Almost Famous 20th Anniversary Wiki-Pamphlet Design Project - Cooper Black & Avenir

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20th anniversary wiki-pamphlet 1

It’s all happening.

Almost Famous is a 2000 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and starring Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, and Patrick Fugit. It tells the story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone in the early 1970s, his touring with the fictitious rock band Stillwater, and his efforts to get his first cover story published.

The film is semi-autobiographical, as Crowe himself was a teenage writer for Rolling Stone. It is based on his experiences touring with rock bands Poco, the Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, Eagles, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Crowe has discussed how during this period he lost his virginity, fell in love, and met his musical heroes—these events represented in the 2 film as happening to William Miller (Fugit), the boyish main character.

table of contents

10 credits 14 plot 20 cast 30 production 34 soundtrack 38 reception 44 references 46 external links

credits

Directed by

Produced by

Cameron Crowe

Written by

Cameron Crowe

Billy Crudup Frances McDormand Kate Hudson Jason Lee Patrick Fugit Anna Paquin Fairuza Balk Noah Taylor Philip Seymour Hoffman

Starring

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Cameron Crowe Ian Bryce

Music by

Nancy Wilson

Cinematography

John Toll

Edited by

Edited by Joe Hutshing Saar Klein

Production company

Columbia Pictures DreamWorks Pictures Vinyl Films

Distributed by

DreamWorks Pictures (United States) Sony Pictures Releasing (international)

Release date

September 8, 2000 (TIFF) September 13, 2000 (United States)

Running time

122 minutes

Country

United States

Language

English

Budget

$60 million

Box office

$47.4 million

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The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you’re uncool.

plot

In 1969, child prodigy William Miller struggles to fit in. His life is further complicated after learning that his widowed college-professor mother Elaine has falsely led him to believe he is twelve years old.

William is actually eleven, having started the first grade at five years old, and skipping fifth grade.

Strong-willed Elaine’s strict ban on rock music and pop culture influences that she fears have a negative effect on her children finally drives William’s eighteenyear-old sister Anita to move to San Francisco and become a flight attendant.

In 1973, William, now fifteen, influenced by Anita’s secret cache of rock albums, aspires to be a rock journalist, writing freelance articles for underground papers in San Diego. Rock journalist Lester Bangs, impressed with William’s writing, gives him a $35

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assignment to review a Black Sabbath concert. William is barred from backstage until the opening band Stillwater arrives and William flatters his way in. Lead guitarist Russell Hammond takes a liking to him and his new acquaintance, veteran groupie Penny Lane, who has taken William under her wing.

Despite behaving as stereotypical groupies, Penny Lane insists she and her friends are “band aids”, a term she invented to describe female fans that are there more for the music than for the rock stars themselves.

Rolling Stone editor Ben FongTorres, believing William is older, hires him sight unseen to write an article about Stillwater and sends William on the road with the band. William interviews the members, but Russell repeatedly puts him off. Tensions between Russell and lead singer Jeff Bebe

soon become evident and not helped at all by the band’s first tee shirt, a full band shot that pictures Russell in full view while the rest of the band is virtually in shadows. William is jokingly called “the enemy” by the band because he is a journalist, but all the same begins to lose his objectivity as he becomes integrated into their inner circle.

The band’s record company hires Dennis, a professional manager, to handle problems with venues and promoters. Penny has to leave before the band reaches New York, where Russell’s girlfriend Leslie will join them. Penny and her three protégée band aids are gambled away to another band in a poker game; Penny acts nonchalant but is devastated. Meanwhile, Dennis charters a small plane so the band can play more gigs.

Penny shows up uninvited at the New York restaurant where the band is celebrating the news that they are to be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone. Penny is asked to leave after Leslie notices her attempts to get Russell’s attention. William chases her to her hotel, where he saves her from overdosing on quaaludes.

While flying to another gig the following day, the band’s plane encounters severe weather.

Believing the plane will crash, everyone confesses their secrets, while Jeff and Russell’s longsimmering conflicts erupt. William confesses his love for Penny after Jeff insults her. The plane lands safely in Tupelo, leaving everyone to ponder the changed atmosphere.

William arrives at the Rolling Stone office in San Francisco but

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plot

has difficulty finishing the article.

Seeking help, he calls Lester Bangs who says William got caught up in being part of the band. He says William’s perceived friendships with them are not real and advises him to “be honest...and unmerciful.” Rolling Stone’s editors rave over William’s completed article, but when the magazine’s fact checker calls the band, Russell lies to protect Stillwater’s image and claims 90% is false. Rolling Stone kills the article, crushing William. Anita encounters a dejected William in the airport and offers to take him anywhere; he chooses for them to go to their home in San Diego.

