US (2000): Romance/Drama/Comedy
Almost Famous is the movie Cameron Crowe waited a lifetime to tell. The fictionalization of Crowe's days as a teenage reporter for Creem and Rolling Stone has all the well-written characters and wonderful "movie moments" that we expect from Crowe, but the film has an intangible something extra -- an insider's touch that will turn the film into the ode to '70s rock & roll for years to come. We are introduced to Crowe's alter ego, William Miller (Patrick Fugit), at home, where his progressive mom (Frances McDormand) has outlawed rock music and sister Anita (Zooey Deschanel) has slipped him LPs that will "set his mind free." Following the wisdom of Creem's disheveled editor, Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Miller gets on the inside with the up-and-coming band Stillwater (a fictionalized mixture of the Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, and others). A simple visit with the band turns into a three-week, life-altering odyssey into the heyday of American rock. Of the characters he meets on the road, the two most important are groupie extraordinaire Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) and Stillwater's enigmatic lead guitarist (Billy Crudup), who keeps stringing Miller along for an interview. From the handwritten credits (done by Crowe) to the bittersweet finale, Crowe's comedic valentine is an indelible, heartbreaking romance of music, women, and the privilege of youth. (Amazon.com)
4 nominations, 1 Award
· Best Achievement in Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen) 2000: Cameron Crowe
· Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 2000: Kate Hudson
· Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 2000: Frances McDormand
· Achievement in Film Editing 2000: Joe Hutshing & Saar Klein