Almost Famous (2000)

Won 1 Oscar
- 54 wins & 103 nominations total

Trivia
The film is director Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical account of life as a young Rolling Stone reporter. The actual group Crowe first toured with was The Allman Brothers Band. Gregg Allman distrusted him, and kept asking if he was a narc. Crowe was in a near-fatal plane crash while traveling with The Who. The character of Russell Hammond is partially based on Glenn Frey of Eagles.

Goofs
At the Black Sabbath show where William first meets Stillwater, someone backstage wears a 1997 Black Sabbath Reunion "Devil Twins" T-Shirt.

Quotes
Dennis Hope: If you think Mick Jagger will still be out there trying to be a rock star at age fifty, then you are sadly, sadly mistaken.

Crazy credits
In the music credits at the end of the film, all songs sung by Stillwater are credited to the characters who would have written them.

Alternate versions
The extended 'bootleg cut' version available on DVD features 39 minutes of additional footage, bringing the running time at 162 minutes. This version is actually titled 'Untitled' and has a title card as such in Cameron Crowe's handwriting.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Nurse Betty/Turn it Up/The Way of the Gun/The Watcher/Dark Days (2000)

Soundtracks
The Chipmunk Song
Written by Ross Bagdasarian (as Ross Bagdasarian Sr.)
Performed by The Chipmunks
Courtesy of EMI Records
Under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets

Elaine (Frances McDormand) is an all-controlling weirdness mother in San Diego, and her daughter Anita (Zooey Deschanel) rebels running away. Elaine even lies to her son William Miller (Patrick Fugit) about his age skipping grades. Anita leaves behind her collection of records for him. Then forward to 1973, William is a 15 year old high school music geek who has written a few things for magazines. Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is his all-talk mentor. While trying to interview Black Sabbath, he befriends Band-aid Penny Lane (Kate Hudson). Then he meets Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) and the band Stillwater. A few praises and he's in with the band. Then Rolling Stone magazine calls.

This is based on director Cameron Crowe's life as a young Rolling Stone reporter. As such, it has an air of truth in this fictional account. It hits all the correct notes. It is fun, poignant, and heart warming in all the right places. Kate Hudson is an instant star. The music is wonderful. It won the Oscar for best writing, but I would pick this over any of the best picture nominees. It is simply better than the best of that year.