I live for finally finding a movie I’ve long wanted to watch suddenly pop up on a streaming platform I have access to.

This happened several months ago with Jennifer’s Body, and I was so excited to finally get to watch that film when I discovered it. This time, it was Paramount Plus to the rescue for a motion picture I’ve been wanting to get my hands on for months now.

Earlier this year–maybe even late last year–I just couldn’t stop being reminded of how I’d never seen Almost Famous. Whether it was listening to podcasts that referred to it or hearing friends mention it, I kept realizing this was a big blind spot on my movie resume.

And if you know me, you know how excited I am to fill those blindspots! So I loaded up Paramount Plus and finally dug in to Cameron Crowe’s coming of age tale from the year 2000.

Almost Famous is the story of William Miller–a historical stand-in for Crowe himself, and a 15 year old boy who falls in love with rock music in the early 70’s. After doing some writing for a small magazine Creem–and a befriending an up-and-coming band named Stillwater–Miller is contacted by none other than Rolling Stone magazine to go on tour with Stillwater and write an article on them.

Miller is consistently warned by his mother and his writing sensei to stay on the straight and narrow and not get too engaged in the lifestyle of the band. But he is ultimately allowed to go.

Along with them is a group of young women who are fans of the band, including the mysterious “Penny Lane”, whom William grows close to. With temptation coming from everywhere, will William be able to hunker down and write his piece and achieve his dream?

TWO UPS AND TWO DOWNS

+ Kate Hudson is spectacular in this, in a way I never got from her over any other movie of hers that I have ever seen. She has complete control over the camera when it is on her, and she delivers every line like it’s the greatest bit of dialogue she’s ever been given. She is a star here. I don’t know if it’s the sheer power of her genetics and upbringing, or just a lot of talent, or great direction by Cameron Crowe, but she owns this flick.

Maybe it’s time I start giving other works of hers a do-over. I remember HATING How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days when it came out. Maybe I’m in the wrong on that one. Not that I have loads of time to re-watch movies these days–that’s how I would miss out on Almost Famous for twenty-plus years until today–but it might be worth some consideration.

+ Aside from Hudson’s performance which deserved its own Up, everything else here is extremely well done. Crowe is a very talented director who knows how to get the most out of his talent. Jason Lee, Billy Crudup, and Patrick Fugit all do solid work carrying the picture. I have seen some criticism of Fugit’s performance in particular, but I can’t knock him. I feel like he is SUPPOSED to be coming off as stunted and hesitant. That’s the character, and I think he played it excellently.

But aside from just the acting that Crowe squeezed out of everyone, you’ve got a film with stellar musical interludes and shots. Crowe really gets how to make a picture, and to think he made this and Jerry Maguire within a few years of each other is outstanding. Speaking of watching movies for a first viewing, maybe it’s about time I give some of his 1980’s works like Fast Times At Ridgemont High or Say Anything… a chance.

– The biggest problem I had with this movie is that I didn’t find it very compelling. It’s really well-done! But I can’t say I CARED about it. At any time, I could have turned it off and walked away, and I don’t think I’d have been that bothered about how it all turned out. I know that sounds harsh, but it’s true… and it’s going to be reflected in the score I ultimately give this picture in spite of the overwhelming praise I heaped on it in the Ups.

I just wish that the story had grabbed me more. It all felt so… bland somehow to me. Maybe it’s because I’m not much of a music aficionado (especially 1970’s era classic rock music), so I wasn’t inherently invested in the subject matter. But other movies about topics about which I’m not passionate have resonated with me. I care even less about Jazz, but I loved Whiplash, for instance. The story here just felt like… “kid keeps trying to get an interview; doesn’t”. I was not enthralled.

– This one is just on me and my expectations, but it felt like we were going to get a different story than what we actually got. The first act seems to set this movie up to be about William’s descent into rock and roll decadence, but we never get that. He manages to stay just about squeaky clean the whole way through, aside from losing his virginity to several women at the same time. It’s just not what I was expecting.

Maybe this ties into the first Down, but it’s not like Almost Famous is overburdened with Downs from which to choose. But yeah, I kind of thought this movie would be more plot heavy or have more of a conflict around William’s character. He’s just a good egg who remains a good egg the whole run time. What was I to invest in?

OVERALL

Almost Famous is a spectacularly made and acted film that really showcases an actress and a director at the peak of their powers. Every scene is brilliantly shot, and Crowe is on top of all of the technical aspects. And yet… while I was never straight up “bored” by any stretch, I just found the story to be an incredibly weak link. It’s still getting a high score, but man, what could have been for me if the plot was deeper.