Paramount Presents’ latest gem has arrived in the form of the movie that started it all for me—Almost Famous. The 4K upgrade steel book package is the must-own home video in recent memory.
Two decades ago, a man who adored film and writing left the cinema after taking in an instant classic that was Almost Famous. His wife looked at him and said a few simple words, “you should write a review of that movie. That kid in it reminded me of you.” Well, when we got home, I showed her a photo of me at 13 holding a pen in my mouth and a copy of Rolling Stone in my hands as if I were a writer for the fabled publication. So, it only seems fitting that I write a review about the latest picture from Cameron Crowe. After all, I lived in San Diego, and a large part of the instant classic found itself centered in the seaside village that all who inhabit it call paradise.
I went home and within hours I had a review of Almost Famous that was honest, bare-bones, and simultaneously served as a love letter to rock and roll and the Southern California city. Then what? There was a small very local newspaper at the end of my block that delivered its advertising-driven publication each Monday in driveways all over San Diego. Not only did the editor, John Gregory, publish the review, but he hired me as a freelancer and took me under his wing. The rest is history.
The thing is, Almost Famous is one of my favorite movies on two fronts. They are both equally as important to my personal and professional growth. It launched my career in film and entertainment journalism and two, the film felt like a mirror into my soul. William Miller (Patrick Fugit) was me, except he was following the hottest band in rock and roll for days on end for a story for Rolling Stone.
Crowe had crafted a tapestry that encapsulates rock and roll at that point in time like no other piece of pop culture in history. It also is a film that impeccably captures life in a music outfit that travels the countryside drumming up business and buzz. This is also an important motion picture in the lexicon of rock and roll because there was a seismic change in the landscape of the music industry. It wasn’t simply about making music that stood the test of time. It became about making music that would do that, sure, but also ring up cash registers. That aspect was brilliantly illustrated by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as the real-life Lester Bangs, an iconic voice of rock and roll who served as a mentor to Fugit’s Miller, a teenager given the chance of a lifetime.
The thing is the evils that Bangs describes are portrayed with an innocent adoration through Crowe’s lens. Is it too late for Miller? Has he been sucked into the machine that was running popular music in the early to mid-70s? One thing was for certain. He’d never met a girl quite like Penny Lane (Kate Hudson). She, the leader of the “band-aids,” aka groupies, gives Miller a baptism by fire to life on the road with a band on the cusp of superstardom and for a kid who expresses little emotion, clearly, a tsunami of it emits from the young Rolling Stone writer as he joins the tour in his native San Diego.
There’s all the trappings of the life, all while this kid totes around an oversized tape recorder (compared to today’s standards) and a typewriter.
Of course, a vital and iconic scene occurs after a wild night out in mid-America when Billy Crudup’s Russell Hammond declares himself a “rock God” and the weight of fame and success weights on Stillwater like an anvil. Then, music. Not simply any song. Tiny Dancer by Elton John and by the time the song hits its crescendo, Hollywood has one of the most indelible moments in its history. A band divided becomes one unified behind the thing that brought them together in the first place—music.
The performances across the board are beyond impressive. First, an incredible find is a teen who portrays Miller. The way Fugit populates naivete, determination, and utter adoration for every single ounce of what surrounds him is stunning. So much of what Fugit brings to this character is said by saying absolutely nothing at all. It’s in his eyes. It’s in his brow. It’s in the manner with which a burgeoning magazine that was taking over popular culture was putting pressure on this young teenager living every rock and roll fan’s ultimate fantasy to actually finish his assignment and turn in a piece worthy of such an esteemed publication.
Crudup is every ounce the lead singer of a 70s band whose stardom is quickly ascending. He’s talented. He’s charismatic and what is utterly fascinating, is he takes a vested interest in Miller. In ways, he too is taken under wing by Hammond. Oh, and that scene on the payphone between Miller’s mother (Frances McDormand’s Elaine Miller) cuts right through the celluloid and into every single viewer’s soul. The “Golden God” turns in one of the more existential performances of his career. He has the makings of a good soul, as McDormand’s Miller points out, but he is knee-deep in fame, musical dreams that come true, and a love that is directed toward someone who he feels he cannot love.
Jason Lee is guitarist Jeff Bebe who seems to be an equal realist and optimist. As the veteran actor plays him, there is truly a second side to Stillwater’s success and future. Crowe knew enough about being around bands that he unbelievably captured the jealously, infighting, and still shows how they find the ability to give it their all every evening as if they were the only fans of the band who exist on earth.
