Review: Almost Famous
"Experience it. Enjoy it. Just don't fall for it."Rating: 10 / 10
I didn't lose my virginity in a foursome with three girls, who were as happy to play with each other as with me.
This, however, is how the nerdy but boyishly cute William Miller (Patrick Fugit) loses his virginity in this film. Unfortunately the girl he wants to bone elects not to join in, but to go off and bone Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) who happens to be the guitarist in the fictitious band Stillwater, with whom we spend the bulk of the movie.
Now, you might've noticed the names Patrick Fugit and Billy Crudup.. The reason these names stick out isn't because of their memorable performances in previous films (Patrick doing a marvellous job in Legion of Fire: Killer Ants!) .. No, the reason these names stick out is that THEY ARE BLOODY RIDICULOUS NAMES. If you were going to be an actor, or live any kind of public life, and you were born with a name like one of these, YOU'D HAVE CHANGED IT.
These are the only actors in the film with stupid names, but by no means are they the only actors in the film. We also have the pleasure of seeing Anna Paquin all grown up and nearly naked and making out with Jason Lee ("That kid is BACK on the escalator!") and Olivia Rosewood. An unknown who shouldn't be.
Fairuza Balk is also here, giving a performance that you can only imagine isn't much of a stretch for her. She is a drugged out hippy who rarely says anything that doesn't include a request for yet more drugs or something similarly useless. Does a great job of it though.
Other notable appearances include Frances McDormand who is probably far less interesting without her Fargo accent, and Kate Hudson, the daughter of Goldie Hawn.
Now, I'd just like to talk about Kate Hudson for a moment .. I know, I know, there hasn't been any movie review yet and you can't see one coming, but I'll get to it. Really. Kate Hudson is an odd looking girl. She looks like she's been chasing parked cars. Seriously! Her face is completely flat! She looks attractive in promo photos and things but when you see her animated it just doesn't work. In fact, it's a kind of Sandra Bullock syndrome.. where her being far too ugly for the part of somebody over whom everybody dotes actually brings attention to the fact that it's obviously a scripted sequence of events, tearing gaping holes in the feel of the film.
Now: The movie.
It was great! Really enjoyable stuff, with no stupid bits or groan-worthy events. Frankly it really makes a lot of movies look quite shoddy, because it is so simple in its basic formula, but it's well executed and worth the effort. There are no special effects, no amazing plot twists, no catchphrases or gratuitous use of crowd-pulling stars. This movie, unlike most, depends entirely on its story and characters for its appeal, and it does it with style.
The movie spends no more time than necessary establishing the experience base from which the main character operates, but is sure to include examples of each relevant factor often enough to make sure you have a good feel for them, and make all the later actions of the main character completely reasonable and believable.
The progression of the story is well timed, never leaving you thinking "What just happened?" or "Next scene now!".
Philip Seymour Hoffman, everybody's favourite masturbating deviant from Happiness, does an outstanding job of the purist, music loving journalist and doesn't once masturbate in this movie, showing his outstanding ability to change characters from movie to movie. (?)
While I sit here writing this, a Matchbox Twenty video clip started playing on the television, and is serving as an excellent reminder of the way the musicians in the film were portrayed. They were self absorbed idiots, basically. :) Pretty much what you'd expect from people who think to themselves "I think people will appreciate my artistic talents. I will give them the opportunity to hear it." and then find that people actually do appreciate it. They are impressed with themselves, they think anything they do is cool (otherwise they wouldn't be popular, right?) and they are surrounded by people who all tell them the same things. :) It's not the fans they're fooling.
The film has a good mix of highs and lows, a lot of funny and a little bit of sad, and keeps you interested without making you tired. The ending is made upbeat without feeling the need to conclude everything on a positive note and very successfully leaves you without a cheesy feeling. (Also achievable by washing regularly)
I heartily recommend that you see this movie. You won't miss anything by waiting for the DVD, but seeing it at the cinema is no waste of money either.
Addition: Oh, and Marcin reminded me that I'd forgotten to mention this..
The titty machine was out of juice when God was building Kate Hudson.
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