Set in the seventies, Almost Famous tells the story of William, an adorably uncool teenage boy whose fascination with rock music writing begins when his sister gives him her record collection before leaving home. In a not-really-acceptable-but-we'll-forgive-em plot turn, William's second ever assignment is a review of Stillwater, an up-and-coming rock band, for Rolling Stone magazine. So I should expect to see this review in the Times 'Culture', come sunday. Meeting the band also involves meeting the Band Aids, who believe their status to be higher than those of 'groupies'. Penny Lane, played by Kate Hudson, befriends William and acts as his guide to the band.
Trying his best to get a coherent interview from the band, he follows them from tour date to tour date, making notes as he goes. Stillwater are Cool - yep, they do drugs, they shag girls, they fight! Rock 'n' Roll. But, as well we film geeks know, Cool isn't cool, and much subtle humour is extracted at the expense of the band. They contrast hugely with William, who is as uncool as they come. Don't puke, but this is pure, slugs-and-snails boy sweetness - no saccharin. William's idealist, loving, strict mother is played by the unfailingly excellent Frances McDormond, whose occasional appearance provides some of the funniest moments of the film.
I can't believe I got this far without going on about Kate Hudson. Just watch her. I'm in love. There are a lot of Hollywood actresses with more perfect faces and bodies, but I don't believe any of them could look quite
so sexy as Hudson does whilst sitting on the loo. Penny Lane is a Holly Golightly figure, the girl who will only follow the glitziest of paths and does not believe the 'real world' is for her. She carries this off just oozing style without owing one syllable or gesture to the great Audrey. She only just avoids walking off with the film thanks to the acting ability of the rest of the cast, which is consistently good.
The rather entertaining plot is eclipsed by the excellent characterisations - and our heartstrings get thoroughly tugged. 'Oh, go on then,' says the audience with a tear in its eye, because already we're feeling as proud of William as his mother is and the girls are taking notes on Penny Lane's mannerisms. What makes this film sparkle is the gentle dig-in-the-ribs humour, the strong camera work and the intimacy with whichwe get to know the characters. Almost Famous simply did not get watched as much as it should have been, probably due to the lack of A-list names - every actor, bar McDormond, was virtually unknown. I've been going round crusading for this film for the past few months so perhaps now that I've written this review can give it a rest. |
