The Film Experience

In preparation for the next Smackdown Team Experience is traveling back to 2000.

This photo is an instant serotonin hit.

By: Christopher James

Almost Famous is a love story. That’s not as a reference to teenage journalist wunderkind William (Patrick Fugit) and his love for legendary “band-aide” Penny Lane (Kate Hudson). It’s also not a reference to William’s adoration for the band Stillwater, which sets off the chain of events. Writer-director Cameron Crowe made Almost Famous as a love letter to professional passion. William loves music and just wants outlets to profess his feelings on the subject. Can a journalist be a fan? This is a question asked multiple times throughout the movie. In the end, the answer is yes and no. You have to love something enough to devote your life to it, but not so much that you get swallowed up by it...

Though I myself am not a huge music fan, Almost Famous instantly became one of my all time favorite films when I watched it in high school. William’s love for music reminded me of my love for movies. As I’ve grown older and revisited the film many times, I’ve seen how it’s simultaneously fawning over the music industry and acting as a cautionary tale. Loving music brings color to William’s life, but it also gives him an unrealistic image that the business, and the band Stillwater specifically, can never live up to. Penny Lane also falls victim to William’s rose colored view of things. She’s regarded as a Goddess by so many that no one looks hard enough to see the self-conscious girl behind all the confidence.

So how to write an ode to one of my all-time favorite movies? Is it possible to be objective? Much to the chagrin of Alison (Erin Foley), the Rolling Stone fact checker, I have to write as a fan. Here are the ten moments, in no particular order, that made me fall in love with the film all over again (though there are many more):

William's Beautiful Naivete

It's hard to carry a movie as the youngest person in the ensemble and be the audience surrogate. William Miller, a precotious San Diego teenager, scams his way into covering the Stillwater tour for Rolling Stone magazine. He's not some con man mastermind though. He's a sweet kid who loves music in almost an academic sense, but has never been out in the world of rock and roll thanks to his protective mother, Elaine (Frances McDormand). Fugit always makes William enearingly naive, not stupid. This particuarly comes up in his love triangle with Penny and Russell. Moments where he kicks his laundry in frustration or gives the middle finger to Russell's door when he's having sex with Penny reflects William's age. He never stop being fifteen. Similarly, it's hilarious to hear him drop his voice low to fool Rolling Stone about his age. As the band gets bigger and the article shows front page potential, William is given many chances to sell out. Yet, he has been raised to have a conscience and is not old enough to compromise what he knows to be right versus wrong. Fugit's performance will never be as flashy as his outsized counterparts. Yet, it's wonderfully textured and is the glue that holds the movie together.

The Undersung Zooey Deschanel

Is Zooey Deschanel the best performance in Almost Famous? No. However, so many actors get tons of notice when this film is talked about (two of which will be featured on the Supporting Actress Smackdown this week). However, Deschanel’s Anita is a character that I can never shake off each time I watch. Her rebellious child act feels familiar, yet you can always see how Anita and her Mom, Elaine (Frances McDormand) are cut from the same cloth. Their arguments, care for William and inability to compromise are what bind them, rather than tear them apart. While Anita lets out an excited yell upon leaving, her exuberance quickly fades, almost as if she knows she’s leaving childhood behind. When Anita reappears at the end of the film, it feels like a warm hug. Despite being gone for years, her presence feels like home. While her reunion with William is touching, her first moments with Elaine are truly dynamite. With the benefit of time, they’re able to laugh, cry and lightly roast each other. Living life as an adult has given each of them a new level of respect for each other.