Groupie Sapphire chastises Russell for betraying William. Russell calls Penny at her home and wants to meet with her, but she tricks him by giving him William’s address.

He arrives and finds himself face-

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to-face with William’s mother, who scolds him for his behavior. Russell apologizes to William and finally gives him an interview. Russell has verified William’s article to Rolling Stone, which runs it as a cover feature. Penny fulfills her longstanding fantasy to go to Morocco while Stillwater tours again by bus.

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They made you feel cool.

And hey, I met you.

You are not cool.

cast

Patrick Fugit Billy Crudup 20

Frances McDormand

Kate Hudson Jason Lee Zooey Deschanel Anna Paquin

cast Fairuza Balk

Bijou Phillips Noah Taylor

Philip Seymour Hoffmann

Terry Chen Jay Baruchel

Jimmy Fallon

Rainn Wilson 23

cast

Mark Kozelek Liz Stauber Zack Ward 24

John Fedevich Eric Stonestreet

Marc Maron

Peter Frampton 25

cast

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Patrick Fugit

William Miller

Billy Crudup

Russell Hammond

Frances McDormand

Elaine Miller

Kate Hudson

Penny Lane (Lady Goodman)

Jason Lee

Jeff Bebe

Zooey Deschanel

Anita Miller

Anna Paquin

Polexia Aphrodisia

Fairuza Balk

Sapphire

Bijou Phillip

Estrella Starr

Noah Taylor

Dick Roswell

Philip Seymour Hoffmann

Lester Bangs

Terry Chen

Ben Fong-Torres

Jay Baruchel

Vic Munoz

Jimmy Fallon

Dennis Hope

Rainn Wilson

David Felton

Mark Kozelek

Mark Kozelek

Liz Stauber

Leslie Hammond

Zack Ward

the Legendary Red Dog

John Fedevich

Ed Vallencourt

Eric Stonestreet

Sheldon the desk clerk

Marc Maron

angry promoter

Peter Frampton

Reg

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I am a golden god!

production

Crowe used a composite of the bands he knew to create Stillwater, the emerging group that welcomes the young journalist into its sphere, then becomes wary of his intentions. ‘Stillwater’ was the name of a real band signed to Capricorn Records label, which required the film’s producers to obtain permission to use the name. In an interview, real Stillwater guitarist Bobby Golden said, ‘They could have probably done it without permission but they probably would have had a bunch of different lawsuits. Our lawyer got in touch with them.

They wanted us to do it for free and I said, “No we’re not doing it for free.” So we got a little bit 5 of change out of it.” Seventies rocker Peter Frampton served as a technical consultant on the film.

Crowe and his then-wife, musician Nancy Wilson of Heart, co-wrote three of the five Stillwater songs in

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the film and Frampton wrote the other two. Mike McCready of Pearl Jam played lead guitar on all of the Stillwater songs.

Crowe based the character of Penny Lane on the real-life Pennie Lane Trumbull and her group of female promoters who called themselves the “Flying Garter 6 Girls Group”. Various other women have been described as Crowe’s inspiration, for instance 7 Pamela Des Barres and Bebe 8 Buell. The character of William Miller’s mother, played by Frances McDormand, was based on Crowe’s own mother, who even showed up on the set to keep an eye on him while he worked.

Crowe asked his mother not to bother McDormand, but the two 9 women ended up getting along.

Alice in Chains’ guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell was Crowe’s first

choice for the role of Stillwater bass player Larry Fellows. Cantrell is friends with Crowe and had previously appeared in two of his films, Singles and Jerry Maguire.

Cantrell was busy writing the songs for his solo album Degradation Trip and had to turn the role down.

10 Mark Kozelek was cast instead.

Crowe took a copy of the film to London for a special screening with Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. After the screening, Led Zeppelin granted Crowe the right to use five of their songs in the movie itself, although they did not grant him the rights to “Stairway to Heaven” for an intended scene.

Band. The scene in which Russell jumps from the top of the Topeka party house into a pool was based on something Duane Allman did: ‘the jumping off the roof into the pool, that was Duane — from the third floor of a place called the Travelodge in San Francisco. My brother wanted to do it again, but the cat who owned the place came out shaking his fist, yelling at him. We told that story all the time and I have no doubt that Cameron was around for it.’ He also confirms that he and Dickey Betts played a joke on Crowe by claiming contract clauses in their contract did not allow his story to be published just before he was to 11 deliver it to Rolling Stone.

