Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: I loved this movie when I saw it at the theater. I also had a lot of questions about the story and the characters. Crowe answers all in the bootleg dvd. The uncut version of the film is excellent and explains the relationship between Penny Lane and Russell much better. Excellent entertainment and I highly recommend it to any fan of Kate Hudson's or Goldie Hawn.
Rating:
Summary: love it ... even better that it's a true story!
Review: This is based on the true story of Cameron Crowe, who, at age 15, got hired by Rolling Stone magazine to follow a band in the 1970s and write an interview about it. The movie renames his character as William Miller, and he is so uncool ... The first thing he does is idolize the band's leader (Billy Crudup) and fall in love with beautiful vivacious Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), a Band-Aid -- NOT a groupie --- who happens to be the somewhat-girlfriend of the leader.Kate Hudson was wonderful as Penny Lane, and I am most cheered by the outcome for her character, that her life was saved and turned around by meeting William Miller. Any female will see some of herself in Penny, who loves a guy who would trade her for a keg of beer in a second, and hope she sees it herself before it's too late. A great movie with an awesome soundtrack, I would give Almost Famous 10 stars if I could!
Rating: 
Summary: You tell me...
Review: I just don't get it. This movie was MAYBE good. People treat Crowe like he is the Second Coming after this flick.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost a documentary..
Review: Roll back the 70s: a teenaged reporter who writes reviews for underground rock-mag Creem gets a sudden break when he's employed by big-league-mag Rolling Stone to go on the road with up and coming Stillwater and deliver a report on them.
During a wild 3 weeks on the road he (and we) sees the inside of rock n' roll of that era. All the elements are there. The 70's looks and attires, the drugs, the music (original songs written among others by P.Frampton and Cameron Crowe), the teeny "rebellions", the inner band strifes,the groupies and the developing rock industry, the then societal pulse, and the overall atmosphere set by the film's main characters, most notably the teen-reporter, star-groupie Penny Lane and of course the band members and last but not least the boy's "crypto-conservative" desperately-trying-to-be-progressive mother.
"Almost famous" is a brilliant film. Before you can even begin to care whether what the film depicts is accurate, you find yourself laughing endlessly, and being "sucked-in" by a story that at times has semi-documentary touches (makes sense, as the story is a semi-biographical account of Cameron Crowe's) and loving the main characters (all charismatic in their own sense).
The film's main "weapon" is its superb humor. I dont merely mean one-liners but the overall feeling it has, you dont only laugh but this movie tends to have a feel-good sense all over it as well. It's supposed to, right? After all, this is the 70s when everything still had a "purpose" or when things seemed to be more upbeat (compare with the prozac ridden 90s and their "nowhere to go from here" sentiment).
All the actors do a terrific job to make the time machine work here. The mother is great in portaying a representative of the mothers generation that first perceived music as an "enemy" and as a gateway to drugs and (oh my god) wild sex. The band members are going from cool to uncool all the time (as real band members very often do) as they try to act like rock stars ("make us look cool, man") and at the same time try to maintain their human nature (...). The teeny reporter (in my opinion the least convincing of the lot) is decent too while the show is stolen by the enigmatic and pivotal character of groupie Penny Lane. She's is the one character that the others actually revolve around like satellites whether they realise it or not and also serves as a solid reminder of that period as well ( or maybe, not only of that period, in fact, why is rock music being mostly made if not to be "cool and get chicks")..
The dialogue is great, the directing is great, the actors do a great job. Anything missing from Almost Famous to keep it from being a classic?? I would think not, but: because of the way this film works and of its very nature ppl will tend to see it as somewhat of a documentary. Is it? Tough question that one.
The rock era of the 70s wasnt a monodimensional one. It wasn't only about bands that were Led Zepellin lookalikes and people who were constantly professing "it's all happening man", and above all things were not always that lighthearted. In fact, a lot of people back then thought that there was a musical revolution going on which was going to -in turn- bring about an overall change of things. Ask anyone who's over 45 whether the music of that era did bring about a revolution and get prepared for some really long discussions with very differing conclusions. Inotherwords, there were very many people around back then who took the whole thing very VERY seriously. Perhaps that is -epidermically- depicted by the rock critic in the film.
It would be unfair though to criticize the film on that premise. After all you cant expect a film to fit in all that in 2 hours. And even if it somehow had done that it could've very easily been boring albeit more accurate.
The fact of the matter is that "Almost Famous" is a wonderful film in very many respects. It goes from hilariously funny to touching with its dripping nostalgia. And yes it does have this "things were better and purer back then" feeling to it, but in the end the way people perceive the times they live in depend on very many different factors.