Fugit makes a talent announcement with his turn in Crowe’s film. Upon hindsight, it’s hard to think of anyone else inhabiting the central role in Almost Famous. We feel his anxiety and excitement and the thrills of being on the road with a band who you idolize. Bangs warned him about the trappings of these situations, yet he fell right into them. But that’s OK. It’s irresistible, especially to a 14-year-old kid whose entire life is rock and roll. He turns in a performance that is every one of us at that age. Life was music. Music was life.
Hudson plays Lane like a virtuoso wailing on a guitar. She embodies the emotional roller coaster of such a life in a way that is equally as appealing as it is demeaning. The actress threads that needle impeccably and that is largely why she is the household name she is today. Also fantastic is a too quick appearance by Jimmy Fallon as a big-time music manager who utters a line that has become iconic. Something about if you think Mick Jagger will still shaking his ass at the age of 50 on stage, you have another thing coming. Guess again, big shot. It is, to this day, Fallon’s greatest entertainment moment.
The key is the Rolling Stone writer has to craft a story about Stillwater and get quotes that are worth the mettle of Rolling Stone. It’s an endeavor that is harder than he expected, especially with all the noise buzzing around the band and the groupies and other hangers-on that make this traveling circus the most appealing landscape he’s ever seen or experienced. Make no mistake. He is serious about this deadline and everything that occurs during his Stillwater journey is ripe for his story, but he has the biggest challenge when it comes to moral quandaries. Are they his friends? Do they even care about him?
When Hudson’s Lane whispers to the young Miller that “he is home” as Tiny Dancer plays and the band joins Elton John, there could not have been a more electrical moment in a film of any genre that stopped its emotional bombs right in its tracks. Being self-biographical, that moment rings like a bell of truth and life arrival that few are lucky enough to discover at such as young age. To pair that with talent, well, isn’t the dream?
There could not be a more appropriate and unparalleled appreciation from this lifelong fan than receiving this steel book release. Not only does it feature Crowe’s final product that got released in theaters September 13, 2000, but also the “bootleg” copy that followed years later on home video and is among the many treats that Almost Famous has given fans.
The 4K upgrade is a visual menagerie. It is firmly early 70s San Diego and America, yet it feels like one is sitting alongside the band and everyone who surrounds them. There is a San Diego feel and connection is about as loving as exists for a single American city.
Tre is a crispness that is exquisite that adds even more intimacy to the film that has staying power. Lane leads around Miller and acts as a guide to the madness that encompasses what would be blinding to anyone, much less a young teenager. Yet the entire time his mother is ever-present, especially by phone. It is a performance for the ages by McDormand. Her efficiency with getting to the parental point is uncanny. The Oscar-winning actress commands every second she inhabits and even hangs over other aspects where she is thousands of miles away.
But what makes Almost Famous so timeless and a film that belongs among the greatest ever made—not simply one of the best rock and roll movies ever undertaken—is how every single character plays a vital role in the unfolding of Crowe’s dramatic and musical narrative.
The audio transfer for the 4K is top-notch. Separating the musical and dramatic aspects of Crowe’s story in such a way that they sonically warrant their own mix. This will focus mostly on the varied and deep soundtrack the filmmaker has chosen to accompany the original music crafted for the score and the Stillwater songs.
When it comes to the 4K video upgrade, Paramount used the top of the pile 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD presentation. It pops off the screen and is as electric as the color palette of those wacky 70s. Almost Famous was already a production design gold standard and socially central 70s film, but there is something about its 4K transition that brings even more of that home.
The 4K and “Bootleg” versions, both included here, are each given its own disc. Both versions are worthy of your attention, repeatedly.
Crowe offers his two cents as he introduces viewers to the bonus featurettes. The short audio message will play when you select the special features tag. Hearing the filmmaker speak about diving back into his two-decade-old film, a perfect movie experience, is priceless.
There are a few new bonus features that are as must-see as the film itself. Filmmaker Focus—Cameron Crowe on Almost Famous firmly shines the spotlight on the man behind the magic. If one doesn’t have an appreciation for him and what he does, after this featurette your fandom of the filmmaker ought to shoot through the roof. There is something about him working on and then talking about Almost Famous where it is as if the hand of God touched upon this man’s head as he crafted one of the most enduring and endearing movies of all time—regardless of its milieu.
