There is no working filmmaker today with a better ear for his films than Cameron Crowe. In addition to the writer-director's eternally quotable dialogue and pauses placed so carefully they stand up to the work of Harold Pinter, he also has the firmest grasp on how to use music to bolster a film.
For instance, Crowe was the first to document the Seattle grunge sound with "Singles." He is also the man who used Bruce Springsteen's "Secret Garden" to frame the tender love story at the heart of "Jerry Maguire." And he carved out one of the most lasting images in the lexicon of teen love in "Say Anything" - is there anyone who doesn't remember John Cusack holding a boom box over his head, blasting Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes?"
But music steps out of the back and into the driver's seat in Crowe's "Almost Famous." The former Rolling Stone writer surpasses his previous work with "Famous," the most personal and representative film of his directorial career.
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William Miller (newcomer Patrick Fugit, in a solid turn) is a 15-year-old who gets the chance to travel with a touring band in order to write an article for Rolling Stone. While Crowe must have mined his own personal memories and experiences in creating William, he taps into themes so universal that he makes "Famous" a movie for everyone.
William, a prodigy who has skipped two grades, is used to feelings of abandonment, alienation and deceit. His domineering mother Elaine (Oscar-winner Frances McDormand), a college professor who fears drugs and rock and roll music, drives William's sister to run away from home and lies to William about how young he really is. The music that William sneakily listens to provides his only window to the world until the magazine assigns him to write a piece on the up-and-coming band Stillwater.
It's on Stillwater's "Almost Famous" tour bus that William finally feels at home. Crowe, who lavishes as much passion on the film as he feels for music itself, shows how hypnotic rock and roll revelry can be. He captures the heart of an era, of people who felt out of place and ultimately found common ground in a state of mind - the freedom fueled by rock and roll.
Stillwater's guitarist, Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) connects with William. Meanwhile, tension bubbles between Russell and Jeff Bebe (a wonderfully despicable Jason Lee), Stillwater's lead singer, who is jealous of the attention Russell gets. "I'm the lead singer, and you're the guitarist with mystique!" he shouts.
Crudup, hot off the stirring drug drama "Jesus' Son," is enjoying a banner year, and he very nearly steals "Famous" from his equally gifted co-stars. Crudup, until now best known as a handsome combination of Johnny Depp and Skeet Ulrich, is sure to stand out as Russell. The guitarist is a constant observer who looks perpetually out of focus only because he is trying to absorb everything at once.
"Famous" brims with other breakout performances too, most notably Kate Hudson as Penny Lane (who prefers the label "band aid" to groupie). Penny is a parasitic life force; she only feels self-worth through the attention of the band members she idolizes (particularly Russell). But as she finds her own strength (notably in two deftly nuanced sequences), we see she is not playing someone, she is simply being.
McDormand is also strong as Elaine, who represents the conservative culture against which rock and roll rebelled. And Philip Seymour Hoffman, as real-life rock journalist Lester Bangs, delivers yet another gifted turn as a man who has soured on rock and roll, feeling betrayed by the lack of artistry and statements made. He laughs at the zeal that the wide-eyed William has for the same music, but what he really wants is to feel that same way.
Crowe also makes "Famous" a family affair, as Crowe's wife Nancy Wilson (a guitarist and half of the sister act Heart) provides a musical score so gentle and smart that it camouflages into the film. She also plays the rhythm guitar for Stillwater. Pearl Jam's Mike McCready plays lead guitar for Russell. And Peter Frampton wrote several Stillwater tunes, including "Fever Dog," which is included on the soundtrack.
"Famous" aims high, and soars for a long time before stalling somewhat on its way down. But all the while, it grabs us. Rock music is about grabbing attention, about shouting out "I'm alive!"
With "Famous," Crowe proves he is very much alive. And if this labor of love is any indication of things to come, let's hope he plans to stay here for a long time.
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