Rating: 
Summary: Almost Famous Shines!
Review: ~This has got to be The BEST film I have senn in all time. Kate Hudson as Penny Lane, literally shines in every scene.Set in San Diego in the early 1970s, Almost Famous subtly introduces the element of rock'n'roll music as a venue for freedom. Finding moral support in the lyrics of Simon & Garfunkel, 18-year-old Anita (Zooey Deschanel) rebels against her conservative mother Elaine (Frances McDormand). Deciding to leave home, she urges her younger brother William to let himself be influenced~~ by the music of the era. Over the years, William (Patrick Fugit) develops an interest and befriends legendary music critic Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman: Flawless, Magnolia, The Talented Mr. Ripley), who asks him to cover a Black Sabbath concert for "Creem" magazine. His article earns the mature-sounding 15-year-old an assignment from Rolling Stone magazine to join the more accessible "Stillwater" band and interview lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) and lead singer~~ Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee) during their "Almost Famous" concert tour. Postponing his obligations at school and at home, William develops emotional ties with the band and with the coquettish groupie Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), and discovers the contradictions of being a subjective journalist. Almost Famous constructs its plot with effective time constraints which create suspense and establish the film's sense of humor. This is explored within the arena of William's responsibilities toward his~~ editor (who thinks the writer he has hired over the phone is much older) and his mother (who wishes her boy is mature enough to resist peer pressure and drugs, but young enough to obey her). Both the editor and the mother, who require that William constantly check back with them and who impose deadlines (to submit the article outline or to return home), communicate with the protagonist via the phone throughout most of the film. Still, rather than interrupt the boy's tour/trip with the band, the~~ editor/mother interludes emphasize the main character's inability to escape from duty. The comedy rises from William's efforts to be seen as a free adult --a status the band members claim to have reached-- while he struggles with his evident inexperience. Never quite reaching a dramatic point, Almost Famous maintains a comfortable level of seriousness as it explores the main character's doubts and decisions in relation to his role as "The Enemy", or the critic who "writes what he sees."~~ Not letting his perceptions be influenced by the illusion of friendship, nor letting them deny the validity of his subjective reality, the protagonist finds freedom in those attempts that "almost" fail or "almost succeed". In this sense, Almost Famous finds a temperate --almost happy-- middle ground in its treatment of such commonly temperamental issues as sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.~
Rating: 
Summary: THIS MOVIE STINKS!!!!!!!
Review: I bought this movie with the expectation it would be good to have in my D.V.D collection.I am leaving right now to trade it in at a video store and hope to get at least 7 dollars towards the purchase of something worthwhile like "Bio-Dome" with Pauly Shore.This movie is not interesting at all,the plot is boring,the characters are dull although the ending was good because I knew it was over....
Rating: 
Summary: Almost Famous - Completely Brilliant
Review: I do not have much to say about this film, except to say that it is brilliant.
Based on a true story, this film is one of the future classics of the American film industry. Directed by Cameron Crowe (the story is based on real events that have happened to him), it gives one of the most realistic portrayals of what it is like to be the extra guy in the band. Even if you don't play for them. It gives a very accurate depiction of the lives of groupies, musicians, and reporters of the 70's rock scene. If you love bands like Allman Brothers, Led Zepellin, Peter Frampton, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, this movie is for you.
Go on get it. Get it now. You will not be dissapointed.
Rating:
Summary: A Film Lover's Dream
Review: Almost Famous was easily among the best films of 2001. Kate Hudson lights up the screen in every scene that she appears in, whether she is speaking or not. Just watching her is enough to make a viewer smile. The film features an Oscar-Winning screenplay, superb acting from Kate Hudson, Patrick Fugit, and Billy Crudup, and a story you will never forget. There is so much to appreciate about this film that it is hard to describe it without rambling on and on. So, bottom line: See this film!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies I have ever seen
Review: Two hundred fifty other reviewers have already weighed in with their opinion on this film, but I have to add my thoughts too. This is a simply amazing movie -- there is no other way to describe it. The story line is so compelling, the acting is so suburb, and the emotion the film creates is incredible.
I am no fan of classic rock -- I came of age with the grunge sounds of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, et al. However, in this movie, the classic rock is perfect. It actually rocks the film from beginning to end, adding another layer of depth to the story as Cameron Crowe's masterfully selected soundtrack perfectly mirrors the emotions being expressed onscreen.
As the plot develops, we can see the way William is falling for the band and falling for Penny Lane, both romances that we know will lead to pain for him. Yet there is no way for us to stop it from happening, and when it does happen, it still hurts to watch, even though we knew it was coming. More importantly, through it all, we get to see William grow and ultimately become a better, more mature, stronger person as a result of his experiences and his heartbreak.
If you like music, you should see this film. If you've ever had a growing-up experience, you should see this film. If you've ever fallen in love with someone with whom you had no chance of being with, you should see this film. In short: see this film!