In his 2012 memoir, My Cross to Bear, Gregg Allman confirms several aspects of the movie are directly based on Crowe’s time spent with the Allman Brothers

The airplane malfunction near Tupelo, Mississippi that occurred in the film is a thinly veiled reference to the Lynyrd Skynyrd airplane crash on October 20, 1977.

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And if you ever get lonely, you can just go to the record store and visit your friends.

soundtrack

The Almost Famous soundtrack album was awarded the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

Personnel Stillwater Billy Crudup (“Russell Hammond”) - guitar Jason Lee (“Jeff Bebe”) - lead vocals John Fedevich (“Ed Vallencourt”) - drums Mark Kozelek (“Larry Fellows”) - bass guitar Other Personnel Peter Fampton Mike McCready Jon Bayless Ben Smith Gordon Kennedy Marti Frederiksen – vocals

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Track listing 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

America Paul Simon & Garfunkel Sparks Pete The Who It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference Todd Rundgren I’ve Seen All Good People: Your Move Yes Feel Flows The Beach Boys Fever Dog Stillwater Every Picture Tells a Story Rod Stewart Mr. Farmer The Seeds One Way Out (Live) The Allman Brothers Band Simple Man Lynyrd Skynyrd That’s the Way Led Zeppelin Tiny Dancer Elton John Lucky Trumble Nancy Wilson I’m Waiting for the Man David Bowie The Wind Cat Stevens Slip Away Clarence Carter Something in the Air Thunderclap Newman

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William Miller I know. Even when I thought I was, I knew I wasn’t.

I’m glad you were home.

Lester Bangs I’m always home. I’m uncool.

reception

Box Office Almost Famous had its premiere at the 2000 Toronto International 12 Film Festival. It was subsequently given a limited release on September 15, 2000, in 131 theaters where it grossed $2.3 million on its first weekend. It was given a wider release on September 22, 2000, in 1,193 theaters where it grossed $6.9 million on its opening weekend.

The film went on to make $31.7 million in North America and $14.8 million in the rest of the world for a worldwide total of $47.4 million 13 against a $60 million budget.

Critical Response Almost Famous received widespread critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds an 89% approval rating, based on 166 reviews, with an average rating of 7.92/10. The site’s critical consensus reads, ‘Almost

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Famous, with its great ensemble performances and story, is a wellcrafted, warm-hearted movie that successfully draws you into its 14 era.’ On Metacritic it has a score of 90 of 100, based on 38 reviews, 15 indicating ‘universal acclaim.’

Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars and described it as “funny and touching in so many different 16 ways.’ In his review for The New York Times, A.O. Scott wrote, ‘The movie’s real pleasures are to be found not in its story but in its profusion of funny, offbeat scenes. It’s the kind of picture that invites you to go back and savor your favorite moments like 17 choice album cuts.’ Richard Corliss of Time praised the film’s screenplay for ‘giving each character his reasons, making everyone in the emotional debate charming and compelling, creating

fictional people who breathe in 18 a story with an organic life.’ In her review for the L.A. Weekly, Manohla Dargis wrote that ‘the film shimmers with the irresistible pleasures that define Hollywood at its best; it’s polished like glass, funny, knowing and bright, and filled with characters whose lives are invariably sexier and more 19 purposeful than our own.’ Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote, ‘Not since A Hard Day’s Night has a movie caught the thrumming exuberance of going where the 20 music takes you.’ In his review for Newsweek, David Ansen wrote, ‘Character-driven, it relies on chemistry, camaraderie, a sharp 21 eye for detail and good casting.

Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, ‘best-of’ list, saying, ‘Every Cameron Crowe film is, in one way or another, about romance, rock & roll, and his romance with rock & roll. This

power ballad of a movie, from 2000, also happens to be Crowe’s greatest (and most personal) film thanks to the golden gods of Stillwater and their biggest fan, Kate Hudson’s incomparable 22 Penny Lane.’

Entertainment Weekly gave the film an ‘A–’ rating and Owen Gleiberman praised Crowe for depicting the 1970s as ‘an era that found its purpose in having no purpose. Crowe, staying close to his memories, has gotten it, for perhaps the first time, onto 23 the screen. In his review for the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan praised Philip Seymour Hoffman’s portrayal of Lester Bangs: ‘Superbly played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, more and more the most gifted and inspired character actor working in film, what could have been the clichéd portrait of an older mentor who

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Reception

speaks the straight truth blossoms 24 into a marvelous personality.’