Also new to this steel book 4K is Casting and Costumes. It is an interesting pair of subjects to join at the featurette hip. But after speaking to countless actors about the role costumes play in their “completion” of their characterization, it is apt. Therefore, this is a match made in heaven. Up and down this ensemble is a collective of actors and actresses who were born to be in this film at this moment his history. From Fairuza Balk’s Sapphire to Anna Paquin’s Polexia Aphrodisia to Zooey Deschanel Flight Attendant older sister to Fugit, Anita. Everyone is on the same page and they all chime in and add to this slice of beautiful music presented as a cinematic masterpiece.
The featurette Rock School illustrates Crowe’s dedication to this film and its reality quotient. All the members of Stillwater go to school and come out the other side as much of a rock star as one would expect from that time period.
There are a few extended scenes that are, of course, worthy of a look or twenty. There can never be too much Almost Famous. Lastly in the bonus feature department is Odds & Sods, which features alternative takes in some scenes that are fascinating to say the least.
As a huge fan of the Lester Bangs character, the first “recycled from previous Blu-ray releases” bonus one must dive into is Interview with Lester Bangs. The just short of two-minute featurette is a great classic chat with the legendary rock chronicler. It adds countless layers to the experience of Almost Famous hearing from the man himself.
Cameron Crowe’s Top Albums of 1973 is exactly as one would expect, and that is what makes it a terrific and terribly original addition to the bonus features of the Almost Famous steel book. The top 10 records feature the music and movie aficionado presenting the albums’ covers and finds him not just telling us who they are, but why they made his list.
For those who want to dive into how Crowe captured lightning in a bottle, do not miss The Making of Almost Famous. The 25-minute doc chronicles the connections between Crowe’s real-life experiences and ones captured simply for forwarding his story of a band that was Almost Famous. An especially astute aspect is the look at the casting process and how meticulous it was and how it bore fruit in the most heavenly ways.
Ready rock? Head to Cleveland Concert, which features a full Stillwater concert—illustrating Crowe’s commitment to realness when it comes to his rock and roll history. The band turns in one rocking show that is worthy of multiple views.
Also, something you should not miss is Stairway—yes this is the infamous scene that got cut from the final product, otherwise known as BYOS — Bring Your Own Stairway.
Speaking of Stillwater music, definitely check out the music video for Fever Dog and the music demo for Love Comes and Goes with vocals by Nancy Wilson of Heart.
In the appropriately titled B-Sides, Crowe and Scott Martin took over five minutes of footage of making a film about making the film that is worth the price of admission.
Producers of the home video release smartly included some classic Rolling Stone articles from Stillwater’s era, including some on Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and, Fleetwood Mac, and more.
There are commentary tracks on almost all home video releases. Almost Famous goes that extra mile for that 20th anniversary with its one-of-a-kind cast of characters.
Crowe, of course, offers his brilliant commentary about the making of a classic. He is joined by Scott Martin and Andy Fisher from Vinyl Films. Someone who knows a little bit about Crowe from those early days, family friend Ivan Carona offers his two cents to the making of Almost Famous. Then, there is the woman who is played to perfection by McDormand in the film, Crowe’s mom, Alice Crowe. It’s about as entertaining as enlightening audio commentary track we have heard in some time.
Now for fanatics who are beyond appreciators of the entity that is Almost Famous, the script in its entirety is being included via digital copy. Now that’s putting art out there that is as transparent as exists.
When Almost Famous came to me, it was one of those moments that on your deathbed you will recall with a love and fondness reserved for living things. I owe everything to a movie about a kid who was exactly like me, except for the touring with Led Zeppelin part. I’ve interviewed Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in the Versailles Room in Paris, Anne Hathaway on the beaches of Rio. Almost famous is like a religion. It is a film that you repeatedly witness that changes you every single time you see it. There is little in the art world that wild that kind of power.
Almost Famous means different things to different people. That too is a rarity in the cinematic arts. But there is a common thread that every single soul in the world can cling to and that is that we are all human and are all heavily influenced by music. It has a power over us that can define us, lift us, save us, and above all else, be the soundtrack and a huge part of taking an average teenage kid and morphing him or her into exactly what their dream dictates.
Film Grade: A+
Bonus Features: A