Rating:
Summary: A sweet and sad look at Seventies Rock
Review: I put this in my DVD-player with some hesitation. I was born in the 70s, and I love the music, but the lifestyles and the culture of the time doesn't hold a lot of allure for me. I had heard good things about this movie, though, so I checked it out, and I'm glad I did. The characters were pretty much all likeable. I loved Russell, even though he could be a jerk. I adored William, even though he was naive (maybe because he was naive). And I absolutely adored Penny Lane. Kate Hudson's performance in this movie was touching and endearing. She captured the magnetism and wisdom and vulnerability that was required for this role. Yes, wisdom, because Penny Lane was very wise about the lifestyle they were leading...she just wasn't wise about her own heart. I wasn't too impressed with Jason Lee's performance, but it may just be the role he was given. Billy Crudup did a fantastic job, and Patrick Fugit shone in his role. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was also great as William's mentor, Lester Bangs. The climax and resolution were certainly unexpected, but I thought it was an appropriate way to end this story. This movie also provides a great quote; towards the end of the movie, Lester is talking about being uncool, and he says, "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." All in all I give this movie a hearty recommendation.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost threw my TV out the window - REALLY disappointing
Review: Because it got overwhelmingly good reviews, I had high hopes for this film - you can scarcely imagine a better target for knowing ridicule than the world of rock 'n' roll, and Cameron Crowe, having written for Rolling Stone, has the credentials to do this. And basing a film around the celebratedly outrageous Lester Bangs had to be a riot. Didn't it? Apparently not. Almost Famous doesn't even hint at some of the outrageous things which actually were going on in the rock scene at the time. Bangs is portrayed not as a odorous, loudmouthed, romilar-addicted wild-eyed preacher-man of rock journalism, but as an eccentric, slightly cranky uncle. What it boils down to it that this isn't a rock movie at all. It's a coming-of-age movie. It's about a 13 year old Cameron Crowe bluffing his way into writing for Rolling Stone. Now, that story *MIGHT* have been interesting if he'd decided to tell it straight - actually naming and shaming - but he doesn't. He wimps out by making up the characters and then double wimps out by making the characters dull. Stillwater - the fictional band at the heart of the action - are completely implausible as rock idols, having no streak of threat about them at all. They all wear brushed cotton shirts. If you ignore the cop-out plot headline, what you're left with is some silly treacly stuff between mother and son (not even Frances McDormand can save this one, having been given a stinker of a part as a college lecturer and highly-strung mom) and a highly improbable, depressingly sanitised sub-plot about a sixteen year old groupie who doesn't *do* it. Good one, Cameron. If you want a coming-of-age movie, watch River Phoenix in Stand By Me. If you want a rock 'n' roll spoof, then there's still only one contender - This is Spinal Tap. But as for this minor turkey - if you see it on the shelf at the video store and think twice... keep walking.
Rating:
Summary: Almost Famous
Review: Almost Famous reaches out to anyone who has ever been caught between the expectations of normalcy and experiencing the extraordinary. William, the main character, struggles with the pressure from his mother to be a "person of substance" in the real world. Yet, he also wants to be part of the rock and roll lifestyle on the road with Stillwater. The emphasis on the real world is just a personal construction that changes every day. More people may accept a certain way of life as reality, but others create their own unique reality. For William's mother it is education and success; for Penny Lane it is living in the moment with rock stars.
Stillwater adopts William as part of their family. William is working as a journalist for Rolling Stone is referred to as the "enemy". To the band, he is the enemy because his reflections of them can shape how the rest of the world views them personally and their music. It is his job to report his observations, not present the band how they want to be seen. As William befriends the band, he realizes it is hard to be honest but concludes that honesty is true friendship.
For William, life on the road is different than life at home. On the road, there is no routine, everything changes from city to city. He is part of the group instead of an outcast, as he is at school. While he is out of his element he does expereince life on the road.
The movie left me wondering what it was like for Stillwater and the band aids after the party was over. Where do you go after reaching out to so many people and then fade away from the spotlight? It is also interesting whether or not the experience changed William.
Rating:
Summary: ALMOST PERFECT
Review: The character development of this film is flawless. Crowe guides us through the plot with humor, sentiment, and nostalgia. We know these people. Hell, I knew a lot of these people in high school. The performances ARE perfect, and I was quite disappointed at it's lack of Oscar nominations. This, in my opinion, was the best film of the year. So why only 4 stars? Well, there's a sequence at the end that just annoyed me. Upon finally getting his exclusive interview, William asks his first question... and the movie should have ended. But Crowe chose to do a series of cuts that were jumbled and out of sequence. It really was a series of some bad choices. I don't know what effect he was trying to achieve, it was lost on me. Maybe someone else has an interpretation. At any rate, it was a second-class ending to a first-rate movie. The last minute aside, this movie is a classic, one that I will watch many times for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: WOW - how incredibly mediocre
Review: This movie was obviously put out in a year of some pretty weak movies. The fact that this movie was actually nominated for awards is beyond explanation. Let's talk about Kate Hudson (you know she is Goldie Hawn's daughter - make me puke). I cannot believe she was nominated for an award - for what? She is an empty suit. I've seen better acting from the Olsen twins. I guess it is good to be related to the right people. This movie has one interesting angle, the start of a journalist's career. Other than that, I think everybody should face the fact that this movie was supposed to be a view of the "wild and decadent 70's" and was nothing more than a poorly acted (Kate Hudson, Jason Lee) hollywood production - nothing decadent about it. The Soundtrack - big deal - listen to any classical rock station for more than an hour and I guarantee you will hear the entire soundtrack - nothing special.
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