"Almost Famous"

Janelle and I curled up to a DVD tonight after the baby went to sleep. Ordered some wings, sat on the couch and watched Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous" courtesy of Netflix. Netflix, by the way, has become our new best friend. Since we don't get out much anymore, and I'm a huge fan of movies, Netflix really is the next best thing. And they threw in a special on-demand feature free for anyone who has Xbox Live, which I happen to have. Lots of great movies on that list, though not nearly as comprehensive as the actual Netflix library, but better than any cable on-demand service. And Netflix threw it in for free! Plus, they deliver The Wiggles to Janelle's computer screen on demand, and that alone makes it well worth the $7.99 per month or whatever it is I'm paying.

"Almost Famous" is one of those movies that I always heard was good, but really just never got around to watching. I've seen clips here and there while flipping through the channels on TV, but never saw it in its entirety. It won the Oscar for best screenplay in 2001, and also Golden Globe awards for best movie and best supporting actress (Kate Hudson). Hudson has never impressed me as an actress, but her turn as the queen of the groupies definitely deserved the critical acclaim she received. Too bad it's the only good role she's ever had.

Apparently, this movie bombed at the box office but did well with critics. And while I usually don't agree with hoidy-toidy critics, I'm giving them this one. "Almost Famous" is a winner, and if you haven't seen it, you should get to it. If you have seen it, here's a reminder that it's time to watch it again. This movie is definitely worth watching more than once.

The movie is filled with memorable characters, big and small, and the casting was truly outstanding. There isn't that much of a plot -- teenage kid chases his dream of being a rock journalist (now *there's* a job I never thought of), tours with the band, falls in love, meets disappointment, wins in the end. It's apparently semi-autobiographical for Cameron Crowe, who actually was a teenage journalist for Rolling Stone magazine and toured with bands including The Eagles and The Allman Brothers.

No, this movie is more of a character-driven piece than a plot vehicle. The lead character is played perfectly by Patrick Fugit, whom I don't think I've ever seen before, with just the right amount of naivete and wide-eyed innocence. Frances McDormand (from "Fargo") plays his neurotic mother so believably I think I actually know her from somewhere, just brilliant. Billy Crudup, as the most significant band member, is someone I've heard of but never could put a face to the name, but after this movie I will always remember who he is.

Jason Lee, who most people probably know as the title character on the TV show "My Name Is Earl", also deserves mention as the lead singer of the band -- overconfident and insecure at the same time, a very well-developed portrayal of a shallow man. Philip Seymour Hoffman makes his living doing character work, and nails his role as the older, rock-journalist mentor to the main character. Hell, even Jimmy Fallon does a great turn as the big-shot band manager who sweeps in to take over the band in the second half of the movie.

This movie is also a gold mine for people who love to quote lines from movies. After I finished watching the movie, I got on IMDb and read through the memorable quotes section, and there are some real doozies, which I won't bother repeating here because they won't make sense without the context. But for the quotes alone, this movie is worth watching over and over again. It's a great script with a great cast, and this movie will definitely join my very modest DVD collection shortly.

I leave you with one of my favorite lines from the movie. Patrick Fugit is telling Philip Seymour Hoffman about how he's a nobody in high school and everybody hates him because he's several years younger than them, and Hoffman responds wisely:

"You'll meet them all again on their long journey to the middle."