. "Almost Famous," a semi-autobiographical movie about the 1970s rock scene, gives a glimpse of the life of a young reporter (based on Crowe himself). A must-see for music fans!

When William's sister (Zooey Deschanel) left home, she gave him her collection of records: the Who, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and many others. When William (Patrick Fugit) is fifteen he manages to get a writing assignment with Creem, and then with Rolling Stone magazine to write about the rising rock band Stillwater (think a mixture of the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin). William falls in with the Stillwater guys and their circle of adoring groupies, including an effervescent blonde, Penny Lane (Kate Hudson).

Despite the displeasure of his controlling but loving mom (she claims adolescence is a marketing ploy), William accompanies Stillwater across the country. He keeps trying to get an interview with guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup), but Russell is too busy partying with Penny and diving off rooftops (literally) to give William his material. But some alarming incidents show William that the drugs, sex and rock'n'roll are only a veneer for what really matters.

"Almost Famous" is a fantastic mixture of expose and tribute -- there's music, there's romance, there's comedy. There isn't a lot of pratfall humor, although there is some (Anna Paquin running smack into a cement wall); the scene on the airplane where everyone confesses their sins is fantastic (Ed's only line is hysterically anticlimactic). We get to see inter-band conflict (who's the star?), groupies, rock journalism, and the unfortunate aftereffects for groupies. Yet the sort-of-romance between Penny and William is very sweet, rooted in genuine affection.

Both the glamour and the grit is shown here. The dialogue sparkles ("Last words: I dig music... I'M ON DRUGS!", "Forgive me Father, for I may sin tonight," "I'm about to boldly go where... many men have gone before"), and the direction is superb -- it cuts forward just when it needs to; the camera follows people out onto the dizzying stage and then zooms in for intimate close-ups. Nowhere else could a stomach-pumping scene actually contain an element of romance.

Patrick Fugit is a surprisingly solid lead, with a sort of wide-eyed innocence that contrasts sharply with everyone else. Kate Hudson plays a sweet groupie who doesn't practice what she preaches ("Never take it seriously, you never get hurt.") and falls in love with Russell -- only to get tossed away. Her fragile "why doesn't he love me?" is one of the best lines in the movie. Billy Crudup has disarming charm and selfishness as Russell; Anna Paquin is very funny as one of Penny's groupie pals ("Don't worry, he's still a virgin"); Jason Lee is likably grumpy as Jeff Bebe, and Frances McDormand is fantastic as Fugit's weird mother.

Music lovers and rock aficionados will love "Almost Famous," a bittersweet coming-of-age comedy/drama/music movie. A rare treat. When and where does this "real world" occur?

Rating:
Summary: Almost Perfect!
Review: This two-disc set really should be a lesson to everyone else who is releasing DVD's today. Full of great extras, two different versions of the film, some cool easter eggs and wonderful commentary, this is a perfect DVD set. First off, the movie is wonderful- it really did not get the attention it deserved when it came out. The acting, writing, soundtrack- all wonderful. Every performance is wonderful- not a weak actor in the film though I have to give a special nod to Philip Seymour Hoffman as rock critic Lester Bangs- just a great fit. Based on Director Cameron Crowe's life as a teen writing for Rolling Stone in the 1970's- the movie has a gentle touch to it with a delightful love story and a fair amount of laughs. The sound (both Dolby Digital and DTS) is great as is the picture quality. The extras are many and the disappointments few. Crowe's mom rocks as she watches a part of her life on the screen. This is a fun package. This is a DVD that should be part of the collection of anyone who enjoys good movies and the potential fulfilled of a great DVD package. Keep rocking Stillwater!

Rating:
Summary: Magical
Review: I don't know what it is with me and the 60's and 70's. I have seen every episode of the Wonder Years, wondering if Kevin and Winnie will ever find their way back to eachother... which if I remember correctly they didn't. And movies such as Dick, the unmaking of the president and the TV movie The 60's. So when I was browsing in my videostore and saw Almost Famous, there was no way I was leaving without it. Having heard so much praise for it and with the Oscarnominations speaking for themselves as well, it was just a must.
So I sat myself down one free afternoon, got myself my supplies, meaning coke and extra salty popcorn with butter ofcourse. I popped in the video and pressed play.

