Almost Famous

Directed by Cameron Crowe, Almost Famous follows Patrick Fugit’s precocious William Miller as he spends a few weeks touring with an up-and-coming rock band called Stillwater – with the movie detailing William’s coming-of-age exploits alongside, among others, Billy Crudup’s Russell Hammond and Kate Hudson’s Penny Lane. Filmmaker Crowe, working from his own screenplay, delivers a deliberate yet mostly compelling drama that benefits substantially from the top-notch work of its performers, with Fugit’s stirring work as the affable protagonist certainly matched by an eclectic roster of such periphery players as Jason Lee, Jimmy Fallon, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. (Crudup’s frequently electrifying turn as a charismatic rock star remains a highlight, to be sure.) And although the picture’s 122 minute runtime does pave the way for a decidedly erratic midsection, with the episodic bent of Crowe’s script certainly perpetuating that vibe, Almost Famous‘ progressively absorbing atmosphere, which is enhanced by an ongoing emphasis on sequences and interludes of an admittedly mesmerizing nature (eg the protagonists engage in a jubilant singalong to Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”), ultimately cements its place as an irresistibly authentic, pervasively watchable effort from a distressingly hit-and-miss filmmaker.

*** out of ****