I've seen this movie twice already and loved it both times and i hardly see how anyone could not love it actually no matter what other thoughts are to be had on the side.
Almost famous is almost perfect
Rating:
Summary: Works Even Better On The Small Screen!
Review: Saw this originally in the theater. Liked it. Bought a copy for home viewing & enjoyed it even more. Works really well on the small screen. It's an intimate movie. A little bit like reading an autobiography in the shape of a movie...that must be why it works so well on the small screen.
Absolutely terrific. Flawless period detail. Every performance is superb. Funny. Touching. Very Rock 'n' Roll! Even folks who can't remember 1973 will feel nostalgic. Can't wait to watch it over again. Don't hesitate buying it. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Drag
Review: What a lousy film. I was looking forward to it. It had an unwelcome "the-anger-of-ugly-people" plot. Who cares? But the good looking people didn't even have any charisma at all. Billy Crudup is DULL. I was appalled when this script won an Oscar. I thought it was tired and boring and I was wishing the plane would crash in the plane-almost-crashing scene, because at least then the movie would have ENDED.
Rating:
Summary: "Almost Famous" DVDeserves This Loving "Uncut" Treatment
Review: There's a moment early on in "Untitled", Cameron Crowe's 'Bootleg' Director's Cut of "Almost Famous", where rock critic Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), in mid-rant, claims that the Box Tops' "The Letter" says more in less than two minutes, without even trying, than Jethro Tull can say in hours, while trying their damndest. It got me thinking: why didn't Crowe take his own advice? Why did he take a perfectly serviceable 122-minute movie that appeared to say everything, and turn it into a 162-minute movie? Well, I've seen "Untitled". It blows up "Almost Famous", makes it spectacle and spectacular, while never losing its intimate edge. This is a case where more of a good thing doesn't turn into too much of a good thing. What do you get with "Untitled"? Well, more character. Backstories are fleshed out, relationships are better defined, and the humanity becomes more human. We see William's (Patrick Fugit) kleptomania, along with more examples of how his youth made him an outcast. We get Penny Lane's (Kate Hudson) nurturing side, explicitly portrayed. And we get a full-on glimpse of Jeff Bebe's (Jason Lee) envy, why it started and how it manifests itself. A couple of full scenes are added, most notably a radio station appearance that's terribly funny, albeit irrelevant to the plot. But most of the additional footage comes from existing scenes being lengthened. More often than not, the point is clarified without boring the audience with tediousness. The audio commentary begins with Cameron Crowe outlining the two paths they might go down. The first is the hemming-and-hawing path, where all the truths are covered up, in favour of banal stories and technical information. The second path is the heart-on-your-sleeve path, where all the inspirations and backstories are owned up to, where mistakes are agonized over, and the truth is king. If you've ever seen a Cameron Crowe movie, or heard the man speak more than two sentences, you'll know which path he chooses. Crowe dominates the track. He's joined by a couple of execs (or PA's or something; they're never really introduced and don't say much). But the real treat of the track is the inclusion of one Mrs. Alice Crowe, Cameron's mom (and Frances McDormand's doppelganger). Besides being a doting mother, and quick to offer praise for her son, she also offers some real insights into the genesis of the film. She appears to know the movie backwards and forwards, and acts as further proof of the film's accuracy. It's amazing to see how much of the movie was really based on actual events. Every scene appears to begin with either Cameron or Alice being taken aback by the memories it invokes. This is probably one of the best commentary tracks I've heard, for the inclusion, in equal measure, of technical information, on set anecdotes, and passion. Also included on Disc One is real life video footage of an interview with Lester Bangs. Lester's vitriol is palpable, his menacing nature is enormous, but his warmth shines through. It's an interesting tidbit, in that it offers further proof that Hoffman is one of the greatest actors working today, for he doesn't stoop to imitating Lester. It's more like channeling. Then, Cameron includes a list -- complete with fully-represented album covers -- of his top albums of 1973 (the year the film is set). An interesting curiosity. Some of the works actually inform specific scenes from the film, which is kind of a neat trick. They've also put together a "video" for the Stillwater song "Love Comes and Goes", which is basically a montage of behind-the-scenes moments from the Rock Camp the actors had to go through. More of this can bee seen on "B-Sides", another video montage. Most interesting is the inclusion of seven of Crowe's Rolling Stone articles from the era, printed in their entirety. It's not hard to see the nascent voice of Crowe the filmmaker shining through these passion-filled pieces. Disc Two has a lot less going for it. Its main feature is the original theatrical version of the movie. Also included is the full-length (15 