30 Films That Made Me Who I Am - #2

Almost Famous

     Okay, so originally I had this as #1 on my list, but after thinking a bit longer, what was formerly #2 moved up to #1, and so this one moved down a rung.  I just thought I should explain that first.  

     Cameron Crowe, the director and writer of this film, used to be a contributing editor to Rolling Stone magazine.  He graduated high school at 16, due to skipping kindergarten and two grades of elementary school.  He started writing to Lester Bangs, who had just joined Creem Magazine and also wrote for Rolling Stone.  Bangs was considered a legendary music reviewer at the time and was a leader on getting punk music recognized in the 1970s.  After starting a writing relationship with Bangs, Crowe also started writing reviews for Creem.  He happened to meet Ben Fong-Torres, who was Rolling Stone's senior editor, and was then hired to write for the magazine.  He traveled with the Allman Brothers Band on a tour, interviewing them and the crew, and was a bit of an outsider from the rest of the Rolling Stone writers.  He was more like a fan than a critic.  He loved being around the musicians and watching them do what they did.  Unlike Lester Bangs, who hated progressive rock and heavy metal, Cameron Crowe tended to embrace all forms of rock music.  He even ended up marrying one of the two sisters that formed the core of the band Heart. After this, he got a successful career in film, starting with writing Fast Times At Ridgemont High, which is based on his book of the same name that was about high school culture in 1981.  He went undercover for a full year as a high school student to write the book.  He then wrote another film called The Wild Life,  and directed/wrote the John Cusack classic Say Anything.  He became most famous for the film Jerry McGuire, for which he was nominated for Best Screenplay.  He then did this film 4 years later, and followed it up with Vanilla Sky, Elizabethtown, and We Bought A Zoo, all of which got mixed critical and box office reception.

    Why did I feel the need to type that whole paragraph about a director/screenwriter?  Well, this film is based on his teenage years writing for Rolling Stone.  The main character, William Miller, is based on Cameron Crowe, sharing most of his history.  He even has an odd mother, which he does in real life.  (She joins him on the commentary of the director's cut of this movie, and it's very entertaining.)  The film has William Miller (Patrick Fugit), a 15 year old, posing as being 18 years old and following around a fictional band called Stillwater while they tour.  He is friends with Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), a groupie (they call themselves Band-Aids) who is having a on-off relationship with the band's guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup).  The band is in it's growing pains whilst on the verge of becoming a big name band.  There's tension between guitarist Russell and singer Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee), and the other two members of the group just want to stay out of it.  William starts to fall for Penny Lane, Russell's wife starts to suspect about Penny and Russell...  A big mess.  But that's not really important.  Cameron Crowe films are not about the over-all plot.  They're about moments.  (Cue up Jason Lee's comment about moments from Chasing Amy.) For example:

The ending to that scene is so great.  Love it.

     The movie didn't do well when it came out.  It didn't even make back it's $60 million budget.  It was, however, critically acclaimed and was nominated for three Academy Awards, and won one for Best Original Screenplay, finally winning Cameron Crowe an Academy Award.  It also won two Golden Globes and the soundtrack won a Grammy.  The film is also one of the very, very few films that Led Zeppelin has allowed their music in.  Crowe knew those guys from riding around touring with them as a journalist, and showed them the film at a private screening hoping to get their permission for song use.  They allowed him to use five of their songs in the film, but not Stairway to Heaven, which was to be used in a scene that only that song could have been used in, so they had to cut that one out.  In fact, one scene in the film is based on a anecdote that happened while he was touring with Zeppelin...

    Why does the movie connect with me?  Well, I've already mentioned my love for 70s culture in other blog posts, and of my love for 70s music in particular, which this film has tons of.  Also, who doesn't dream of riding along with their favorite band, hanging out with them on the tour bus and backstage?  The movie almost makes you feel like you're doing just that.  I suppose I see a little of myself in the main character as well.  So it's kind of a personal thing.  As I said before, the movie is full of moments.  Some people don't go for those types of films, seeking a big picture instead of a mosaic.  That type of thing doesn't bother me.  If  a film has enough really good smaller good parts, it can make a great picture.  However, this film excels on both fronts.  Hell, the movie brought Zooey Deschenel to semi-stardom!

    Now, this movie comes in two versions.  There's the theatrical cut, which is amazing, and the way I first saw the film.  There's also the Untitled version, which is the director's cut and runs over 40 minutes longer and is even more amazing!  Even the Untitled version feels too short to me at just under 3 hours long.  There's so many more little moments that bring me happiness in that version that I'm often surprised how they cut them out.  However, I suppose if they'd left them in, the critics would have gone on about how the movie was a bit too long, and the film would have made even less money.  I first saw the film during my lonely first year at UNCW.  I knew no one there, as I spent my first year at a different college, so I did what I did at that first college.  I wrapped myself up in the warm protective blanket that is cinema.  I sought out movies that just looked interesting, ones that won awards, cult classics, and of course just plain classics.  UNCW had a great film library, even better than the one at Radford, where I had spent my first year.  I wasn't expecting much from this movie, as the trailer, which I had seen many times when the film first came out, didn't do much for me.  I finally saw this one in 2005 and immediately bought the film the same night I watched the borrowed copy, it was that good.  It struck me as few films have.  It's what I needed, and it's still my 'happy' movie.  It cheers me up.

     I'm sorry if I'm not explaining my love for this film well.  It's more of a personal thing than other films on my list, so it's very hard to explain.  I'll let this next clip stand in for an explanation, as it's my favorite part of the film.  I suppose since I didn't have a rebellious high school experience, it's my way of living it.  This party scene is like a catharsis I suppose, as I had a rather sheltered teen experience being the son of a minister.  The scene after they get Russell back is also one of the best random scenes ever filmed.  A sing along on the tour bus that just breaks the ice for all the characters.  It's gone down in film history as one of the best scenes ever done, and it's so simple!  Ignore the subtitles.