The “Band Aides”

God bless the Band Aides. Polexia, Estrella, and Sapphire represent a real who’s who of late 90s teen stars. They’re played by Oscar winner Anna Paquin, Bijou Phillips, and Fairuza Balk, respectively. While Penny Lane is the grand dame of the Band Aides, the rest of the crew adds texture to the world of the tour. In so many ways, Penny is the Peter Pan to these Lost Girls, who want to be treated like grown ups, but don't actually want to grow up. Of the three of them, Fairuza Balk's Sapphire stands out. She get an incredible entrance ("Does Anybody Remember Laughter?") and nails some key physical comedy beats (her running into the wall as she chases the bus will never not be funny). Not only that, more than anyone she represents the moral compass for the people on the road. She's the one to take Russell to task for how he mistreated Penny and William. Even earlier in the film, she's the one person that Elaine feels she can relate to on the phone. Penny Lane may be the leader of the Band Aides, but Sapphire is arguably the most mature "mother hen" of the group, always looking out for everyone.

Billy Crudup: The “Golden God”

Russell is so easy to romanticize. When Russell stands atop the roof of a house party in Topeka, about to jump into the pool, he declares “I Am A Golden God” with his arms outstretched and a crowd of teens cheering. In many ways, William, Penny and the movie had looked at Russell as a Golden God up until this point. It’s not that Russell is insidious, he just has drank the same kool-aid that his fans have been drinking. Can you call them delusions of grandeur if everyone around him constantly feeds into this perception that he is “a Golden God?” Few performers could keep you charmed by Russell throughout the movie while he engages in insane feats of narcissism. Luckily, Billy Crudup is an adept (and adorable) enough actor to walk this tricky tightrope. Even as he sits across from William in the final moments, we’re rooting for Russell. As Elaine says, “It's not too late for you to become a person of substance, Russell.” Some watches I fall for Russell. Some watches I despise Russell. However, with every watch I’m fascinated by Russell.

Doris: The “Tiny Dancer”

Cinema is filled with iconic buses. Some examples include Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the van in Little Miss Sunshine, and most recently Vanguard in Nomadland. They're more than modes of transportation, they're home. This is incredibly true of Stillwater's bus, affectionately named Doris. Rolling Stone did a 20 year reunion of the Almost Famous cast to talk specifically about this “Tiny Dancer” singalong. If there's any one enduring cultural moment from the film, it's this singalong. This comes directly after Russell abandoned the group to party with teens and scream "I'm a Golden God" while on drugs. Everyone is fractured and exhausted. Yet, a well timed singalong temporarily mends all the wounds within the Stillwater band. It's a moment of pure euphoria. William turns to Penny, saying he needs to go home. Penny assures him, he is home. Doris is the home of the band. Trading Doris in for a plane is the root of Stillwater's problems. They sell out everyone that loves them in order to rise to the next escelon for success. First it's their manager, Dick (Noah Taylor). Next, it's Penny. By the time they jettison Doris, they are too far gone.

Kate Hudson: Worth More Than A Case of Beer

It’s true, I could talk about Kate Hudson’s performance as Penny Lane ad nauseum for days. However, she’ll get plenty of chatter during this week’s Supporting Actress Smackdown. Thus, if there were any moment I would single out for her performance, it would be the scene where William tells her that Russell sold her to Humble Pie for a case of beer. This is another scene I once read for strength that, upon reflection, is much sadder than it appears. Penny sheds a few tears through a smile before cracking “What kind of beer?” This confidence in the face of such disrespect could be an admirable quality at first glance. However, you can see a part of Penny die behind those tearful eyes. She’s placed stock in this relationship with Russell and now knows for certain how much he values her. Rather than process the pain, she tries to keep the facade of Penny Lane up for William. Those walls can only stay up for so long, as we see later.

The Way Elaine Claps at William’s Graduation

Yes, this stray clip of Elaine at William’s graduation is intercut with an incredibly moving scene where William helps Penny Lane after a near fatal overdose. Still, it is a moment I look at as a touchstone for what makes Frances McDormand’s Oscar nominated performance so wonderful. Elaine is a loving mother, but not necessarily a warm woman. She can pick a fight about rock music, Atticus Finch and even the proper celebration of Christmas. However, she’s always a person who fights FOR something, not against it. More often than not, she’s fighting for her son, William. When his name is called as a “pending graduate,” the claps at the graduation ceremony die down. This fact is not lost on Elaine. She grits her teeth and claps harder to make up for the loss of steam in the crowd. These graduation attendees will not just glaze over William, even if he’s not there.

