Almost Famous

Over Thanksgiving break I was driving to Long Island to see my family while my Spotify played on shuffle. All of a sudden, the song Tiny Dancer by Elton John came on and I was overcome with memories of one of my favorite movies that I haven't even seen in the longest time. Isn't it crazy how music can do that to you? You hear it and are instantly reminded of a moment - whether its happy or sad, there is always an association. The movie I immediately connected this song to is Almost Famous, starring Kate Hudson. She is my favorite character in this film as she plays the quirky happy-go-lucky Penny Lane. The movie is based on a young writer who gets hired by The Rolling Stone and travels with one of America's most popular rock band of that time. What I love about this movie is how it incorporates real rock musicians from the 70s such as Simon and Garfunkel and Black Sabbath, but the band being documented is completely made up.The movie does a great job of incorporating Stillwater into the time period and connecting their music style to other ones that actually exist. This movie is an excellent period piece. It documents the 1970s very well along with the lifestyle of sex, drugs and rock n' roll. William, the teenage journalist starts out very naive but after befriending one of the rockstars, Russell and Penny Lane, his life quickly turns around. It is a great story for character development as we witness Kate Hudson's character nearly hitting rock bottom. There are sad moments, but the emotions that will come over you from watching this film are worth it. Directed by Cameron Crowe, it very much reflects his own experiences. He himself was a teenage writer for the Rolling Stone and toured with multiple bands including The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin and The Eagles.  You can definitely tell that this story is written from some kind of personal experience because it touches close to the heart.

Cameron Crowe

One of my favorite directors, Cameron Crowe is working on an untitled project scheduled to come out next year. It is about a military contractor returning to the site of his greatest career triumphs and reconnecting with a past love while falling for the Air Force watchdog assigned to him. What I'm most excited about is the stellar cast of actors and actresses: Rachel McAdams, Emma Stone, Bradley Cooper, John Krasinski, Bill Murray, Alec Baldwin, and more.


Cameron Crowe was born in 1957 in California. His writing career began as a 15 year-old high school student submitting articles on music to Rolling Stone. His film, Almost Famous, is slightly based off of his own life. It's one of my favorite films, as it is typical Cameron Crowe - an offbeat but charming drama/romance that creates an atmosphere the viewer never wants to leave.

Most of his main characters tend to start from great success and lose everything, having to reevaluate their lives and thus gaining understanding. They are relatable on many different levels. The audience will fall in love with all of them. His characters seem so real and raw - that's why all his films resonate so well with me. They go through real struggles that everyone can understand. For example, in We Bought a Zoo, the father (played by Matt Damon) is trying to cope with the loss of his wife. He needs a change and to focus on helping something, so they move to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo. Alright, maybe the audience doesn't relate to renovating a zoo, but we understand the human condition. Going through a loss forces people to make changes in their lives.

In Almost Famous, Penny Lane (played by Kate Hudson) is comparable to Audrey Hepburn's character, Holly Golightly, in Breakfast at Tiffany's. They both are sad yet endearing women looking for happiness in all the wrong people and places. My heart aches for them, as it does for many other characters in Cameron Crowe's films.

Cameron Crowe is the ultimate music guru. He is known for his great soundtracks. On set, he plays the music that will be used in the specific scene during that scene. He makes the actors and actresses listen to it before they shoot. Some actors/actresses like this and others do not care for it. But he feels it sets the mood for everybody.

If you haven't seen a film directed by Cameron Crowe, go do it now. Check out: We Bought a Zoo, Elizabethtown, Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky, Say Anything..., Jerry Maguire, etc.