This really was one of the best movies I have ever seen. Honestly! I usually love movies because I'm a fan of one of the actors or actresses, but I hardly knew anyone in here and that made the story speak even more for itself. I watched this movie and pressed rewind and immediately watched again.
The story is about a fifteen year old boy William, who is passionate about music. He writes reviews in his spare time and sends them out to various magazines. One day he gets a call from Rolling Stone magazine asking them to do a story. They don't know his age, offer him lots of money and send him out on an all expenses paid trip with this up and coming rockband, Stillwater. He travels with the band and their Band-Aids, amongst others Penny Lane (played by Kate Hudson) and embarks on this coming of age journey. A journey filled with new experiences, love, drugs, sex and rock and roll. All the actors shine in this movie and Kate Hudson's Oscarnomination comes as no surprise to me. All the characters come across as honest and believable.

In Dawson's creek it is mentioned that a movie reviewer said "it reminds us why we still go to the movies" and that is I think the best way to describe it. It leaves you with this feel-good feeling and just reminds you that there is good in the world.
My favorite moment is without a doubt the scene where they sit in the bus, all grumpy at first and then they all start singing along to 'Tiny dancer' by Elton John and they share this wonderful moment. This magic movie moment is also the reason why I went and got the soundtrack the very next day. A movie to remember.

Rating:
Summary: This movie made me want to be a music journalist
Review: Writer/director Cameron Crowe digs into his past and comes up with a rose-colored gem in Almost Famous, a touching and entertaining trip that rolls along through the wild rock scene of the 1970s. This semi-autobiographical story follows the coming-of-age of William Miller, a teenage prodigy journalist who lands an assignment for Rolling Stone magazine, and chronicles the depth of emotion that happens in a love affair with rock-and-roll.

Patrick Fugit plays the young protagonist, a smarter-than-his-age music geek whose sister (Zooey Deschanel) promises he'll be cool someday. Someday comes when William is taken in by the "band aids" (otherwise known as groupies) at a Black Sabbath concert and gets swept up in the circus of life on the road, despite the strong reservations of his overprotective mother (a feisty and funny Frances McDormand). Crowe distills his early experiences with the Allman Brothers Band and Led Zeppelin into Stillwater, a fictitious Midwestern band embarking on its first major tour. Guiding William by phone is Lester Bangs, the legendary Creem magazine critic who tells him "don't make friends with the rock stars." William does of course, and in his exuberance, falls for the angelic and mysterious band aid, Penny Lane, whom Kate Hudson plays with a rapturous combination of playful passion and vulnerability.

William soon realizes that the music is not the only affair happening on tour. Penny Lane is enamored with Stillwater's guitarist, Russell Hammond (played with a troubling mix of charm and selfishness by Billy Crudup), and William becomes a go-between for the pair. Although the film tends to shy away from the truly darker parts of the era, the characters uncover in sweet and more personal moments the various shades of honesty and reality that are part of being an adult. It helps that the wonderfully-written dialogue also manages to avoid much of the saccharine tart that has stolen the emotional cred of some of Crowe's past movies, namely Jerry Maguire.

But what is most impressive about Almost Famous is the fact that none of its many characters get lost in the mix. Each is thoroughly drawn and played with gusto, from Stillwater's prickly lead singer (Jason Lee) who refers to William as "the Enemy," to the manic and outspoken Lester Bangs, through whom Phillip Seymour Hoffman shows his seemingly unending range by countering Fugit's innocence and energy with a jaded razor wit.

Finally, no review of a Cameron Crowe movie would be complete without mentioning the soundtrack. This is a movie about the 70s after all, and the music takes center-stage throughout. When the band sings along to Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" on their tour bus, it becomes the emotional benchmark of the film. It is also a scene that could easily be considered an attempt at coy filler in the hands of another director. But Crowe asks the audience to simply listen and experience the bond that occurs when music gets a hold of you.

Rating:
Summary: Almost a total loser
Review: This was really a dull film with not much to engage the viewer. I mean, the subtext was original in a way: the pain of being ugly. And that may be why it's dull. When you see a movie you kind of want to spend a couple hours with beautiful people. Dull, dull, dull.

Rating:
Summary: A Revisit to my era!
Review: Wow, never have I seen a movie that came so close to what it was "really" like to grow up in the 70's!! The music was like I was sitting on my front porch in 1972, and I was floored!! Unfortunately, not everyone can say they experienced that great time, but this movie is a definate close second! The actors were right on the mark with clothes, and the music was exact. They say you can never go back, but you can (even if for 2 hours) with this movie!!! Bravo Cameron Crowe!!