Mini Gay Best Friend: Ed

“Fuck it, I’m… I’m gay.”

Yes, Stillwater drummer Ed (Jon Fedevich) only has one line, and it’s his coming out. However, it’s the perfect cap for the turbulent plane ride that nearly kills the entire band. Fearing death, the silent Ed finally decides to speak his truth, only to immediately find out that they aren’t going to die. Rather than feeling elation, Ed slams the door of the cockpit in rage. He never thought about living as a gay man and is likely scared for what the future of his life holds. It’s a small beat for a character that, by design, faded into the background. However, re-watching the film you see him stay in his head or suppress himself from the group drama. His withdrawn nature isn’t just Crowe not wanting to write a fourth band member, there’s something deliberate there.

The Coolest "Uncool" Person Around... Lester Bangs

The late, great Phillip Seymour Hoffman has never given a bad performance. Even in bad movies, he's always lit up the screen with a take that is singularly his own vision. William's mentor, the rock journalist Lester Bangs, is one of my favorites of his illustrious career. In many ways, he's the fun house mirror of William's future. His encyclopedic knowledge of rock music has put him at the top of his game. However, unlike William, he has a cynicism about the thing he once loved. Making his passion into his livelihood has taken a lot of the joy out of it for him, which is why he decrees they are in the "death rattle" for rock and roll. Music, like any other art form, evolves and changes, it's never really dead. In a late night call from William near the end of the movie, Lester imparts an important piece of truth on William: "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." People like Penny and Russell chased after coolness as a currency, only to realize that this coolness would be the reason they could never trust the people around them. The only way to truly trust someone is if there's nothing to gain from them, be it money, coolness or press. Lester is jaded because he used to connect with musicians through their music. After working in the industry, he realized he could never truly share something with an artist who was fundamentally looking for good press.

A Soundtrack To Die For

With songs from 50 artists and a sky high music supervision budget of $3.5 million, Almost Famous' soundtrack was destined to be legendary. It more than surpasses legendary. The film is an ode to the music of the 60s and 70s. However, it doesn't just want to be the greatest hits. Every music choice speaks to the emotional truth of the moment it's underscoring. While the "Tiny Dancer" scene is the most talked about (see above), Elton John's other appearance, "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters," helps wring more tears from the scene where Penny Lane is snubbed in New York. Minutes later, the cognitive dissonance between "My Cherie Amour" and Penny's overdose proves to be a sly, wise music choice. Anita perfectly uses "America" by Simon & Garfunkle diagetically to explain why she's leaving home. When Wililam walks backstage for the first time, Yes' song "Your Move" makes the experience feel slow, almost surreal, and purely emotional. On the opposite end, Jimmi Hendrick's "Voodoo Child" plays as Stillwater boards their new private jet, signaling how outrageous yet foreboding their newfound fame may feel. Plus, there's all of Stillwater's legitimiately catchy songs, like "Fever Dog," that perfectly sell why they are about to hit it big. Crowe knows how to marry film with music for a transcendent experience.

Okay, Fine... More Stray Loves

This shot of Penny Lane, the Queen of her own empty kingdom.
The handwritten opening credits.
"Rock stars have kidnapped my son."
"Feck you!"
The Santa Clause in shorts, instantly setting the scene of San Diego.
Is there a single greater piece of costuming in the movie than Penny Lane's coat?
Famous people in incredibly small roles way before they were famous (Jay Baruchel, Eric Stonestreet, Rainn Wilson)
The way Ben Fong-Torres (Terry Chen) says "mojo"
Penny Lane's fingers reaching over to grab her sunglasses at the end.
Lady Goodman

What are your favorite moments from Almost Famous? Let us know in the comments below.