minutes or so) Cleveland Concert, parts of which we see in the movie. Despite the fact that Billy Crudup sometimes plays notes not actually in the songs, and that Jason Lee still has to work on his between song banter, this footage shows just how well the actors did in achieving their collective band persona. The music's not that great, but the vibe, captured by on-stage camera work, is authentic. The Production Notes section is basically the same essay you'll find in the box's liner notes, only with additional information. There's an interesting little video moment, with Pete Droge and Elaine Summers singing "Small Time Blues" in a Hyatt House hotel room. It's a moment quickly passed by in the actual movie. But here you get to hear the whole song, from William's voyeuristic point-of-view, and it's just stunningly beautiful. You can also scroll through Crowe's screenplay, peruse the cast and crew bios, and watch the theatrical trailer. Disc Three is an audio CD. It's got the six Stillwater songs, written variously by Nancy Wilson, Cameron Crowe, and Peter Frampton, among others. They're not very good songs, and I'm not sure they fit the era they're supposed to come from, but for an "Almost Famous" completist, like myself, it's neat to have them in all their (sub-)glory. A lot of effort was put into making this set look like a real bootleg, the kind of clandestine little document you'd pick up at a seedy record store. I think the look and feel enhance the movie. Which was pretty good to begin with.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost a Rock and Roll Commercial
Review: The only thing good about this movie was it promoted drugs,and songs from Elton John, The Who, Led Zepplin, and many more. Other than that it was a waste of time. I've seen better plots than this on V-H1. It is just same old story from other rock and roll movies. (A loser boy that's into rock and roll lands a job with a rock and roll magazine and interviews Led Zepplin wanabes. Plus he meets this sterotypical wild girl that has sex with him plus with a few other girls in the room.) Doesn't that story sound very familar? BORING! Been there. Done that. If anyone is a fan of Rock and Roll, then don't watch this because it makes Rock and Roll sound boring.
Rating:
Summary: The "bootleg" edition is the one to own.
Review: This director's edition of "Almost Famous" is one of the best DVDs on the market. "Almost Famous" is Cameron Crowe's autobiographical story about a teen-aged reporter on the road with a rock and roll band. The character that Crowe based on himself is William Miller (well played by Patrick Fugit). A reporter for his high school newspaper, the unpopular William dreams of writing for a rock and roll publication. He gets his big chance when he meets his idol, rock reporter Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman, in a great supporting role). Bangs tells William to write an interview for Cream Magazine. That interview (with Black Sabbath) does not happen, but he meets the opening act, Stillwater. Soon, Wlliam finds himself on the road with Stillwater, with an assignment to write an article about them for Rolling Stone. William is befriended by groupie Penny Lane (Kate Hudson, who deservedly won a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination), whose boyfriend is the band's lead guitarist (Billy Crudup). What follows is William's sometimes funny and sometimes painful experiences with life on the road. He becomes friends with the band and falls in love with Penny, all while trying to write an objective article for the magazine. It is hard for him to stay objective about his new friends. As Lester observes:"They made you feel cool. And I've met you. You are not cool." These situations are all observed with a lot of heart and soul in Cameron Crowe's Oscar winning script. Frances McDormand adds just the right touch as William's mother, who doesn't understand her son's dreams, but wants to be supportive anyway. The "bootleg" edition DVD is loaded with lots of REALLY COOL extras. The first disc includes a director's cut with 35 extra minutes, including a birthday party scene for Penny, among others. The second disc includes the original film. The package also gives you commentary by Crowe and his mother Alice; behind-the-scenes foootage; unseen Stillwater concert footage; the original shooting script; an interview with Bangs from 1973; Crowe's top 10 albums of 1973; reprints of Crowe's articles for Rolling Stone; even a six track CD of Stillwater's songs. Only "Fever Dog" appears on both this CD and the soundtrack album. All the songs on the bonus CD are great. "Almost Famous" is one of my favorite movies in recent years. If you are as big a fan of the film as I am, you'll want to get this double disc set. It is a "must purchase."
Rating:
Summary: It's All Happening!
Review: What else can I say, but this movie ROCKS! There isn't a dull moment in this film and I can never get enough of the song Fever Dog. This special edition is so worth the money because you not only get fab commentary by Mr.Crowe himself, but get some commentary from his mom Ann. You also get a Fever Dog CD, which I thought was pretty cool, and I really loved watching Untitled, this was the uncut version of the movie. I liked it better than the original version. I just love this movie! Thanks Mr. Crowe!
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