However, in his review for The New York Observer, Andrew Sarris felt that ‘none of the non-musical components on the screen matched the excitement of the music. For whatever reason, too much of the dark side has been 25 left out.’ Desson Howe, in his review for The Washington Post, found it ‘very hard to see these long-haired kids as products of the 1970s instead of dressed up actors from the Seattle-Starbucks era. I couldn’t help wondering how many of these performers had to buy a CD copy of the song and 26 study it for the first time.’

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I always tell the girls never take it seriously.

If you never take it seriously, you never get hurt.

If you never get hurt, you always have fun.

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references

1. Almost Famous. 2000. Box Office Mojo.

2. Biography, The Uncool: The Official Website for Everything Cameron Crowe.

3. “The 21st century’s 100 greatest films”. BBC. 4. https://www.hollywoodreporter. com/lists/100-best-films-everhollywood-favorites-818512/item/ almost-famous-hollywoods-100favorite-818448 5. Golden, Bobby. ‘Stillwater Interview,’ Phantom Photography.

6. Ammann, Ana . Sept.7, 2012.

‘Will the real Penny Lane please stand up?’. Oregon Music News.

7. Lecaro, Lina. Dec.15, 2010.

‘Zooey Deschanel to Play Original ‘60s Groupie Pamela “I’m With the Band” Des Barres in HBO Series’.

LA Weekly.

8. ‘Wild Things: Cameron Crowe and Bebe Buell’. Talk. March 2001.

9. Goldstein, Patrick. ‘This Time, It’s Personal A ‘70s rock film

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co-starring...Mom? It’s Cameron Crowe’s life story, and he’s tried to tell it for years,’ Los Angeles Times Aug. 27, 2000. Archie on The Uncool.com.

10. ‘Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell almost starred in the movie Almost Famous. YouTube. Nov. 12, 2017.

11. Allman, Gregg; Light, Alan (2012). My Cross to Bear. William Morrow. pp. 242–43. ISBN 9780062112033.

12. Kehr, Dave Aug. 25, 2000.

‘Organic Growth In Toronto. The New York Times.

13. Almost Famous. 2000. Box Office Mojo.

14. Almost Famous. 2000. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media.

Retrieved March 6, 2018.

15. ‘Almost Famous Reviews’.

Metacritic. CBS Interactive.

16. Ebert, Roger Sept. 15, 2000.

‘Almost Famous’. Chicago SunTimes.

17. Scott, A.O Sept. 15, 2000.

‘Almost Famous’. The New York Times.

18. Corliss, Richard Sept.10, 2000.

‘Absolutely Fabulous’. Time.

19. Dargis, Manohla Sept. 21, 2000. ‘Gonna Make You Groove’.

L.A. Weekly.

20. Travers, Peter. Dec. 10, 2000.

‘Almost Famous’. Rolling Stone.

21. Ansen, David. Sept. 18, 2000.

‘He’s With The Band’. Newsweek.

22. Geier, Thom; Jensen, Jeff; Jordan, Tina; Lyons, Margaret; Markovitz, Adam; Nashawaty, Chris; Pastorek, Whitney; Rice, Lynette; Rottenberg, Josh; Schwartz, Missy; Slezak, Michael; Snierson, Dan; Stack, Tim; Stroup, Kate; Tucker, Ken; Vary, Adam B.; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Ward, Kate Dec. 11, 2009, ‘The 100 Greatest Movies, TV Shows, Albums, Books, Characters, Scenes, Episodes, Songs, Dresses, Music Videos, And Trends That Entertained Us Over The Past 10

Years’. Entertainment Weekly.

(1079/1080):74-84 23. Gleiberman, Owen Sept.15, 2000. ‘Almost Famous’.

Entertainment Weekly.

24. Turan, Kenneth Sept.13, 2000.

Almost Famous’. LA Times.

25. Sarris, Andrew Sept. 17, 2000.

‘It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll-Where Are the Sex and Drugs?’. The New York Observer.

26. Howe, Desson Sept. 22, 2000. ‘Almost Poignant’. The Washington Post.

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external links

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Official website - theuncool.com/films/almost-famous/ Almost Famous on IMDB - imdb.com/title/tt0181875/ Almost Famous at AllMovie - allmovie.com/movie/v212038 Almost Famous at Rotten Tomatoes - rottentomatoes.com/m/almost_famous Almost Famous at Metacritic - metacritic.com/movie/almostfamous Almost Famous at Box Office Mojo - boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=almostfamous.htm

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It’s all happening.

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