Tuesday, 22 August 2000

ALMOST FAMOUS

Yes! I am finally doing as I promised and writing about Cameron Crowe's latest, Almost Famous. The funny thing is, I am feeling a little shy about printing my thoughts even though my feelings about the film are remarkably positive. Why? Because there is a tendency among many readers to focus only on the negative. And, I suppose, there is a tendency in my writing on movies that I want you to experience for yourselves, like Almost Famous, to spend a bit more time on the negative rather than the positive, as I don't want to give you too much information about that good stuff. I want you to go in with relatively fresh eyes.

And so, when I tell you that the third act of Almost Famous seems to give up on itself, the criticism is real. When I tell you that DreamWorks forced Cameron Crowe to cut this movie too close to the bone for the film to play in the way that would seem to fit the organic storytelling of the piece, the criticism is real. And when I tell you that I would still have a hard time coming up with a major studio release this year that could knock Almost Famous out of my current Top Three for the year, that too is real.

More Say Anything than Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous is the story of three people in love. They are in love with each other. They are in love with the moment. And they are in love with the music. Looking back on the film, it would be unfair to say that any one of this trio really owns the movie. The "lead" changes from scene to scene. But the character with the most screentime and who tends to dominate point-of-view is William Miller (Patrick Fugit), the 15-year-old stand-in for the real life Cameron Crowe, who learns about the music from his rebellious sister and who ends up on the road with the up-n-coming rock band Stillwater as a reporter for Rolling Stone. The lead singer for Stillwater, Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup), is the second arm of the triangle, embodying all the things that William fantasizes about being, while also embodying all the grandeur and fury of aspiration. Following Russell around is Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), who is a pro-level groupie and uniquely attached to Russell. And quickly, she is attached to William, though in a rather different way.

All three of these characters bring the title, selected after enormous efforts by Jeff Wells, to life. This movie is about three people who are challenged by the rigors of being almost famous. William has to deal with being "the press," always so close to the light, but never really allowed to step into the light. "They are not your friends," he is continually reminded by Philip Seymour Hoffman's rendition of the real-life Lester Bangs, then editor of Rolling Stone rival Creem magazine. As in all Cameron Crowe movies, there is a voice of conscience in Almost Famous and here, it is Bangs, whose ideas and edgy wit give Hoffman a chance to give one of his best performances in a career of great performances. (By the way, if you want to know why Singles is considered by most the least successful Cameron Crowe film, the answer may well lie in the fact that Crowe tried to let the central character, Bridget Fonda's Janet Livermore, serve as the conscience for that film. It didn't work. She wasn't high enough above to get the perspective that could comfort the audience.) In any case, the power of the media and the role of the journalist and where the responsibilities and loyalties sit in that role are a big theme in Almost Famous.

Stillwater and their lead guitarist Russell Hammond are also almost famous. The band is beginning to break out. Hammond has become the front man for the band on both the power of his talent and the will of his ego. (It is, indeed, one of the flaws of this movie that we never have the near-orgasmic experience that a Stillwater performance should be in this movie. It's clear that it's a good bar band, but there is no single from them in the movie that screams "hit." And that's disappointing since that's how bands tend to move forward in the music business.) This leads Russell and the other band members into this difficult space of being able to taste the fame, yet being angry at each other for stealing focus, yet not wanting to sell out, yet wanting to sell out desperately, yet loving each other, yet hating each other, yet going on because the pot of gold is just over that hill. Being almost famous may be more difficult than being famous. (Though I wouldn't mind seeing Crowe's sequel, Famous.)

Penny Lane is the groupie with something extra. At the junket (hotel room paid for by DreamWorks, travel paid my yours truly), Kate Hudson told the story of how the real Penny Lane showed up on set one day and how Cameron Crowe turned into a passionate young boy right in front of the cast & crew's eyes. It's not hard to imagine such an occurrence after spending a few minutes around Cameron Crowe. He still seems to be that open to life. In the movie, Penny has that kind of spell over young William. And she has a different, more mysterious spell over Russell. She is the muse and she knows it and she lives it to the fullest. But as revered as the muse may be, she is still behind the scenes. And somehow, by definition, she is supposed to remain invisible to most. Close to the fame, but not famous. And in this movie, Penny Lane wants more from Russell, it seems. She doesn't want the light, but she wants to be able to get closer to the flame without being burnt to death.

All three of these central performances are quite wonderful in their own ways. Patrick Fugit, for me, hit every note and chose not to try for notes when they were unnecessary, beautifully. He looks right. He suffers and gets thrilled in silence quite well. Kate Hudson has the sparkle in the eye that makes Penny Lane believable from start to finish. The one thing she lacks, as attractive as she is, is that raw, throbbing sexuality that some of the great famous groupies of the past had. Let me repeat…beautiful, charming woman. But a look at the young Pamela Des Barres or Rosanna Arquette or Tawny Kitaen or even Pam Anderson and you just know that these women have stunning physical assets, and the male genetic code screams that there probably isn't a pore on their body that doesn't ooze bodily fluids that taste like maple syrup. Almost Famous is set in a gentler time than the heavy metal '80s, but still, Hudson's Penny Lane brings that beautiful shade of pink-tinted gray to the party. Likewise, Billy Crudup is the Russell Hammond that Brad Pitt almost became. What a different movie that would have been! In some ways, Pitt's star power would have skewed the entire movie. Seducing William would have taken Brad Pitt about 30 seconds of effort. On the other hand, the jealousy of the other band members would have become immediately apparent. And Brad Pitt keeping himself to one groupie while on the road would have had different meaning. That said, Crudup brings a quiet, beautiful dignity to Russell. He must be defined by his brilliant guitar work, because though he is good looking, he isn't movie star gorgeous. He has reason to be insecure in the world of beautiful people that he knows he is so close to joining. He has reason to think that it won't take much to upset the relationship back home. It's quite remarkable to think of how a casting choice can change the entire subtext of a movie with little effort at all.

And besides Philip Seymour Hoffman, I still haven't written about the magnificent supporting performances in this film. The actor most likely to get an Oscar nomination here is Frances McDormand (spelled correctly, as you will always spell it correctly after seeing the film's opening credits). McDormand plays William's mother, Elaine, and she is perfection. She's a college professor, but she fears what will become of her kids. Yet, she knows enough, as overbearing as she can be, to draw the lines in the right place and to hold back her fears to allow her children to grow. Whether it's the decision to let her daughter go, fighting it, but wisely not really fighting it hard enough to win, or letting her 15-year-old son go out on the road with a rock band and remaining a Jiminy Cricket on his shoulder while never forcing him to come home, she is the kind of parent than any kid who wants to reach a little higher would dream of having…whether they know it or not. And Frances McDormand takes Crowe's big fat softball of great character writing and hits it way, way, way out of the park. The battle you see inside of Elaine as she is forced to imagine what her son is going through on the other end of the telephone wire…really remarkable work.

"It's All Almost Famous!"