Almost Famous

(Above) Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup

I thought I'd start off with a film that makes me proud to be a journalist.

For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past 10 years, Almost Famous is a fantastic story about a 15-year-old boy who is a music journalist following the band Stillwater in the '70s.

Boring plot stuff aside, this movie is great. Patrick Fugit plays the boy, William Miller, and his portrayal is pure innocence. When he starts crying after Russell won't do the interview, his desperation is completely believable. This role makes him that much more lovable in Saved! which came out four years later.

Other stand out characters: Frances McDormand who plays the mother, Billy Crudup who plays band leader Russell, Jay Baruchel who plays obsessed male groupie Vic Munoz, Zooey Deschanel as William's rebellious sister.

Not standout characters — Kate Hudson. Hate to say it, I love her, but nothing special. I don't know why she's on the movie cover, why she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress, or really why she's even considered a main character. It's not her acting, but she's just not that big a part of the movie. It's mostly about William and Russell. Yeah she tries to commit suicide, and it's easy to see why William and Russell would be obsessed with her, but why is she the face of this movie? Penny Lane is just a sex symbol to Russell and a teenage crush to William. The real dynamic lies with the band.

When Scenes:

WHEN the band sings "Tiny Dancer" on the bus.

WHEN the mom talks to Russell — "You know it's not too late for you to be a person of substance."

WHEN they start confessing their secrets on airplane.

WHEN he runs into his sister again at the airport. And her stewardess friends say "You have a good day."

QUICKIES:

"This little shit is the enemy, he writes what he sees" — Jason Lee (Jeff Bebe)

"I am telling secrets to the one guy you don't tell secrets to" — Billy Crudup (Russell Hammond)

"In 11 years it's going to be 1984, man, think about that, think about THAT" — Billy Crudup (Russell Hammond)

"Tell him 'it's a think piece about a midlevel band struggling with their own limitations in the harsh face of stardom,' he'll wet himself" — Philip Seymour Hoffman (Lester Bangs)

"I didn't invent the rain, man, I just have the best umbrella" — Jimmy Fallon (Dennis Hope)

"He was never a person, he was a journalist" — Jason Lee (Jeff Bebe)

Fun Facts:

Philip Seymour Hoffman had the flu the entire production and only shot for 4 days.

During the opening credits the the hand writing on the notepad is director Cameron Crowe's hand.

Rain Wilson (Dwight on The Office) has a cameo appearance as an assistant to the Music Editor of Rolling Stone Magazine.

Patrick Fugit grew three inches while filming the movie and Billy Crudup had to wear platforms to balance it out.

The title of this blog came from a quote by Philip Seymour Hoffman who was describing what all journalists should be.... "honest and unmerciful"